3rd gen G29 BMW Z4 (2019-202X)

[MA617M]

just received word that the car did ~7:40 unofficially on the Ring, right in line with the Caymans. The crazy thing is it still has some left in it.

And that's the "340hp" model, not gazoo one?

Sponsored

 

[A70TTR]

Correct. I'm so beyond excited to see what the GRMN car does.

 

[MA617M]

Correct. I'm so beyond excited to see what the GRMN car does.

you and me both. do you have any indication if the GRMN model will be available soon after launch, or will they stagger release?

 

[SupraMaybe]

just received word that the car did ~7:40 unofficially on the Ring, right in line with the Caymans. The crazy thing is it still has some left in it.

Wow. The base car is running only ~0:10 slower than the 2009 GT-R record without some black magic AWD!!! I was thinking about settling for a used 2013 GT-R... but I should wait and see what the GRMN version has. It must be cheaper to maintain than a GT-R as well.

 

[A70TTR]

yeah, R35 GTR maintenance is definitely not cheap; my buddy actually sold his CBA because of it even after we all said they have a pretty pricey schedule lol

That's actually part of how Nissan planned to recoup the R&D costs on the original car interestingly enough.

you and me both. do you have any indication if the GRMN model will be available soon after launch, or will they stagger release?

I dont have much information at all on the GRMN car outside of what the goals for the car are. Based on what I have seen with other models, I'd expect it to debut a bit later after the standard car sells for while. No hard evidence though...

 

[Captain_Kirk]

All Future BMW to Get i3S Traction Control System That's 50x Faster

Press Release:

January 3, 2018

Munich. The BMW i3 sets standards worldwide for driving pleasure in a purely electrically-driven vehicle. Key factors here are not only the increased output of the motor in the new BMW i3s, but also the innovative traction control system adapted specifically to the instantaneous power deliver of the BMW eDrive system. Presented for the first time in the new BMW i3s (270 Nm at 0 rpm, 135 kW / 184 HP, power consumption combined in European NEFZ test-cycle*: 14.3 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 0 g/km), the system improves traction and driving stability in adverse weather and road conditions when pulling away, in active Brake Energy Regeneration phases and when accelerating out of tight corners. At the heart of this innovation is the control system’s 50-times-faster routine, made possible because – unlike conventional driving stability systems – the control process is now calculated directly in the powertrain instead of in a remote unit requiring long signal paths. This development provides further evidence of BMW i as a pioneer of innovative technology within the BMW Group.

“With their high levels of torque and instantaneous responses to every movement of the accelerator, electric motors already make significantly higher demands on driving stability systems than conventional power units,” explains Peter Langen, Head of Chassis Development at BMW.

That’s why the BMW engineers developed a new type of system geared squarely to the demands of electric mobility.

The positive impact of these shorter control cycles is not reserved for purely electrically driven cars; indeed, this innovative traction control system also optimises traction, driving stability and driving dynamics in vehicles with combustion engines. It will therefore be fitted in BMW and MINI models with front-, rear- and all-wheel drive to deliver noticeably greater assurance and driving pleasure when road conditions make pulling away difficult.

 

[Supra93]

 

[johnny_10196]

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/...wagens-suv-goes-high-end-m-performance-bmw-z4

M Performance BMW Z4:

Although reports suggest an M variant of the upcoming BMW Z4 has been ruled out, the division’s vice president, Dirk Hacker, says the door hasn’t been fully closed, even if an M Performance version is more likely. “We have been very pleasantly surprised by the feedback for the concept,” he said. “The appetite for an emotional driving experience is very strong. There is no announcement on a Z4 M yet but fast versions of the car look interesting.”

 

[A70TTR]

yeah, they absolutely are working on a Z4-M Spec car. I'm not sure if that will be what it ends up being called, but that's the car that Tada helped them with when they got butthurt about the Supra vs regular Z4 track performance disparity.

