The age of demented-looking BMWs is over, I hope. With the unveiling of the next-generation Z4, BMW have bucked a recent trend by creating a car that is elegant, individual and original. The infamous Chris Bangle, current head BMW designer (responsible for the current batch of models, and models up to 2010) has matured his "flame-surfacing" ideas, which were previously a kind of arty excuse to make cars that looked disappointing, to put it politely. It has to be said though that Bangle's designs have been very influential, and has promoted talk about the importance and meaning of car design among other manufacturers, which I have no qualms with applauding.

The previous Z4 was criticised in many quarters, one leading industry expert saying that it looked like it had been designed "with a machete". Ouch. Bangle has commented in depth about not just the merits of designs, but the downfalls, admitting that his designs do not photograph well. Bangle, when asked about the future direction of BMW design by Motortrend, said that he believes in cars following a revolutionary/evolutionary design pattern. Let me explain. This means that if the last all-new design of a BMW car is evolutionary in approach, then the next all-new design will be revolutionary in approach. And the next model the opposite.

So the series of revolutionary BMW models, whether you liked the way they looked or not, is over. Now is the time where the theme is tweaked and refined, in the new Z4's case, very much for the better. While this Z4 retains some of the ideas of the previous model - a long, convex sloping bonnet, architectural motifs, and a forward leaning nose - this new model is a more uplifting, untroubled piece of design, and reflects the new confidence at BMW to create vehicles that are not only different, but elegant and desirable. If there was one word to describe the last Z4, it was certainly not elegant. But this one is far different.

The headlamp cluster is shaped similarly to the current 3-Series, and the trademark double kidney grille is reminiscent of the new 7-Series. But the largest reason, in my opinion, for this design's success is that the car doesn't look sad any more. Gone are the droopy eyes, snotty looking nose, and concave-shaped door panels that gave it the appearance of an anorexic cat. Instead, BMW have finally produced a convertible that has enough class to compete with the Audi TT, but is still refreshing and individual.

Inside, the story is similar - does anyone else remember the huge concave/convex panel of fake brushed metal spanning the entire length of the dashboard? Replacing it is a design that features a considered mix of tones and textures, exuding a sense of quality that was largely missing before. The whole car is significantly larger in every dimension, and BMW have taken great care to make it as liveable as possible by increasing driver visibility and increasing the roominess of both the cabin and the boot.

Instead of the two-variant system that was used in the previous model, in which one was a folding cloth soft-top and the other a hard-top coupe, this model has a two-piece folding metal roof, which surprisingly looks quite natural - this truly is from the new breed of coupe/convertibles, where they actually look like normal cars. And of course, iDrive has been revised (yet again...!) for this new model, hopefully taking another tiny step toward user-friendliness.

But what's powering the new Z4? The plan is for three petrol V6 engines to be offered: a 2.3 Litre 152kW; a 3.0 Litre 192kW which is naturally aspirated; and my favourite, the twin-turbo 3.0 Litre, which will have 228kW so it can go from 0-100kmh in 5.2 seconds. Both the 3.0 Litre V6 Z4s are electronically limited to 250kmh, and all of the engines meet EuroV emissions regulations. Interestingly, a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission will be offered, but only on the 3.0 Litre twin turbo. We have no official word yet as to what the M version of the new Z4 will be powered by when it eventually arrives, but the expectation is that it will be the 309kW V8 from the current M3.

But the point is, we finally have a car from BMW that looks comfortable looking the way it looks - which is an awkward way of putting it, but apt all the same. The Z4 looks stylish, and looks like it knows it. Which suits me just fine.

NEWS: BMW Z4 Proves BMW Can Still Make a Good-Looking Car