For a sports car that’s soon to be orphaned, the Toyota Supra sure got a lot of media cooing and chin-chucking. Inexplicable love, in my book. Especially after I got reacquainted with its cross-cultural cousin, the 2024 BMW Z4 M40i — in manual-transmission “Handschalter” guise, no less. From the start, BMW’s handsome convertible has been as underrated as Toyota’s homely coupe was overrated.
There’s a lesson in there somewhere, something about judging cars on their merits, not on rosy nostalgia or brand biases. And with these two sports cars looking like goners after 2026, it’s time to cut through the nostalgic haze and narrative nonsense: The BMW was always the better of the two cars. With an optional, mechanically upgraded manual aboard, that’s smoother and more-precise than Toyota’s version, the gap has become yawning.
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I still remember being the first North American journalist to drive both cars back-to-back. In May 2019, BMW handed me keys to its new Z4 in New York, and I drove it several hundred miles to Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia for the Supra’s first media drive.
[Ed note from Matt even though he didn’t edit this article: Obviously, Lawrence Ulrich is one of the most admired automotive writers in the known universe, having formerly served as the chief auto critic for The New York Times and contributed to MotorTrend, Road & Track, and just about every other place you’ve ever read about cars. We’re excited to have his pro-Z4 rant on the site – MH]
Yet before any of us had put butts in seats, many journos had been advancing a bogus hero/villain narrative. They seemed determined to anoint the Supra the winner, and stick a knife in the Bimmer’s (twin) kidneys. Because Supras are Supras, and BMW is that German company whose grilles make us vewwy angry. Plus people love a comeback story, and the Supra fed the insatiable maw of auto media for an unseemly length of time.
The anxiety and insincerity showed early. Team Toyota stewed over how much BMW was in the Supra, including things they’d prefer Toyota to get credit for. You know, like a sports-car platform, an industry-leading inline six, an eight-speed automatic transmission, or a convincing interior. But Toyota didn’t have any of those things, and didn’t want to spend the money to develop them in-house. And no matter how journos and fans spun it — and boy, did they – it became clear (or should have) that most everything great in the cars hailed from BMW. Nearly everything else was Toyota’s design cover-ups, the budget wallpaper to distract buyers from the inherent Bimmer-ness.
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That included cost-conscious fitments and touch points that are passable at these prices, but no more: Seats that aren’t as comfortable or richly clad as BMW’s Vernasca leather beauties. A downgraded steering wheel, infotainment and trim throughout. Of course, Toyota needed to put its own design and engineering stamp on the Z4. But when your choices – including silly, burping exhaust overruns that quickly grow tiresome – consistently feel lesser-than, then you can’t claim to have improved on the formula.
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I also remember jumping directly into the Supra, after more than eight hours in the BMW — the kind of back-to-back comparo that tells all — and thinking “WTF” over its steering. The BMW had that familiar Germanic heft and richness to its steering and controls: Not hardcore, but pleasing. Within 10 minutes in the Supra, I could tell that Toyota’s tuning changes weren’t for the better. The Supra’s steering felt overly light, yet twitchy — a weird combination. It was definitely nowhere near as good as the Toyota GR86 I also drove, with its fabulously direct and tactile feel.
With a more-aggressive suspension and choppier ride, the Supra might trim a nominal amount off the BMW’s track times, but who cares? You’ll see a giraffe at a track day before you spot a Supra or Z4. And nobody is driving at 10/10ths on public roads, so the Supra’s one purported advantage has seemed moot to me.
The Toyota’s aggressive coupe roofline also plays hell with outward visibility, both for blind spots and forward views; taller drivers have to crouch to see every stoplight. Sorry, but contrary to he-man hogwash, modern convertibles are just more fun and engaging than coupes, including infinitely better sightlines.
Supra defenders may claim I’m punching down, and note the Toyota’s lower price. Sure, the luxury BMW costs more, but not that much. The Supra GR 3.0 Premium, the most apples-to-apples model versus the six-cylinder BMW, starts from $59,645, versus a Z4 M40i at $67,295. That’s a roughly $7,600 premium for a German convertible that combines zesty performance and grand-touring luxury, versus Toyota’s comparatively downmarket and one-note coupe.
Somehow, the BMW’s top-down upgrade was also painted as a negative. The BMW got it from both sides, as folks helpfully reminded us that a Z4 is not, in fact, a Porsche Boxster. But nothing else is a Porsche Boxster. This broken-record argument fails to consider that some people just don’t want a Porsche, and it doesn’t make them terrible people. In the real world, alternatives are welcome, especially considering a dearth of semi-affordable droptops.
That leads us to styling, another no-contest. The Toyota has always looked like a try-hard, an 8/10ths-scale supercar.
