BMW Z4 or Toyota Supra? You Really Should Lean Toward the Beemer

The BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra were developed together, and both use the same platform, but the Toyota outsells the BMW three to one.

It doesn’t seem fair, but we wouldn’t have the Supra without the Z4 and vice versa. The Toyota Supra is much cheaper than the BMW roadster, but the Z4 has a lot to offer. The partnership between Toyota and BMW created two incredible cars, but only one receives the following and notoriety that should come with being a great car, and it’s not the Beemer.

Shared costs brought two great cars to the market

It sounds like a jingle for candy, but you can’t have one of these cars without the other. BMW and Toyota shared the costs of the project, creating the two impressive models. Neither brand would have fully funded a low-volume sports car, but it seems BMW got the short end of the stick. If you want Toyota with a highly respected name, incredible performance qualities, and BMW features, there’s only one to drive. On the other hand, nothing on the Z4 comes from the Toyota brand, which leaves BMW a little worse for the wear.

Why should you choose the Z4?

Everything BMW created for the new Z4 roadster is part of this car and was made to give us an incredible car to drive. The G29 generation came to the market in 2018, and it has only been upgraded slightly over the past five years. The largest changes found are new wheels and colors.

The base Z4 is the sDrive30i, which comes with the M Sport package in 2023, which gives you a new front fascia and improved seats. The base price for this model is now $53,795, which is pretty reasonable considering you’re actually getting a BMW. Move up to the M40i version, and you’ll pay $66,295, which is the same price as a year ago.

Impressive power and max torque

As expected, the Toyota Supra and BMW Z4 have the exact same engines. That’s not surprising since BMW developed them. The Z4 sDrive30i uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that makes 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. Moving to the M40i, you’ll find a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged straight-six that pumps out 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. Both engines hit the maximum torque at low rpm, 1,500 and 1,600, respectively, giving you incredible acceleration right from the jump.

No manual for the Beemer

If you want a reason to buy the Supra over the Z4, other than the price, Toyota gave the Supra a manual transmission option for 2023. This new six-speed manual is paired only with the 3.0-liter engine. The transmission was developed by BMW, which makes things a little strange. It seems this transmission should be offered as an option for the Z4, but it’s not. Maybe we’ll see this new transmission or something similar in the Z4 starting in 2024.

Currently, the BMW Z4 offers an 8-speed automatic transmission for all versions of the car. This transmission seems to be a little more than the 4-cylinder engine needs, but it’s perfect for the 6-cylinder version of this car, providing an excellent ride that can be easy to enjoy. The M40i model of this BMW roadster hits 60 mph in only 3.9 seconds, while the sDrive30i does the same in 5.2 seconds.

The cabin could be the differentiator

The power numbers between the Toyota Supra and BMW Z4 are the same, but the two cars are vastly different. The BMW brings an amazingly luxurious cabin to the market, giving you the fit and finish desired in a performance machine. You won’t find anything low-rent or out of place in this cabin. Considering you’ll spend most of your time inside the car, you want to have a better cabin area, which is found in the Z4.

Which Z4 should you buy?

Most might think the best car to buy is the BMW Z4 M40i, but the fact is, the sDrive30i is the option that most should consider. The chassis tuning between the two BMW models is nearly identical, which means the only real difference is the amount of power coming from the engine. The Z4 is also a convertible roadster, which puts the BMW Z4 ahead of the Toyota Supra for the driving experience.

You’ll spend most of your time on public roads, choose the Z4 and enjoy the best drive offered.