Handschalter Z4 gets three-pedals
Z4 will offer stick or auto for same price
BMW has just launched the three-pedal Z4 M40i roadster. It’s the first time this generation of the car will be sold with a stick in Canada, and in the spirit of special Z-cars past, BMW is trying to give it a new name.
The company calls it the Handschalter, which is German for “hand shift.” Don’t expect that to catch on like “Clownshoe” did for the Z3 coupe. BMW says that’s the name the company used internally when it developed this car. And by developed, we largely mean copped the parts and the idea from Toyota, which based its own work on a small-engine Z4 that was sold elsewhere in the world.
The 2025 BMW Z4 M40i Roadster gets the same 382 hp from its 3.0L twin-turbo I6 as the automatic version. It gets two fewer gears, one extra pedal, and, hopefully, a lot more fun.
BMW says the transmission has been developed with M-specific components just for this car. That includes the gear set and internal shafts. BMW says it will deliver the mechanical feel the brand is known for.
0-100 km/h takes 4.4 seconds. That’s about half a second slower than the automatic, but what’s an eye blink of acceleration among friends?
The stick-shift 2025 Z4 will get special chassis tuning, including auxiliary springs at both axles and a reinforced front anti-roll bar mount. The electronic shocks and the steering software have also been reprogrammed. The biggest difference is the new wheels. Manual transmission models get 19-inch wheels in the front and 20s in the back.
BMW will launch the 2025 Z4 in March. Expect pricing at that time, but the stick shift will cost the same as the automatic.
