BMW’s First Z4 Coupe Is an Affordable Alternative to a New Supra

You’ll be aware by now that the Toyota GR Supra isn’t entirely the Japanese company’s own work. Not in the 1970s “that Celica looks a bit like a Mustang” sense, but in the sense that Toyota and BMW worked closely on development and that the fifth-gen Supra’s platform fundamentals, any tweaks aside, are those of a BMW Z4.

Thus the ongoing and by now slightly stale joke that the Supra is basically a Z4 coupe, though it’s thankfully a joke that is going out of fashion as enthusiasts warm to the car. Amazing what not jumping to initial conclusions can do.

If the Supra were merely a hardtop Z4, it wouldn’t be the first. The Z4 is in its third generation now, but only the first generation ever got a true fixed-roof variant. And it stands a fair chance of becoming a coveted classic in the not-too-distant future; its first-and-last-of-the-line status, the right badge, and truly distinctive styling are helping it to stand out among its contemporaries. Average values that fall well below the MSRP of the modern Supra don’t hurt, either.

The Z4 Coupe debuted at the Frankfurt motor show in 2005, three years after the roadster debuted in Paris. As is so often the case with the products of enormous modern car companies, history is unclear as to whose pen shaped the Coupe: Chris Bangle was head of BMW design at the time and is often credited (or blamed, depending on your view) with creating the “flame surfacing” trend embraced by the Z4; Adrian van Hooydonk (current BMW Group design director) was fairly senior at the time too; Anders Warming (currently design director at Rolls-Royce) is said to have designed the Z4 Roadster, and Thomas Sycha may be the man behind the roofed version.

Whoever it was—or however many it was—they did a cracking job. The Z4 will always be an acquired taste, thanks to the changes implemented in BMW design by Bangle during the period, but even if you’re not keen on the details, the long-hood, short-cab silhouette is perfect sports car stuff, a look adopted by everything from the E-Type to the current Supra. The roof really ties the look of the Z4 together, and it was clearly less of an afterthought than the Z3 Coupé’s breadvan look.

The Coupe’s cabin was unchanged from that of the Roadster (extra luggage space courtesy of the hatchback design aside), and this is probably more controversial than the exterior design these days, as BMW also largely abandoned its driver-focused, cockpit-like feel during the period. Still, there’s an elegant simplicity to it, and unlike the current Z4, you get a proper pair of hooded dials to glance at. It’s airier than the pillbox-like Supra, too.

The Z4 was larger and more sophisticated than the Z3, with a 3 Series–derived multilink rear suspension setup rather than its predecessor’s semi-trailing arms. Less welcome was electric assistance for the steering, and the Z4’s use of run-flat tires didn’t go down too well, either. Driving the car in 2006, Autocar criticized its “lifeless” steering and the tires’ effect on ride composure, but otherwise enjoyed its engine and handling, calling it the “loveable rogue” of the BMW range.

Ah yes, the engine. While a four-cylinder was still available in the Roadster, the Coupe was six-pot only, adding to the modern-day Datsun 240Z/Triumph GT6 vibes. The 255-hp 3.0si was lovely, but the truly covetable Z4 Coupe will always be the Z4 M, with its 330-hp S54 straight-six lifted from the E46 M3.

Not only was the M more powerful than the regular Coupé, but it also reverted to hydraulic assistance for the steering, immediately resulting in an improvement in feedback (if still not in the Porsche Cayman league). It ditched the run-flat tires, and there was a variable-locking limited-slip differential, too. Its stiffer setup didn’t go down well with everyone—some magazines preferred the regular 3.0si—but today’s enthusiast, starved of suitable alternatives, probably won’t mind.

Actually, there is one alternative: today’s Toyota Supra. It has even stronger performance—Autocar timed it to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, compared to 5.1 for the Z4 M—and its modernity is highlighted in how much less fuel it uses, the magazine also seeing 10-mpg better economy in everything other than track testing.

But then Supras are still hefty money in the first place, with an MSRP of $47,535 for a four-cylinder car. The average value for the hottest hardtop Z4, the M Coupe, is $36,400, as of the first quarter of 2024. That car might even look a little better, too—and you can be absolutely certain, with the BMW badge on the nose, that this one isn’t pretending to be anything else.

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