BMW Z4 M40i cops a power increase for 2020

BMW has announced an update for the BMW Z4 M40i in the form of a 35kW power increase.

This means instead of the 250kW its 3.0-litre turbo six used to produce, the fastest version of BMW’s roadster now makes 285kW. Torque remains at 500Nm, bringing the Z4 M40i up to the same power level as its siblings in the ‘40i’ family, notably the M340i xDrive, the X3 M40i, and X4 M40i.

This also means the Z4’s halo variant is now faster, obviously, with a rather impressive four tenths being shaved from its 0-100km/h run. It’s now claimed to take just 4.1 seconds to hit three figures. This puts it in the same leagues as much more expensive cars such as the Porsche Panamera GTS or the Jaguar F-Type V8 R, both of which have AWD.

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As an added bonus, BMW isn’t increasing the price of the Z4 M40i at all, leaving it at $124,900 before on-road costs.

The rest of the Z4 range remains the same, with the Z4 sDrive 30i still powered by a 190kW/400Nm 2.0-litre engine, with a 0-100km/h sprint of 5.4 seconds. It’s priced at $104,900.

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The Z4’s base variant, the Z4 sDrive 20i features a less powerful tune of the same engine, with 145kW and 320Nm, but can be optioned with a six-speed manual gearbox. BMW says it’ll run a 6.6 second 0-100km/h sprint regardless of gearbox, and costs $84,900 either way.

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It’s expected the updated, more powerful M40i will arrive in BMW Australia dealerships during Q1 2020.