2014 BMW Z4 Roadster Ever So Faintly Revised, Gains New Entry Level sDrive18i Edition [85 Photos]

If you were waiting for BMW to apply some of the design lessons learned from Zagato’s Coupe and Roadster concepts or at least take some inspiration from this speculative photoshop for its updated, 2014MY Z4, you’ll be disappointed.

In fact, you will probably have to be an owner of the current model or a very dedicated Z4 fan to distinguish the styling changes on the hardtop roadster. These are limited to the three-dimensional design of the LED light rings on the headlamps, the BMW lettering on the LED accent lights on top, the new available 17- and 18-inch alloy wheels and a newly designed, tapered surround for the side indicators.

In addition, BMW has added a new Hyper Orange package that can be ordered with three new colors named Mineral Grey metallic, Glacier Silver metallic and Valencia Orange metallic, the latter of which is featured on the car pictured in this gallery,

This new styling package dresses up the interior of the Z4 in a combination of black leather and Alcantara with orange accent stiches, stripes, and door panels, a metal weave trim for the dashboard, and high-gloss black for the door openers and the gearshift or selector lever.

Elsewhere, BMW has added high-gloss black surrounds for the central air vents and the iDrive control system’s folding Control Display on models fitted with the optional navigation system, and a new selection of trims and leather upholstery.

While in the States, the 2014 model will continue to be offered with one 2.0-liter four-cylinder producing 240hp (sDrive28i) and two 3.0-liter inline-six powerplants rated at 300hp (sDrive35i) and 335hp (sDrive35is), in Europe, and possibly, other parts of the world, BMW has introduced a new entry level model named the sDrive18i.

The Z4 sDrive18i is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that generates a rather puny for this kind of model output of 154-horses (156PS) along with a peak torque of 240Nm (177 lb-ft) , linked to a standard 6-speed manual or an optional 8-speed automatic transmission.

With this engine, the Z4 completes the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint in 7.9 seconds (Auto: 8.1 seconds) and reaches a maximum speed of 221km/h (137mph), while returning a combined fuel consumption of 6.8lt/100km (equal to 34.6mpg US or 41.5mpg UK) in the EU test cycle.

BMW said the world premiere of the 2014 Z4 roadster will take place at the Detroit auto show in January, with sales to begin in March of the same year.

PHOTO GALLERY