2021 BMW Z4

The volume sDrive30i keeps BMW's 2.0L TwinPower turbo four at 255 hp; the M40i's 3.0L turbo six makes 382 hp. 2021 is the third model year of the G29 generation (pre-LCI), with unchanged rated outputs.

Broad low-end torque plateau for a 2.0L four (from 1,550 rpm); some third-party listings round it to 296 lb-ft.

The volume sDrive30i is rated at 5.2 s; the M40i is listed at 3.9 s, well under BMW's conservative 4.4 s claim.

The turbo four is responsive with little lag and strong midrange, though its sound is unremarkable; the optional B58 inline-six is widely praised for smoothness and urgency.

The ZF 8-speed Steptronic Sport automatic with paddles is the only gearbox for 2021; it shifts quickly and smoothly, though enthusiasts lament the lack of a manual.

Rear-wheel drive only on both 2021 trims; no AWD is offered on any Z4, though the M40i gets an electronically controlled M Sport rear differential.

Two gas engines (2.0L turbo four, 3.0L turbo six), both with the same 8-speed automatic; no hybrid, PHEV or EV variant.

EPA combined for the volume 2.0L sDrive30i rose 1 mpg versus 2020; the 3.0L M40i rates 25 mpg (down from 26).

EPA city rating for the volume sDrive30i.

EPA highway rating for the volume sDrive30i.

EPA does not publish a range figure for gas cars; computed from the G29's 52 L (13.7 US gal) tank and the 28 mpg EPA combined rating.

EPA annual fuel cost at 15k mi/yr and current premium-fuel prices, as published by fueleconomy.gov at time of scoring.

Both trims are rated on premium gasoline, with no flex-fuel or plug-in option — a costly single-fuel requirement.

NHTSA has never crash-tested the G29 Z4, and 2021 is a carry-over year in the pre-LCI generation. That is typical for low-volume two-seat roadsters. The 4.0 is an estimate that reflects a modern BMW structure, with no tested result behind it, and matches the value used for the other G29 years.

IIHS has not tested the 2021 Z4, so it has no TSP/TSP+ award and no individual crash results. There are no known structural concerns, and the Euro NCAP five-star result for the same G29 structure suggests it is sound. It therefore sits at the low end of the mostly-Good band.

On the 2021 US sDrive30i, standard driver assistance covers frontal collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, plus traffic sign recognition and automatic high beams. Blind-spot monitoring and lane-departure warning are in the $700 Driving Assistance Package. Adaptive cruise and Active Driving Assistant require a further package.

Frontal Collision Warning with City Collision Mitigation and pedestrian detection is standard. It uses the same camera-based BMW system as IIHS-tested BMWs of the era, but IIHS has never evaluated the Z4 and there is no night-pedestrian result.

Blind-spot monitoring is not standard on the 2021 Z4. It comes in the inexpensive Driving Assistance Package, which now also includes front and rear parking sensors. When equipped, Active Blind Spot Detection can apply a steering intervention, but rear cross-traffic alerts sit in the higher Driving Assistance Professional/Premium content.

Lane-departure warning is optional, in the Driving Assistance Package. Active lane keeping and steering assistance are available only through the costlier Active Driving Assistant content, and the volume car has no lane centering.

Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go is available only as an option (Driving Assistance Professional). When fitted, it is a capable full-speed-range system, but it is not standard on the volume sDrive30i and has no integrated highway assist.

The 2021 Z4 offers no hands-free driving system in any configuration. BMW's Extended Traffic Jam Assistant was confined to other models.

LED headlights and automatic high beams are standard on the 2021 Z4, and adaptive LED headlights are available. IIHS has never rated the Z4's headlights, so Good performance across the range is unconfirmed.

Visibility is excellent with the top down. With the soft top up, the thick rear quarters and small rear window limit over-the-shoulder and reversing sightlines. A backup camera is standard, and for 2021 front and rear parking sensors come in the inexpensive Driving Assistance Package.