From too many angles, the Potemkin Village falls apart, and all that’s left is odd proportions and overwrought detailing. The anteater front end, and the godawful cutlines in ballooning two-piece rear fenders, because Toyota couldn’t or wouldn’t manage a single-piece stamping. Five years on, the design is aging as well as supermarket Chardonnay. Worse, the unexpectedly excellent Nissan Z has stomped all over the Supra, from styling to fun-to-drive personality.
In contrast, the Z4 is looking and driving better than ever. It’s also on a tour toward oblivion around 2026, but having too much fun to care. And BMW seems determined to send the car off with a bang, beginning with this three-pedal Handschalter package.
A knockout combination of Frozen Deep Green metallic paint and cognac Vernasca leather proved a traffic-stopper and conversation starter. Just walking around this serially underrated roadster design, it was hard to imagine the Toyota even in the conversation. Every stop seemed to bring people out to admire and compliment the car. The Z4’s wide, blacked-out (and horizontal!) twin-kidney grille will please any BMW classicist. A sprawling, redesigned rear apron and diffuser are finely formed. The interior, with a no-charge choice of five leather colors in manual versions, could pass muster in a $100,000 BMW. As ever, the Z4 feels airy and roomy as hell, with a 10.3-inch infotainment screen, useful storage spots, and a surprisingly generous trunk that can fit three carry-on bags for road trips. With the tightly tailored softtop stowed, wind buffeting is well-managed, even at 80 mph and more.
The striking paint is one of two greens (San Remo Metallic the other) exclusive to the new manual-trans Z4. At first, it may seem BMW is stealing green by charging $3,500 for a manual transmission, in an oh-so-BMW way. But the Handschalter package will please finicky fingers in more ways than caressing a shift knob. Unique chassis tuning, reworked steering and other changes make this the slickest-handling Z4 yet. No, not quite a Boxster; but a more-connected companion when it’s time to stop grand touring and start attacking curves.
As recent Supra owners will attest, a performance highlight is a notoriously sandbagging, 382-horsepower 3.0-liter six that BMW says elicits a 4.2-second romp to 60 mph. I’d say 3.9 seconds is more like it, considering the automatic version knocks out 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. With either transmission, the BMW is quicker to 60 mph than a 350-hp Porsche 718 Boxster S, the Bimmer pressing its advantage of 32 horses and 60 pound-feet of torque.
On a run through the Berkshires in Massachusetts, on picture-perfect enthusiast roads, the Z4 finally felt eager to push to 9/10ths or a bit beyond, rather than doing so grudgingly.
As ever, a stick shift has a way of tempting drivers to push the envelope. And this one is a beauty, with trusty mechanical feel, smooth engagement and virtually none of the rubber-soul action of some earlier BMW manuals. With a maximum 369 pound-feet of torque available anywhere between 1,800 and 5,000 rpm, the manual makes it ridiculously easy to summon ferocious forward progress. Like a Miata with a major glow-up in design and power, this roadster is a non-stop smile generator, even when you’re just burbling through forests or along a glittering ocean coast, as I did near Newport, R.I.
BMW says the outer shift mechanism — the lever, its guide and a transmission link — was developed specifically for the Z4 and its engine output. The gear set and shafts use M-specific components. The package further adds unique auxiliary springs for front and rear axles. A new front clamp stiffens anti-roll bars. Software controls for the creamy variable sport steering and rear dampers are remapped, as are logic controls for the (excellent) M Sport differential and traction control.
Manual versions also get the first staggered wheels ever on a Z4, a set-up formerly reserved for M models. 19-inch M light alloys up front, and 20’s at the rear, help drivers send more power to pavement, and make for more-progressive transfer of lateral forces during cornering. In other words, more sure-footed control at higher speeds. New flaps manage airflow around wheel arches, with red calipers for the M Sport brakes. Those powerful, firm-pedaled brakes are standard on the Z4 M40i regardless of gearbox choice, along with the M Sport diff and adaptive M suspension with adjustable electronic dampers.
That package throws in some visuals, with extended Shadowline high-gloss trim on exterior mirrors and other bits. As noted, there’s a choice of five metallic paints and five Vernasca leathers, or a combo of black Alcantara and black Vernasca.
Instead of thinking of the Handschalter as $3,500 for a stick, better to think of it as $3,500 for the best Z4 you can buy. I won’t claim the BMW is inexpensive, at $77,470 out-the-door. I will claim it’s better than any effing Toyota Supra, inside and out, and in luxury, daily-driving versatility and now manual performance. If you don’t believe me, park a Z4 and Supra side-by-side, and you’ll get all the affirmation you need.