 

[vb22]

^This one sounds a little better than past spy videos.

 

[tfoxyr]

I suspect that was the M performance . The top spec z4 will be called z4 M40i and will have the 385 hp engine . Also something i found interesting is that because the platform is modular the only car , at first , that will have more similarities with the z4 is the 3-series . This actually makes me think that maybe the supra and z4 can have different wheelbases and generally be more different than say the 86 twins.

 

[DevonK]

I dont have much information at all on the GRMN car outside of what the goals for the car are. Based on what I have seen with other models, I'd expect it to debut a bit later after the standard car sells for while. No hard evidence though...

That certainly is the industry-wide practice - just look at the Mustang, Camaro, 911, F-Type, AMG GT, etc....

 

[DevonK]

Wow. The base car is running only ~0:10 slower than the 2009 GT-R record without some black magic AWD!!!

OTOH it's only 8 seconds faster than a gussied up FWD commuter appliance - the Civic Type R...

Personally I would sacrifice a dick-waving lap time for a higher fun-to-drive factor. About the only substantive criticism I have seen from more than one source regarding the Type R as a driver's car is that in pushing to give the R the ultimate levels of grip and stability needed for that heroic lap time, Honda has tuned out the kind of directional adjustability to driver inputs when cornering (primarily lift-off oversteer) that other FWD hatches like the Megane and the Fiesta ST have which makes them so much fun.

Maybe that is the potential weakness the Toyota CEO was trying to avert when he ordered the engineers back to the drawing board to make the Supra more lively.... fingers crossed. The prime reason I want to go RWD is to have easy and controllable power-on oversteer adjustability. I don't want a car with glue-like rear cornering grip that suddenly lets go completely and uncontrollably at some extremely high limit.

 

[BrettS]

Looks like it’s a production model now. No more padding covering anything

BMW Z4: new pictures of 2019 model show Z4 Concept influence
Sports car is co-developed by Toyota and could get optional four-wheel drive; hybrid six-cylinder engine also expected

BMW is continuing to rack up the miles during development of its next-generation Z4 in order to ready the car for its 2019 launch date - and these new pictures show the car in greater detail than before.

The future Z4 model, which is expected to go on sale in March 2019, can be seen wearing production-spec bodywork covered by light camouflage. It sits on smaller diameter wheels than earlier spotted cars, suggesting it's a lower specification model.

The latest sightings follow an earlier video (see below), where the car looks composed when cornering at pace and can be seen wearing winglets on its nose - suggesting BMW was assessing the car's performance when under load.

Powering the new Z4 will be a choice of BMW's latest turbocharged petrol engines. The Z4 sDrive30i will get a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder that produces about 248bhp, while more powerful variants will likely get a turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder, shared with the M240i, producing about 335bhp.

Both engines will come with standard rear-wheel drive and a ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The Z4 shares parts with the upcoming Toyota Supra, and is similarly expected to be offered with a hybrid drivetrain. Such a drivetrain would likely come with four-wheel drive.

BMW's decision to equip the Z4 with the same rear axle as the M3 and M4 rear suggests its hardware will be compatible with the 425bhp twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight six-engine of those models, or the 365bhp turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder powerplant from the M2, along with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

This car would be badged as an M model and therefore get its own bespoke bodywork and a more focused chassis set-up.

BMW has been testing development versions of its next Z4 for almost a year. It announced the future car's arrival back in 2015 and revealed a concept version to preview its design last year. The soft-top, two-door model is expected to be revealed later this year before sales kick-off in 2019.

The car's relation to the Toyota Supra comes as part of Toyota and BMW's decision to co-develop a new sports car platform.

While the BMW will be a convertible, the Toyota will be a spiritual successor to the Supra and as such will wear a hard top, as shown by spotted development cars.

Inspiration for the Toyota's design has been taken from the striking FT-1 concept, first seen at the Detroit motor show in 2014.