The 2021 Z4 (G29, third model year, pre-LCI) is a strict two-seat roadster on both sDrive30i and M40i, with no rear seat.

There is plenty of headroom for a soft-top roadster because the seats are mounted low. Tall drivers fit with the top raised. The body is unchanged within the G29 generation.

Front legroom is long for a compact roadster, more than the MX-5 Miata offers.

The fabric top folds into its own compartment, so trunk space is the same with the top up or down. It is large for a two-seater (the Miata has 4.6 cu ft) but small next to four-seat convertibles.

Cabin storage is sparse, as in most compact roadsters: small door pockets, a shallow console bin and cupholders. Wireless charging is still an option rather than standard in 2021.

The standard 14-way power sport seats in SensaTec are supportive on long drives. Power lumbar support moves into the $1,150 Convenience Package for 2021, and the more bolstered M Sport seats became standard only with the 2023 LCI.

The base sDrive30i suspension (M Sport stayed optional until the 2023 LCI) is firm but composed. Reviewers call it harsh over broken pavement, especially with the adaptive M suspension.

The cabin is quiet for a soft-top. The insulated roof beats a Miata's, but wind and road noise at highway speed are still well above fixed-roof cars.

Automatic climate control, a wind deflector and a heated glass rear window are standard. A heated steering wheel is newly available for 2021. Heated front seats still need the $2,750 Premium Package, and ventilated seats aren't offered.

Pricing for the 2021 Z4, the third model year of the G29, carried over from 2020: the sDrive30i at $49,700 and the M40i at $63,700, both plus $995 destination.

The sDrive30i is the volume trim. Dealer stock typically adds the Premium Package (heated seats, head-up display, Harman Kardon) and metallic paint on top of the $50,695 base, which lands in the mid-$50ks.

Edmunds' True Cost to Own projects maintenance in the high four figures for the 2021 sDrive30i. The page is bot-blocked, so its exact split could not be confirmed and is cited from a search summary. CarEdge's model-wide figure is much lower, at about $4.7k. Staggered tires that can't be rotated add to tire costs, while BMW Ultimate Care offsets the first 3 years.

KBB values a 2021 sDrive30i at about $31,400 private-party after roughly 5 years. That is about 62% of the base sticker and about 57% of a typically optioned car. CarEdge's model-wide projection is 60%, so 57% against the volume-trim price is a fair figure.

BMW's New Vehicle Limited Warranty runs 4 years or 50,000 miles, the German-luxury norm.

BMW offers no separate, longer powertrain warranty. Powertrain coverage ends with the 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty.

BMW Ultimate Care covers 3 years or 36,000 miles of scheduled maintenance, plus 4 years of unlimited-mile Roadside Assistance. For 2021, a 12-month SiriusXM 360L All Access subscription became standard. That is genuine multi-year included maintenance with modest perks.

$55,500 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (57% retained, or about $31,635) leaves about $23,865 in depreciation. Add the projected $8,900 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $32,765 in total.

The 2021 Z4 is the third year of the G29 generation and carries over from 2020 unchanged (the LCI did not arrive until MY2023). J.D. Power's 2021 model page could not be retrieved (403), so the score sits between the 2020 G29 (75/100, Average) and the 2024 car (79/100). Consumer Reports surveys too few Z4s for a model-specific prediction. That puts it in the average band, below the Miata.

In the 2021 J.D. Power U.S. VDS, BMW scored 108 PP100, tied with Acura just behind the top ten and better than the industry average. It slipped to 15th (187 PP100) in the 2022 study. That is solidly mid-pack, short of the consistent top-5 that earns 80+.

MY2021 is covered by five NHTSA campaigns, three of them with fire or braking risk. They are an insufficient fuel-tank weld (only 49 units, shared with the Supra), a corroding starter relay that can overheat and short, a starter-assembly campaign, engine-management software that can drop brake assist at start (M40i), and a seat-belt campaign. The year avoids the 2020 car's headlight and camera recalls, but recall activity is still busier than typical. None of it points to a systemic powertrain failure.