Man, the Z4 is just so *boring* looking. The first gen Z4 was such an exciting design, with its flame surfacing and aggressive fenders. Now we have… a blob with a 2 series Gran Coupe nose grafted on to it. Horrid.
I don’t remember reading too many pro supra reviews… Most of the stuff I read was praise for BMW for finding a way to make another z4.
Anyway. This sharing platform economics bs that Toyota come up with. As soon as they produced the GR Yaris, the “we needed BMW to make the new supra” argument was out the window for me. They sold 25k Yaris, and looks like up to about 35k supras in 4 markets as far as my quick wiki search has told me.
If Toyota actually pulled their finger out, they could have made a supra off the LC platform, stuck to yaris 3cyls to make a nice twin i6, and happy days, along with a nice middle engine option for the lexus. Or worked off the IS platform, and just run with the V8… I’d reckon more people would have stumped up for an actual toyota product. (and the wheelbase wouldn’t have looked so effing stupid)
What rarely gets a mention as the Supra is always pitted against the Z4. But BMW had a ‘supra’ already, being the M2, which DID come in a manual, has an actual roof, a genuine M product, better looking, more practical, and faster. BMW sold over 60k M2s, which I think is proof enough. All the toyota product needed to be is different.
Like they aren’t the dumbest Japanese auto maker when it comes to squandering heritage, that is still Nissan by a long shot. But that is a story for another day.
The overhangs on the Z4 are horrible. It needs more wheelbase.
We can always count on our Goth uncle to reel in optimism whenever it runs free.
On a side note, would you say the Z4 looks worse or less bad than the Supra?
The Supra looks better in the metal, but that’s not a high bar. I don’t think either are particularly good.
Not a huge fan of Bimmers here, butI’d take the Z4 in a heartbeat. I can’t stand the look of the Supra, it’s a total case of vehicular diarrhea.
Thr main points that made the Supra a hard sell were the looks and the fact that people knew it was a BMW under the skin. BMEWs are known for breaking — sometimes spectacularly — where Toyotas are known for NOT breaking. There’s a reason those old Supras command a ridiculous premium.
So, you could get a somewhat ugly Toyota that would reward your brand loyalty with BMW reliability. Nope.
The Z4 is BMW telling on itself. You look at how good the Z4 looks and how different it is from the Supra and then BMW says that it can’t change how the M3/4 front end looks because of cooling. Makes me have doubts on that last statement.
Friends don’t let friends buy BMW’s
…out of warranty.
Styling-wise, I don’t think this is anything close to a contest. The Z4 is sleek and stylish while the Supra is ugly and ungainly. That alone makes the price difference irrelevant as there’s no way I could look at a Supra in my driveway every day. The worst aspect of the Z4 is that it appears to be one of the last BMWs that BMW will make. I’m sure our electric future will have its stars for the marque, but saying goodby to their sporty cars that handle well with great ICEs and three-pedal transmissions is tough.
I’ve had 5 Toyotas, and 5 BMWs. The badge does very little for me.
I used to have a Z4 Coupe. I like coupes and hate convertibles, so when the new Z4 Coupe came out exclusively with Toyota badges I went to my dealer to have a look. So many weird fake vents, somehow overinflated too, like they kept slashing at the body to let some air out.
I don’t care which one is better, because I’m sure with a bit of tweaking you could make either one drive just like the other, what I care about is that one has a roof I can’t live with and the other has looks I can’t live with.
I’d much rather buy an old Z4 M Coupe than either.
This absolutely NAILS “Toyota’s” sporty offerings. Badge engineering reliant on other manufacturers’ engineering. The firm that did the actual work always has the better version. The Subaru and BMW are just better, and Toyota trying to take credit just feels like an insult to my intelligence. Toyota relies WAY too much on marketing, and not nearly enough on engineering.
The Zupra was always super overwrought but let’s not go so overboard as to say that Nissan essentially facelifting the 370z to add references to better looking cars from its lineage as they were also adding a couple hundred pounds to the front of the car makes it able to even shine the Zupra’s shoes when it comes to actually being competitive in 2024.
Yes, the Z4 looks better than the Supra (although that’s a pretty low bar), but this
Is BS, I see a Supra almost every time I go to the track; there are 2 Supra regulars at the track closest to me, one heavily modified and a stock one. Granted I haven’t seen the modded one in a bit, maybe he’s taking a break, going to a different track, or pushing too much boost did some nasties to its engine, but the stock one was there two weekends ago.
Never seen a Z4 tho, not even an older gen.