 

[2JZ-No-Sh*t]

New 2018 BMW Z4: new production test mule spied

BMW's lighter, sharper Z4 is nearing its 2018 launch, and spy shots of a more revealing test car have emerged

The third-generation BMW Z4 will be introduced later this year, and we’ve had our best glimpse yet at what the production variant of the Audi TT rival might look like in revealing new spy images.

The BMW Z4 made its global debut at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, but it wasn’t until later that year, at the Frankfurt Motor Show, that the concept for the BMW roadster was revealed to a European audience. The concept car shown at the two events revealed what the 2018 Z4 will look like.

Like the Concept Z4, the production test mule features a soft-top fabric roof, however the concept’s buttresses have disappeared. A widened kidney grille at the front is instantly noticeable, giving the Mk3 Z4 an aggressive appearance similar to the Concept 8 Series. The headlamps however are rounder and less menacing on the Z4 test mule.

More traditional wing mirrors are noted on the production test car, in comparison to the Concept Z4’s slim, narrow mirrors, but the angular grooves along the doors remain. The i8-style rear end also features, debuting a similar tail-light design, but a pair of round exhausts has replaced the Concept Z4’s pentagonal design. Paired with the looks of the new 8 Series Concept, BMW’s new design language featured on the new Z4 reveals where the German manufacturer is taking the styling of its next generation of cars.

While we didn’t catch a glimpse of the interior, the Concept Z4 emphasised a more centrally situated driving position than on previous Z4’s. Marc Girard, the car’s designer, says this is to really accentuate the fact that the driver is the main focus. The passenger side features the same paint hue as the outside of the Z4, but the driver’s side has its own black colour scheme, again focussing on the driver.

Like the 8 Series Concept the major controls are sited in what BMW calls ‘islands’ so all the driving modes are clustered around the stubby gear lever and the heating controls are around the air vents. The dashpod is an all-digital affair while the main central monitor butts up to the dashpod allowing a flow of information from the main monitor to the instrument cluster with the driver able to choose what information is displayed.

New BMW Z4 engines and performance
As this is a Concept BMW is keeping tight-lipped over what engines will power the Z4 but both the 2.0-litre four-cylinder and 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbocharged units will feature with outputs ranging from 187 to 355bhp and we would expect a PHEV ‘e’-badged version too. Whether there will be an M version remains to be seen – the last Z4 didn’t feature a full-fat M version – but as this next generation Z4 promises a more focussed driving experience we would expect an M Performance version at the very least.

Q&A with Marc Girard, head of BMW Concept Design
What is the inspiration behind the Concept Z4?
“From our heritage, but we want to reinterpret everything at the same time. We’re not doing retro, we want to reinvent key items like the kidneys and headlights and the goal is to make all our cars full of character, keeping the iconic design cues but newly translated for each model.”

How would you say the Concept Z4 differs from the outgoing model?
“The top topic when designing the car was the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’. To make it more agile we reduced the wheelbase – from a semantic standpoint it clearly tells the story that the driver is in the middle of everything.”

So it sounds like it will be sportier than the previous Z4?
“What we want to convey with the proportions is clearly performance – it’s a driver’s car, it’s a sports car, it’s super agile, it’s light-footed and extremely dynamic.”

How close is the Concept to the production car?
“We are basically previewing the production car. Here we have 80 per cent of the hard core engineering requirements in terms of aerodynamics and cooling and things like that so we are, in effect, previewing a close to production model.”

What’s your favourite part?
“That’s hard to say, but I particularly like the fairings behind the headrests with the carbon fibre insert that goes all the way inside and the milled one-piece aluminium which is semi clear coated and semi matt – they’re gorgeous pieces of sculpture."

And what’s underneath the Concept?
“Oh, a normal BMW engine… we had plenty of choice!”

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/bmw/z4/94096/new-2018-bmw-z4-new-production-test-mule-spied

Sponsored