The volume sDrive30i uses the B48 2.0L turbo four, a well-regarded improvement on the N20, and the M40i's B58 3.0L I6 is among BMW's most durable modern engines. Both pair with the proven ZF 8HP automatic. Points come off for known cooling-system wear items and for the starter-relay and engine-software campaigns that apply to this year.

Reviewers consistently praise the G29 cabin's leather, metal-look trim and solid switchgear, along with the 10.25-inch touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital cluster running iDrive 7. That is class-appropriate for a luxury roadster at about $50k–65k, a step below the Boxster's bespoke feel.

The Z4 is built by Magna Steyr in Graz alongside the GR Supra, at a low-volume contract plant known for tight assembly, and reviewers note a stiff structure with little top-down shake. The fuel-tank weld recall reaching early-2021 builds and BMW's roughly average initial quality hold the score back.

BMW's roughly 350 US dealers give dense metro coverage nationwide, and the 2021 model came with 3-year/36,000-mile BMW Ultimate Care scheduled maintenance. Service satisfaction is mixed. Coverage is solid and the service experience is average.

OEM parts are readily available, and the enthusiast aftermarket, which the Z4 shares with the Supra, is large. Maintenance and repair costs are on the expensive end of the segment, though: cooling-system parts, struts and electronics repairs are costly once out of warranty.

Every 2021 Z4 comes with BMW Live Cockpit Professional, which includes a 10.25-inch central touchscreen. No larger screen is offered.

iDrive 7 (Operating System 7) is fast and full of features. The rotary controller, touchscreen and physical climate buttons make it easy to use on the move. The menus are deep, and the screen washes out in sunlight with the top down.

New for 2021, wireless Android Auto joins wireless Apple CarPlay as standard, and the CarPlay subscription is gone. Both run wirelessly, though the connection can drop occasionally.

Built-in navigation is standard through Live Cockpit Professional. The 'Hey BMW' Intelligent Personal Assistant handles natural-language commands. This is the first OS 7 version of the assistant.

The standard Hi-Fi system is adequate, and SiriusXM 360L becomes standard for 2021. The 408-watt Harman Kardon system is optional, and open-top acoustics limit how good any system can sound.

A configurable, fully digital 10.25-inch driver display with a map view is standard on every 2020 Z4.

As an Operating System 7 car, the 2021 Z4 can receive BMW Remote Software Upgrades over the air. Those updates cover infotainment, maps and some vehicle functions rather than the whole vehicle.

The My BMW app covers remote lock and unlock, vehicle status, location and send-to-car navigation. The Wi-Fi hotspot is optional.

A couple of front USB ports are standard. Wireless charging is optional, so the base car has no pad.

Push-button start is standard. Comfort Access keyless entry needs the $1,150 Convenience Package or the Premium Package, and remote start isn't standard.

A rearview camera is standard. Parking Assistant comes with the Convenience or Premium Package, and no surround-view camera is offered.

A full-color head-up display is available through the $2,750 Premium Package but isn't standard on the volume sDrive30i.

A two-seat roadster with no rear seat and no rear LATCH positions. It cannot carry children day to day.

Frontal collision warning with city braking and automatic high beams are standard. Blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning and Active Driving Assistant come in the $1,150 Convenience Package, and neither IIHS nor NHTSA has crash-tested the G29. With no rear occupants, family safety barely applies.

Two seats and a 9.9 cu ft trunk can't carry a family on a road trip.

The 255-hp turbo four and ZF 8-speed are smooth in traffic, and the top opens or closes in about 10 seconds at up to 31 mph. Downsides for daily use: a low seat, limited visibility with the top up, rear-wheel drive only, a firm ride on broken pavement, and keyless entry only as an option.

28 mpg combined is good for a luxury roadster. Premium fuel, run-flat tires and BMW maintenance costs after the warranty push running costs up.

