BMW Z4 is a true sports car
05/12/09 17:57 Filed in: Road tests
It was this time last year that BMW first took the wraps off the new BMW Z4, which went on sale in May this year. The most notable change was the switch from a soft top convertible roof to a folding steel roof.
Taking temporary ‘ownership’ of the new Z4 in the month of December in the UK, I really did not expect to be able to appreciate the joys of a convertible. But, surprise, surprise, I did!
One glorious afternoon, the temperatures crept well into double digits (centigrade) and I pulled over, pressed the button and, 20 seconds later, sampled the joys of open-top motoring for the 15-mile run home.
Ironically, with the Z4, BMW made a great play of the speed they achieved with the old soft top. It converted in just ten seconds, thanks to the clever use of a rigid panel in the fabric roof to act as the tonneau cover. Going to a roof that takes 20-seconds might superficially sound like a retrograde step, but the switch to a folding metal top gets my seal of approval.
You really do get the best of both worlds. The weather proofing, solidity and security of a metal roof, combined with the ability to enjoy the breeze on a balmy day. But you do need to be aware that fresh air and luggage do not go together.
If you want to stow the roof, the boot space is quite tiny. With the roof up, though, the Z4 easily swallowed generous weekend luggage for two. If the space in the back is not enough for you, then you won’t find much extra storage space inside to supplement it.
This is strictly a two-seater, with just two low-slung, comfortable sports seats. Space is good, but there is only a small amount of oddments space behind the front seats.
The looks, even with the metal roof, look like an evolution of the original. My wife, a long-term fan of the Z4, was mildly disappointed to see that the ‘Z’ crease had disappeared from the Z4’s flanks. But it follows the sports car tradition and that of the Z3 and previous Z4.
Similarly, inside, BMW’s design team have carried forward the almost minimalist style. I remember being quite surprised at the simplicity on the original Z4 launch event. This new model also has a sweeping panel with the main instruments in a neat pod and switches and controls kept small in number and neatly grouped.
Under the long bonnet comes a choice of three six-cylinder engines. My test car was the BMW Z4 sDrive 23i, the others are the 30i and 35i. If you know BMW you might be assuming that the numbers refer to the engine size. Not for the first time with BMW, they do not correlate.
The 23i test car has a 2.5-litre, the 30i does have a three-litre, but the 35i also has a three-litre — but with a substantially greater power output.
Being the entry model in the range, the 23i is not the car you would buy for ultimate performance, but I found it very satisfying and it combines its performance with remarkably good economy. All the Z4s have elements of BMW’s Efficient Dynamics and I found myself returning figures in the upper 20s and, occasionally, got very close to the official combined figure of 34.4 mpg.
I have a suspicion that this good economy comes at a slight cost. I found the BMW Z4 23i to be a difficult car to drive smoothly in traffic. Low throttle take-offs and trickling in city traffic produced jerks and jolts that at the very least got passengers’ heads nodding. At worst it could develop into a mild kangarooing that had to be killed by a stab on the clutch.
Out on the open road it was entirely a different story. Like the original the Z4 comes with a choice of normal and ‘sports’ modes. Such controls are common on automatics where they change the characteristics of the gearbox (which indeed they do on the automatic versions of the Z4), but they also sharpen the steering and throttle responses.
On the new Z4 there is also a ‘sports+’ setting. Personally I chose to drive mostly in ‘sports’. ‘Sports+’ switched off the electronic aids like ESP and, noting the greasy nature of damp winter roads, I felt happier with the “safety net” of these systems to help gather things up if I put a foot wrong.
Not that the Z4 ever felt anything other than controlled. On the open road my grin simply got wider as I savoured the wonderful balance of a well-sorted rear-wheel-drive sports car that just went exactly where you pointed that purposeful bonnet. The steering, devoid of any corruption from driveshafts, was wonderfully fluid, perfectly weighted and yet precise and communicative.
In an era when so many cars have us stowed in a very vertical “sit-up-and-beg” driving posture, I really liked getting back into a car where you sit more like a racing car driver — low down, with your legs outstretched in front of you. With ample adjustments it is easy to get comfortable and, in this position, you really feel at one with the car.
My impression is that BMW has made a significant advance in the suspension department. The blend of sporty tautness and comfort is better than before. The previous Z4 was always on the move, you might even say “restless”, on all but the smoothest of road surfaces. The new Z4 is altogether more sophisticated. It moves with the road surface, but, while firm, it is compliant and never jarring.
Performance on the entry-level BMW Z4 sDrive 23i is good. Acceleration 0 to 62 mph takes 6.6 seconds and top speed is 151 mph. CO2 emissions are 192 g/km.
One thing I would eagerly jettison from the new model is the electric parking brake. In this blog you will quickly see that I am not a fan of these things, except, maybe, in automatics. But the BMW Z4 doesn’t even release automatically, or have a ‘hill-hold’ function. So, you need to have an accurately-timed prod on the button at the precise moment that your clutch bites. Give me a traditional handbrake any time!
