A classic sporty roadster, the BMW Z4 is part of a dying breed that puts driving pleasure above practicality. It’s related to the Toyota Supra, essentially serving as the droptop version of that car. Rivals include the Porsche Boxster, Chevrolet Corvette, and Mazda MX-5 Miata.
2026 BMW Z4 Pricing, Specs, and Release Date
- What’s New for the 2026 BMW Z4
- Design
- Powertrain
- Interior
- Technology
- Safety
- Pricing and Release Date
- Further Research
What’s New for the 2026 BMW Z4
The 2026 model year is the last for the BMW Z4. As such, it gets no notable changes except for the Z4 Final Edition variant. Based on the more powerful Z4 M40i, it’s dressed up in an exclusive Frozen Black metallic paint color, with a Vernasca leather and Alcantara interior with red contrast stitching. It also comes with the dark trim of the Shadowline package, a Moonlight Black soft top, and red brake calipers. The Z4 Final Edition is offered with the manual or automatic transmission and costs $78,675.
Design
The BMW Z4 wears the classic sports car look with a long hood, a short trunk, and tight overhangs. Wide, staggered tires demonstrate its performance intent. With its more classic version of the brand’s twin-kidney grille, it’s clearly a BMW. The 2026 Z4 has a cloth top available in a variety of colors, and the look works top up or down.
Powertrain
Buyers have a choice of two engines for the 2026 BMW Z4. The Z4 sDrive30i is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that spins up 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. It sends that power to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Z4 M40i models get a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six that makes 382 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque; it's mated to the eight-speed automatic or a six-speed manual and cuts the zero-to-60-mph time from 5.2 seconds to as low as 3.9 seconds. The four-cylinder is EPA-rated at 25 mpg city, 33 highway, and 28 combined, while the inline-six gets 23/31/26 mpg with the automatic and 19/26/22 mpg with the manual.
Interior
BMW upholsters the Z4 with standard synthetic leather and offers the real thing as an option. This two-door roadster comes with a power soft top that can raise or lower in 10 seconds at speeds up to 31 mph. The trunk is rather small, with 9.9 cubic feet of cargo space, but that’s not bad for a roadster.
Technology
BMW outfits the 2026 Z4 with a standard 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and navigation. The infotainment screen can be controlled with touch inputs, voice commands, or through a rotary dial on the center console. A 12-speaker, 408-watt Harman Kardon audio system is optional.
Safety
The Z4 is rather sparsely equipped in terms of safety features. It gets standard automatic emergency braking with cyclist and pedestrian detection, but the system works only at low speeds. A high-speed version comes in the Driver Assistance package, which also includes blind-spot monitors with steering support, front and rear parking sensors, and lane-departure warning. Automatic high beams are also standard, and buyers can also get adaptive cruise control.
Pricing and Release Date
As of this writing, the 2026 BMW Z4 sDrive 30i starts at $57,275, including a $1,175 destination fee. It comes standard with synthetic leather upholstery, heated power-adjustable seats, navigation, a universal garage door opener, keyless access and starting, dual-zone automatic climate control, wireless smartphone charging, and 18-inch alloy wheels. The Z4 M40i, priced from $69,575, adds larger M brakes, an M Sport differential, and adaptive dampers, all of which are in the Dynamic Handling package for the base model.
To get the manual transmission, buyers have to choose the Edition Handschalter package for $3,500. It also comes with staggered 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels, black exterior trim, a sportier suspension tune, and Cognac Vernasca Leather upholstery.
The 2026 Z4 is on sale now.
