According to a recent brief, but informative tweet from Automobile magazine, the next BMW Z4 model will receive a four cylinder turbocharged engine. This new four cylinder engine will be available in the roadster’s base model. The engine will replace the earlier inline six cylinder, 3.0 liter engine, and is expected to generate around 200 hp, according to Automobile magazine. There were hints going around for quite sometime now, that BMW was producing a new four cylinder turbocharged engine which was likely to be a 2.0 liter petrol/gas engine, for fitting into their product line up. While it’s difficult to hypothesize what the power levels of this new engine will be configured at, the fact that it will replace the former sDrive30i’s 258 PS (192kW/255 bhp) naturally aspirated 3.0 liter inline, six cylinder engine, you can expect at least a comparable output.
At present, BMW does not have any four cylinder turbocharged petrol engine in its line up of power plants. BMW has historically always favored the naturally aspirated engines, but with increasing advances in turbo technology combined with increasing emission restrictions, the equation has significantly changed and it seems only inevitable, that BMW would soon go down this route. The Z4 sDrive28i Roadster will be the first to get the 4 cylinder engine after the 1998 BMW 318i. It will be powered by four cylinder 2.0 liter engine which will help to deliver 240 hp and a torque of 260 pounds feet, at 1,250 rpm.
Fuel economy is also expected to increase by 20 per cent, when it is paired with the optional automatic 8 speed transmission. Meanwhile, the base model is powered by a naturally aspirated 3.0 liter six cylinder engine, which weighs around 3,240 pounds, not exactly light. However, with the increased boost, we expect the BMW Z4 to deliver a respectable, if not great acceleration numbers, even though this model will probably be sold to those who prefer style over substance.