Even that black mark couldn’t put me off the Z4. The positives outweighed the negatives. But at £28,650 you have to remember that — if you want to carry larger numbers of passengers, or bulkier things — this is quite an expensive second car.
Taking temporary ‘ownership’ of the new Z4 in the month of December in the UK, I really did not expect to be able to appreciate the joys of a convertible. But, surprise, surprise, I did!
One glorious afternoon, the temperatures crept well into double digits (centigrade) and I pulled over, pressed the button and, 20 seconds later, sampled the joys of open-top motoring for the 15-mile run home.
Ironically, with the Z4, BMW made a great play of the speed they achieved with the old soft top. It converted in just ten seconds, thanks to the clever use of a rigid panel in the fabric roof to act as the tonneau cover. Going to a roof that takes 20-seconds might superficially sound like a retrograde step, but the switch to a folding metal top gets my seal of approval.
You really do get the best of both worlds. The weather proofing, solidity and security of a metal roof, combined with the ability to enjoy the breeze on a balmy day. But you do need to be aware that fresh air and luggage do not go together.
If you want to stow the roof, the boot space is quite tiny. With the roof up, though, the Z4 easily swallowed generous weekend luggage for two. If the space in the back is not enough for you, then you won’t find much extra storage space inside to supplement it.
This is strictly a two-seater, with just two low-slung, comfortable sports seats. Space is good, but there is only a small amount of oddments space behind the front seats.
The looks, even with the metal roof, look like an evolution of the original. My wife, a long-term fan of the Z4, was mildly disappointed to see that the ‘Z’ crease had disappeared from the Z4’s flanks. But it follows the sports car tradition and that of the Z3 and previous Z4.
Similarly, inside, BMW’s design team have carried forward the almost minimalist style. I remember being quite surprised at the simplicity on the original Z4 launch event. This new model also has a sweeping panel with the main instruments in a neat pod and switches and controls kept small in number and neatly grouped.
Under the long bonnet comes a choice of three six-cylinder engines. My test car was the BMW Z4 sDrive 23i, the others are the 30i and 35i. If you know BMW you might be assuming that the numbers refer to the engine size. Not for the first time with BMW, they do not correlate.
The 23i test car has a 2.5-litre, the 30i does have a three-litre, but the 35i also has a three-litre — but with a substantially greater power output.
Being the entry model in the range, the 23i is not the car you would buy for ultimate performance, but I found it very satisfying and it combines its performance with remarkably good economy. All the Z4s have elements of BMW’s Efficient Dynamics and I found myself returning figures in the upper 20s and, occasionally, got very close to the official combined figure of 34.4 mpg.
I have a suspicion that this good economy comes at a slight cost. I found the BMW Z4 23i to be a difficult car to drive smoothly in traffic. Low throttle take-offs and trickling in city traffic produced jerks and jolts that at the very least got passengers’ heads nodding. At worst it could develop into a mild kangarooing that had to be killed by a stab on the clutch.
Out on the open road it was entirely a different story. Like the original the Z4 comes with a choice of normal and ‘sports’ modes. Such controls are common on automatics where they change the characteristics of the gearbox (which indeed they do on the automatic versions of the Z4), but they also sharpen the steering and throttle responses.
On the new Z4 there is also a ‘sports+’ setting. Personally I chose to drive mostly in ‘sports’. ‘Sports+’ switched off the electronic aids like ESP and, noting the greasy nature of damp winter roads, I felt happier with the “safety net” of these systems to help gather things up if I put a foot wrong.
Not that the Z4 ever felt anything other than controlled. On the open road my grin simply got wider as I savoured the wonderful balance of a well-sorted rear-wheel-drive sports car that just went exactly where you pointed that purposeful bonnet. The steering, devoid of any corruption from driveshafts, was wonderfully fluid, perfectly weighted and yet precise and communicative.
In an era when so many cars have us stowed in a very vertical “sit-up-and-beg” driving posture, I really liked getting back into a car where you sit more like a racing car driver — low down, with your legs outstretched in front of you. With ample adjustments it is easy to get comfortable and, in this position, you really feel at one with the car.
My impression is that BMW has made a significant advance in the suspension department. The blend of sporty tautness and comfort is better than before. The previous Z4 was always on the move, you might even say “restless”, on all but the smoothest of road surfaces. The new Z4 is altogether more sophisticated. It moves with the road surface, but, while firm, it is compliant and never jarring.
Performance on the entry-level BMW Z4 sDrive 23i is good. Acceleration 0 to 62 mph takes 6.6 seconds and top speed is 151 mph. CO2 emissions are 192 g/km.
One thing I would eagerly jettison from the new model is the electric parking brake. In this blog you will quickly see that I am not a fan of these things, except, maybe, in automatics. But the BMW Z4 doesn’t even release automatically, or have a ‘hill-hold’ function. So, you need to have an accurately-timed prod on the button at the precise moment that your clutch bites. Give me a traditional handbrake any time!
Even that black mark couldn’t put me off the Z4. The positives outweighed the negatives. But at £28,650 you have to remember that — if you want to carry larger numbers of passengers, or bulkier things — this is quite an expensive second car.
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