New BMW Z4 spyshots

The concept looked fantastic; this one not so much...

Alright, so it's a little way from production still, and prototype camo never does a car any favours, nor do small wheels and big balloon tyres... But there's no escaping the fact that, in these latest pics, the new BMW Z4 looks a bit dumpy. Maybe it's just us.

This is the clearest view yet of the next Z4, the first product of the Toyota-BMW sports car alliance that was agreed in 2012. Very clearly we can see this car has a fabric roof, harking back to the original Z4 rather than the car that it will replace. The kidney grilles from the concept appear to have been carried over, and the rear lights look similar too, if toned down for the reality of production. There's just something about the proportions that doesn't sit quite right. The rear overhang seems a bit big, the front end seems rather generic (despite the grilles) and it seems rather ungainly for what should be a lithe sports car. As mentioned, maybe it's just us. Or maybe it's fantastic disguise from BMW. For what it's worth, the photographer says the car "is very similar to the concept car"...

The Z4 is expected as a 2019 model, so in theory a full launch shouldn't be far off. Of course it will face competition from the TT and the 718 Porsches, plus presumably the Jaguar F-Type depending on the engines offered in the BMW. With the Mercedes SLK still soldiering on as the SLC, it's surely long overdue a replacement as well. Could BMW or Mercedes finally deliver a sports car to dynamically surpass Porsche? Hopefully it won't be long before we find out.

[Spyshots: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien]