2021 BMW Z4 Values & Cars for Sale | Kelley Blue Book

The 2021 BMW Z4 roadster is like a Mazda MX-5 Miata for grown-ups. This 2-seater sports car is still big enough to accommodate 6-footers or taller (which is often a deal-breaker when tall types consider an MX-5).

Both cars have that classic front-engine/rear-drive layout, with the rear axle close to the seat of the driver’s pants, imparting an excellent feel for the car’s behavior. The difference is that the BMW Z4 has powerful turbocharged engines, along with many luxury features and advanced safety technology.

The Z4 convertible is really the soft-top counterpart to the Toyota Supra coupe. They are the fruit of a joint project, built in the same factory — the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria — and the Supra has the same turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 engine as the Z4 M40i.

Even though the Z4 has a classy pedigree, it’s almost a bargain when compared with its closest rival, the Porsche 718 Boxster, which is about $10,000 more expensive. The Porsche also offers a manual transmission. The Z4 does not.

In an enthusiast’s wildest dreams, BMW would create a modern-day Z4 M Coupe with a stick shift. In real life, the thrilling 2021 BMW Z4 is a superb premium sports car that puts drivers and passengers more in touch with their immediate surroundings.