2025 BMW Z4 M40i 6MT: Pros and Cons

If you can swing the asking price, BMW’s shift-it-yourself roadster is a serious charmer.

It didn’t take the entire week with the 2025 BMW Z4 M40i Handschalter Edition to glean that this is the best BMW’s two-seater has been in years. A few hundred feet was all that was needed. After six years on the market, the Z4 has regrown its third pedal, and what a setup it is. It’s a sweet, classic roadster recipe: six cylinders, a manual transmission, and a driving position barely ahead of the rear wheels.

That isn’t to say this three-pedal drop-top is perfect. No, while the manual and its accompanying changes improve the Z4 driving experience—and almost certainly turn it into a future collectible—it isn’t without its flaws. Here are the pros and cons of the latest Z4 model.

Pro: That Shifter

I mean, duh, right? Now that manual transmission models are hovering around a single percent of new car sales shares, there’s a renewed interest in them as the purist, enthusiast choice. BMW has heard the call, and provided buyers with the only three-pedal option in the current lineup to not bear a dedicated M badge a la M2, M3, and M4.

It would be easy to dismiss this as an eventuality: it’s no secret the Z4’s sister car, the Toyota GR Supra, gained a manual last year to much fanfare. Except this isn’t the exact same shifter. In ways, it’s better, insomuch that it suits the Z4’s slightly softer, baby grand tourer vibe. The transmission is buttery smooth, with short throws and precise movement. The gears slot home without the notchiness of the Supra’s action, while the clutch is short-travel and easy to read. Not that you’d want to, but the Z4 would be oh-so-easy for teaching someone stick. It’s the best three-pedal setup of any modern BMW.

Con: Tight Cabin

While other markets have seen manual versions of this generation of Z4 before—paired to a four-cylinder engine—it’s clear the cabin wasn’t designed around all that center console commotion. The cupholders are hidden away around your elbows, and even holding one means having one of the panels awkwardly open, so goodbye armrest. On the other side of the shifter, the volume knob is awkwardly close.

At least the trunk can hold a decent amount of stuff since this generation of Z4 reverted back to a soft top.

Pro: Best BMW I6

I’m sticking to this one: forget the M version of the inline-six, this B58 engine is actually the superior model. What it lacks in outright power, it makes up for in a creamy-smooth delivery and, to these ears, a more melodious note. The six-cylinder is as responsive as ever too; only the surplus of off-idle torque gives away that this is even a turbocharged engine. Paired with that excellent shifter, the Z4 has one of the very best powertrains you can get in a five-figure ragtop.

Pro: Physical Buttons

Sad to see BMW’s mission to reduce most physical controls in favor of zero-feedback digital solutions? Well good news: the Z4 keeps all the climate controls down below the touchscreen, making it easy to operate on memory alone. Dials are still the superior temperature adjuster, but hey, we can’t win em all, right? Similarly, audiophiles should appreciate the continued use of buttons for audio presets. Speaking of, the audio system is good, though like all BMWs, the first half of the volume adjustment is far too quiet.