Manual transmissions add an element of interaction with cars in a way even the best semi-auto boxes such as DSGs, Steptronics and sequential transmissions simply can’t. However, driving a manual transmission-equipped car requires acquiring the skill to operate a clutch, which most people have not learned in first-world countries due to the ease of operating an automatic. This has robbed some great performance cars, targeted at the enthusiasts, of the option of a manual transmission.
The enthusiasts are a minority group everywhere, so the fact that BMW has decided to offer the Z4 M40i Pure Impulse Edition and the M4 Coupé with only a manual transmission is truly a victory for the staunch minority.
The new Z4 gets a six-speed manual on the M40i Pure Impulse Edition (great name, BMW!) which comes with the B58 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder twin-turbo petrol, pumping out 340 hp and 500 Nm. The regular Z4 M40i continues to offer the eight-speed auto and hits 100 km/h a tenth quicker than the Pure Impulse Edition at 4.5 seconds. The Z4 sDrive30i gets the 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo-petrol (258 hp / 400 Nm) with the eight-speed, and takes 5.4 seconds to hit 100 km/h. The Z4 sDrive20i gets both gearboxes as options, pumps out 197 hp / 320 Nm and reaches 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds, with the manual taking an extra two-tenths.
As for the BMW M4, only the M4 Coupé gets the six-speed manual, whereas the M4 Competition Coupé and the M4 Competition Coupé and Convertible with M xDrive get the eight-speed auto. The M4 Coupé gets 480 hp and 550 Nm with 0-100 km/h in 4.2 seconds. The Competition Copué dusts off the 100 km/h acceleration in 3.9 seconds and comes with 510 hp and 650 Nm.
Both the M xDrive Coupé and Convertible get an additional 20 horses over the regular Competition, with torque figures remaining the same. The M xDrive AWD definitely helps with traction off the line as the M4 Competition Coupé with M xDrive hits 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds, with the convertible taking two-tenths more.
We are unlikely to get the manual-transmission equipped Z4 and M4 in India, as BMW only sells the M4 Competition Coupé with M xDrive and the regular Z4 M40i here, but they did offer the M2 with manual transmission, so there’s still hope. We expect the updated models to arrive on our shores in a few months.
