The votes are in, the scores are tabulated and the jury’s deliberated: the new BMW Z4 is a sexy beast. It’s more serious and far more elegant than the last Z4, and this third-generation roadster-rocket makes those nearby stare and gush comments. Many of these include words like ‘gorgeous’, ‘drop-dead sexy’, or ‘wow’.

The new BMW Z4 is a sexy beast.

While resting against the Z4 to tie my shoe, a passerby even shouted at me to stop leaning on her car.

Let’s just say you’ve got to see this body in person. It puts a classic roadster look to work with a small, two-seat cockpit mounted to the very rear of an extremely sleek silhouette. The entire thing is covered in complicated sculpting and intersecting lines that play with light and reflections, and there’s enough detail to keep the eyes busy for hours. The optional 18-inch alloys are pretty sweet, too.

Z4 looks like a fixed-roof coupe with its hardtop lid on, and a refined roadster with it down. Transitioning between these states takes a few moments and is handled by a single button. There's no latching required of the driver, and the roof assembly looks as clean from inside the car as it does from the exterior.

Posh appointments-- if you’re under the line
The tester’s interior was finished in a khaki colored “Kansas” leather treatment and broken up with black trim and brushed aluminum accenting. Instruments are small and concise, as are the climate controls arranged on the centre of the dash. Day or night, the cabin looks bright and inviting.

There is a catch though-- as access to the Z4 can be a bit of a chore for larger occupants. At 5’10 and 220 lbs, I had no luck finding a graceful way to board or exit. Headroom is limited for taller folks too.

On the plus side, there’s a lovely, loosely-snug fit once you're on board and settled.

There's plenty of interior storage too, including numerous covered compartments and a mesh net on the rear firewall that runs the width of the cockpit. There are three available cup-holders as well.

The tester’s interior was finished in a khaki colored “Kansas” leather treatment and broken up with black trim.