I feel like this is a tad generous towards the Z4’s styling, and I’ve had a good chance to look, a guy who lives just down the street owns and regularly drives one. Though otherwise it does seem like maybe it hasn’t gotten its due. And I will heartily agree with most of your complaints about the Supra’s looks. Its styling is disjointed and too try-hard though from many angles, though when I see one on the street, if I don’t see the front end I still find it pretty compelling. And what in the name of the cosmos was Toyota thinking with the Supra’s front end-it seems vaguely F1 inspired but I don’t know why? Is there some kind of open wheel racing series that they participate in and I’m unfamiliar with?
But still the Z4 seems like a bit of a miss to me on the outside, given that previous Z4 and the Z3 before it were striking cars in their day. Somehow it just feels a bit meh to me, with too much fussy detailing, even if it is a decent basic shape. Overall I agree that it’s more cohesive, not least because it doesnt’ suffer from trying to shoehorn in an old predecessors look on a platform that didn’t originally have its swoopy proportions in mind. Really wish BMW had offered a coupe version as that would be genuinely tempting, but I can’t blame them given how few of these sell these days, and certainly how few sales of there were of previous Z4 hardtops.
I agree with the notion the Z4 is underrated. I rented a 30i in Hawaii expecting a heavy feeling numb GT car for old people. Even in automatic 4-cylinder guise I was really pleasantly surprised.
The dynamics are all there, it felt like an excellent sports car in the twisties. It’s the car that convinced me BMW still knew how to make an engaging car after driving a base 3 series and a base X3 that felt like commodities.
Add in excellent materials and build quality, styling that is aging well, and a top mechanism that operates at a reasonable speed – the car was an absolute hoot.
Throw in the B58 and a stick, I fully believe this thing is a riot to drive.
I never liked the look of the Supra. It was cartoony. The Z4 is far better looking. And this one has a gorgeous color combo.
Agreed, the current Supra is just ugly.
I get it but personally would want the more aggressive suspension. I used to daily multiple Lancer Evolutions and loved their sharp suspension and twitchy 13:1 steering rack others loathed.
382lbft is kinda lame from a 3.0 though. My buddies “regular a8l tdi” is punching 440ftlbs from his outdated 3.0 v6 before the tune took it to 500ftlbs. He brags about getting 44mpg too.
When it comes to Toyota Id much rather have the GR Yaris/Corrola but normally the brand is far too soft for me.
I also complain that my 6.5L Lamborghini V12 makes a meager 510 lb-ft while my buddy has an F350 that makes 1200 lb-ft from 6.7L while returning better mileage.
COTD
Yes, my Toyota truck makes more torque than my 911 too, so what? On no planet is the truck faster or more fun to drive
Comparing torque figures to a diesel is a choice but ok
Diesels have high torque but a powerband the width of like 300 rpm so yeah, have fun driving spirited in that while you listen to your screaming diesel valve train at 4000 rpm….
Now this is an incandescent take.
Lol yeah that has not been my take away from various reviews (but have never driven the new Z)
This was a hot take, but I can’t really disagree. Nice having you back Lawrence!
I agree with everything you’ve said. Crucially, the Supra’s swoopy roofline is actually a detriment for both visibility and ingress/egress, and I watched my 6′ tall best friend bonk his head on one at the auto show trying to sit in it. It’s not the Supra has any more usable space than the Z4, for being a fixed-head coupe.
But the biggest reason to get a Z4 over a Supra is the dealer experience. Toyota dealerships engage in some of the worst chicanery out there these days, and you’ll pay steep markups for one of the meager 6MT examples. And you’ll take what they have in stock, color-wise, and you’ll like it. Toyota doesn’t do orders, and it especially doesn’t do them on a car it doesn’t even build itself.
An acquaintance of mine was only able to get a yellow Supra 6MT because he’s a fellow automotive journalist and knows someone at Toyota corporate.
Meanwhile, BMW will build your Z4 6MT (or otherwise) to your exact specifications and the dealer will kiss your derriere the whole time. And they probably do Euro Delivery, too. So you can have more fun.
The only thing i don’t like about the Z4 is that if you want the 6MT, you’re stuck with the gloss-black trim over the infinitely cooler aluminum options. But that’s easily enough rectified with some 3M wrap.
As I have said in other places – I would walk on hot coals to buy another BMW from my local BMW store if they had anything I wanted. This car is VERY close, in theory, but no more Euro Delivery for Americans is enough to make me say no. And at the end of the day I fear it would have the same fate as my M235i. A car I LOVED driving in Europe, but found very boring in the US where stretching it’s legs was impossible. If they would make me a Euro Delivery 3.0i stickshift Z4 I would probably be leaving skidmarks getting over there..
Some other BMW owner would gladly swap you for that trim. BTDT with my 128i, which now sports lovely poplar wood trim instead of the glossy black it was born with.