The arrival of the BMW Z4 M40i has made the sports car market that little more exciting and gives customers yet another premium droptop to consider. Is it quicker than its rivals, however?
Eager to find out, Car Wow jumped into the driver’s seat of a black Z4 M40i and lined it up against a Porsche 718 Boxster GTS and an Audi TT S Roadster for a trio of tests.
Also Read: Does The New BMW Z4 M40i Sound Good To You?
First up, it was a drag race from a standing start. The driver of the BMW got the best start so sprinted off the line slightly quicker than the other two. However, the all-wheel drive system of the Audi meant it soon caught up and for a little while, it was a race purely between the BMW and Audi. However, the Porsche soon started to claw its way back and by the end of the quarter mile, it had actually claimed victory, recording a time of 12.2-seconds compared to the 12.3-seconds of the Z4 M40i. The TTS Roadster was left trailing behind at 12.7-seconds.
Next up, a rolling drag race. It was once again a two-horse race as the BMW and Porsche quickly edged ahead of the Audi before the Boxster walked away with the victory. Last but not least was a braking test and while we won’t ruin the result of this one, all three cars were exceptionally close.
Powering the BMW Z4 M40i is a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine which in the U.S., delivers 382 hp. However, the M40i tested appears to be a Euro-spec model meaning it ‘only’ has 335 hp, the same as the new Toyota Supra (at least on paper, because the dyno test showed 339hp at the wheels).