2010 BMW Z4 Unveiled Ahead Of Detroit Motor Show

We first gave you a look at the new Z4 earlier this month, and now we've got the whole lot. Get your deposits ready, folks. BMW has officially unveiled images and plenty of technical details of the next generation Z4 ahead of its in-the-metal reveal at the Detroit Motor Show, where it’s bound to take centre stage (in view of the absence of so many other makers).

The front of the new Z4 is dominated by the widest example of BMW’s trademark double-kidney grille that we’ve yet seen, flanked by elongated headlights that curve up at the ends into a point above the front wheels.  These sit above a comparatively subtle but no less stylish air dam and side intakes.

The 2010 Z4’s profile is where the similarities to the previous model are most obvious, with the top character line broken aft of the door handle, the front section slipping below the rear portion of the line.  The bottom character line forms a strong deliberate fold in the Z4’s ‘skin’, coming to a soft end at the end of the door.

Side markers are nestled in a slick new gill resting behind the front wheel arch, fore of a BMW badge which no longer forms the cover for the side markers as it did on the previous Z4.

Compared to the other angles, out back is a relatively subtle and traditional rear end.  Subtle, simple tail lights fill the corners with a deep red, a slim LED indicator running along the bottom of each.  A high bumper rests beneath these, while the boot lid rolls up into a pointed lip.

Inside is every bit the BMW interior, with gloss piano black dash and centre console panels, surrounded by cream white leather and a black leather dash top. BMW’s iDrive system is now present.

The soft-top has been left out in favour of a folding hard roof, offering improved visibility with the top up, and a 20-second count for it to raise into place or stow itself back in the boot.

While there are no details for the Aussie models yet, it’s doubtless safe to say we’ll see the same specs as the Euro models.  The Z4 sDrive23i, powered by a 2.5-litre in-line six cylinder and making 152kW, will be offered in both a six-speed manual and an auto transmission. Moving up the line, the Z4 sDrive30i packs the same 3.0-litre I6 as the current model, making 192kW and 309Nm of torque.  The sprint to 100km/h takes 5.8 seconds in the sDrive30i.

The top of the line 2010 Z4 is the sDrive35i, offering a twin-turbo version of the 3.0-litre and loaded up with 228kW, punching its way to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds with the manual transmission, and a tenth of a second quicker with the seven-speed dual-clutch box.

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