Findon, Sussex
The BMW Z4 must be the best affordable roadster, ever.

Forget all the arguments about its controversial “flame surfacing” styling. In the metal and on the road the car looks great. But more importantly is the way it drives and it drives like a dream.

The car is not only bigger than the Z3 which it replaces; it is in a different world.

The little Z3 was mocked because of its retro-styling and its effeminate, girlie, hairdresser reputation. The Z4 is all muscle and macho and high-tech styling. You couldn’t even get a set of golf clubs in the boot of the Z3 for heaven’s sake! BMW has put this right, claiming that two sets of golf clubs will fit in the trunk.

And none of this nonsense about boring and economic 4 cylinder engines. The Z4 will ONLY be available with six cylinder motors – 2.5 litre or 3.0 litre petrol, with manual, automatic or Sequential Mechanical Gearbox (SMG) transmissions. BMW has pushed its roadster into a much more demanding section of the market away from the likes of the Mazda MX5, and MG TF and is aiming straight at the Porsche Boxster, the Mercedes SLK and the Honda S2000 in what it calls the premium roadster segment.

Judging from the reaction of motoring journalists at the launch event in Portugal’s Algarve region, the Boxster, about ¤5,000 more expensive than the Z4, has a fight on its hands.

As soon as you climb into the cockpit, the Z4’s charm starts to get to you. Simple, neat dashboard with plain, functional and clear dials. The cabin is snug, but there’s plenty of room. The sun is shining, so the roof (canvass only) will need to go. Just press a button and the roof is gone and stowed. Switch on the engine and a quiet but serious throb of the straight-six power plant will start to captivate you. Blip the throttle and you can hardly wait to move.

On the road the car is superb. In the hills to the north of Faro, the electric power steering pointed the car exactly where you wanted it to go. Snicking up and down the six-speed gear box, the engine sounded magnificent at high revs, but also had a delightful understated rumble as you ambled through the villages. The suspension is a modified version of the latest 3 series. It is firm, but not overly so; if you want a truly firm suspension, BMW offers that as an option too.

For those of a more adventurous nature, upmarket versions of the Z4 have a sports mode “power” button, which gives the engine even more “kick” when you want it and tightens up the steering as you approach a series of bends. The Dynamic Traction Control can be set to have your pulse racing towards danger levels, by allowing the tail to slide out a bit before the computer drags it back on line again.

The car is remarkably quiet even at speed. With the hood up, (which goes back up at the touch of a button), at around 90 mph the wind noise was saloon-car like. The bigger boot does have a down side. There is no spare tyre, the regular tyres are run-flat only. BMW says if there is tyre problem, there will be plenty of range to get to a garage for help. The electric power steering saves energy over conventional hydraulic systems – using up to one litre of petrol less, every 250 miles.

When the car was unveiled at the Paris Car Show earlier this month, the controversial Chris Bangle- design startled many, as does BMW’s description of the Z4’s new body.

“Particularly striking features are the surfaces, edges, rounded corners and drawn-in areas plastically (sic) visible and interacting among themselves, creating a rapid interplay of concave and convex design. The result is exceptional lines, shadows and reflections again emphasizing the particular proportions of the Z4,” is the preposterous way that BMW describes the car in its publicity material. I think it might have lost something in the translation between German and English.

Suffice it to say that the Z4 has great presence on the road, and the styling will not repel or repulse any buyers.

BMW says there will be no coupe, no “M” or hotted up Z4, no 4 cylinder versions, and no diesel power. Even though the Z4 is bigger than the Z3, the use of lightweight technology like aluminium and magnesium means it is actually lighter than the smaller car.

The Z4 goes on sale in the U.S. this month. The Z4 is built in the U.S., its biggest market accounting for about 50 per cent of sales. Most of Europe can expect deliveries to start in the Spring of 2003. The U.K. market will have to wait until the summer of 2003.

Watch out Porsche!

Neil Winton – October 18, 2002

Z4 at a glance……..

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