1,4-Dihydropyridine carboxylic acid esters of the formula: ##STR1## wherein Ar is heteroaryl selected from the group consisting of thiophene, furan, pyridine, thiazole, pyrimidine, pyrrole, benzofuran, quinoline and benzothiophene, cycloalkyl having from 3 to 7 carbon atoms, naphthyl, indanyl, indenyl, tetrahydronaphthyl, or a radical of the formula ##STR2## wherein each of R.sub.5, R.sub.6 and R.sub.7 is independently H, alkyl, phenyl, tolyl, naphthyl, halo, lower alkoxy, nitro, amino, alkylmercapto, cyano, carboxy, carbalkoxy, sulfamyl, trifluoromethyl, hydroxy, methanesulfonyl, or alkylamino and R.sub.5 and R.sub.6 when taken together, form a methylenedioxy; Z is alkylene containing 1 to about 5 carbon atoms in the principal chain; each R.sub.1 is independently hydrogen, alkyl or alkoxyalkyl, with the proviso that only one R.sub.1 may be hydrogen; R.sub.2 is lower alkyl; and wherein N, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 when taken together form piperazinyl; wherein the alkyl of the alkyl, carbalkoxy, alkylamino, alkoxy, alkylmercapto, alkylamino, and alkoxyalkyl contains 1-10 carbon atoms; are useful for their antihypertensive activity.