A small footprint (about 171 in long on a 97 in wheelbase) and a 36 ft turning circle make it easy to place in the city. A backup camera is standard, and Parking Assistant comes with the Convenience Package.

There is no US tow rating, no bed and only a 9.9 cu ft trunk, so it has essentially no work capability.

SensaTec/leather upholstery and a fabric soft top don't suit hard use, and there is no work or fleet version.

There is no hitch, no roof-rack provision, no cargo-area power outlet and no upfit options.

It works as a two-person highway tourer, with supportive seats, 28 mpg and about 380 miles of range from a 13.7-gal tank. Adaptive cruise and heated seats are options, and wind noise plus the small trunk limit long trips.

Rear-wheel drive only, low ground clearance, performance run-flat tires and no rack or hitch make it a pavement-only car.

The 9.9 cu ft trunk holds the same with the top up or down and fits a couple of soft weekend bags. There are no folding seats, pass-through, rails or hitch.

50:50 weight distribution and a multi-link rear on the platform shared with the Supra give the Z4 strong grip and body control. The 2021 sDrive30i runs the standard suspension, with M Sport and the renamed Dynamic Handling package as options. It feels more grand tourer than the 718 or MX-5.

The electric steering is quick and precise but short on feedback, which reviewers cite as the Z4's main dynamic weakness against the Boxster and Miata.

The pedal is firm and consistent, and stops are short. The base 2021 car has standard brakes; M Sport brakes come with the optional packages.

The B48 2.0L turbo (255 hp, 295 lb-ft from 1,550 rpm) with the ZF 8-speed responds crisply with little lag and shifts smoothly. The automatic is the only transmission for 2020.

The four-cylinder is smooth and quiet at a cruise but sounds ordinary when worked hard, especially next to the M40i's inline-six.

The turning circle is tight for a rear-drive roadster, helped by the short 97-inch wheelbase.

The driving position is low and classic, with a 14-way power seat and controls that fall readily to hand. Visibility with the top up is limited, getting in and out means dropping low, and the M steering wheel was optional in 2020.

It is a quick, composed open-top BMW that is genuinely enjoyable. The volume sDrive30i lacks the M40i's six-cylinder character and the feedback of the 718 and Miata.

For 2021 the sDrive30i added standard Android Auto (joining CarPlay), automatic high beams and SiriusXM 360L with a 12-month subscription. These sit on top of the power soft top, the 10.25-inch Live Cockpit with navigation, LED headlights and basic active safety. Heated seats, the head-up display, Harman Kardon and M Sport remain in packages; M Sport became standard only with the 2023 LCI.

$50,695 buys a 255-hp roadster that does 0–60 in about 5 s, and $64,695 buys the 382-hp M40i, which undercuts the Porsche 718 Boxster S by thousands with comparable pace. That is fair luxury-roadster value, well short of the Miata's bang-for-buck.

There are only two trims, the sDrive30i and the M40i, both rear-drive with an 8-speed automatic only and no manual. Choice comes through option packages; the Track Handling package was renamed the Dynamic Handling package for 2021.

The Z4 is a low-volume niche roadster in a shrinking segment, and 2021 supply was constrained by the semiconductor shortage. US volume stayed in the low thousands, well behind the Miata.

BMW is one of the most aspirational premium brands, with deep enthusiast equity in its Z roadsters. Brand image supports satisfaction and resale.

BMW Financial Services credits and subvented APR continued into 2021, but the chip shortage tightened inventory through the year and shrank discounts compared with the 2020 pandemic deals. Buyers saw occasional, modest incentives.

2021 is the third model year of the G29 generation, launched for MY2019 on the shared Toyota-BMW platform. It has current iDrive 7 tech, and the LCI was still about 18 months away, so it remains near-new.

Reviewers praise the strong engines, especially the M40i's 382-hp six, and the upscale cabin. They fault the four-cylinder's top-end fade, a chassis that feels loose and harsh on rough roads, and the missing manual. It consistently trails the Porsche 718 on purity, so it is well-reviewed rather than the class pick.