BMW is planning next year a small refresh for the Z4 Roadster. The BMW Z4 Facelift is rumored to go into production in March 2023 and recent spy shots gave us a closer look at the visual upgrades. You can see that the exterior changes to the BMW Z4 Facelift will be minimal at the very most. Looking at the headlights, taillights, wheels, exhausts, and even the rear bumper, the post-LCI car looks identical to the current pre-LCI car.
iDrive 7 and Physical Buttons
Inside, the overall theme is rumored to stay the same. According to sources, the current screen layout will not change. So even though most of the new BMW models, and refreshed ones, received the large curved display, the BMW Z4 could retain the fans favorite layout. Therefore, iDrive 7 is also likely to live on, along with the physical buttons.
Six-Speed Manual in the Z4 M40i
Without a doubt, the most important BMW Z4 upgrade comes from the transmission of choice. For the first time, the BMW Z4 M40i will offer an optional six-speed manual. There is no word on which markets get the manual gearbox, but one of them is nearly confirmed: United States.
The addition of the six-speed gearbox is technically feasible since we’ve seen that implementation in the Z4’s brother – Toyota Supra. Earlier this year, Toyota announced that the manual transmission Supra is on the way, coming to North America, and it will be available across the model range. So it comes as no surprise that BMW is following suit with the Z4.
So the six-speed manual will certainly infuse some excitement in the BMW Z4 lineup. The refreshed model is expected to arrive in late 2022, featuring a very mild design upgrade. As always, production for the U.S. market will begin a few weeks later so the first six-speed manual Z4 M40 units won’t arrive on this side of the pond until 2023.
