Big-engine Z4 getting three pedal option
Manual comes with suspension upgrades
BMW is building a stick-shift version of the BMW Z4. There’s a prototype already, and it will go on sale in 2024.
Ok, this isn’t much of a surprise. Once Toyota announced that the mechanically identical Toyota Supra was getting a stick shift, it felt like a matter of time before BMW did the same. But now Autoblog has been behind the wheel of the upcoming model.
The stick-shift Z4 gets more than just the new gearbox. It has a staggered wheel and tire setup and gets the torque vectoring rear diff from the M240i coupe, for example. The front anti-roll bar is stiffer, the steering has been recalibrated, and the adaptive dampers have been adapted.
Yes, we know that BMW made a stick-shift Z4 sDrive20i in some other markets, but that model was low on power and didn’t sell here. This one will be an M40i with 328 hp 3.0L twin-turbo inline-six. The good one.
Buyers of the stick-shift, which goes on sale in Q1 of 2024, will be the only ones to get the suspension changes. No word on the price, though Toyota sells the Supra with a stick for the same price as the eight-speed automatic.
This will be one of the last BMW cars sold with a manual transmission. So expect it to be in high demand, and it could be tough to get.
