2009 BMW Z4 Reviews

The BMW Z3 and Z4 are genuine roadsters, not simply convertibles. The difference being that roadsters are strictly two-seaters and the seats are set well back, almost to the rear axle. The resulting very long nose and a stubby tail mean the BMW Z-cars have a no-nonsense purposeful appearance.The BMW Z3 was launched in Australia way back in January 1997. It was BMW’s answer to the astonishing success of the Mazda MX-5, a car that reinvented the open-top car many thought had gone forever. Despite its different name, the BMW Z4 is really the second-generation Z3, it was given the new title to match the new naming system which sees the sporty variants getting even numbers.The Z series models were initially designed for the USA so in the early editions are rather American in their makeup for keen Aussie drivers. In particular, their handling was softer than usual for a BMW, though far from soft in absolute terms. When the Z3 also became a hit in many other countries, including Australia, the handling became full-on sport with the introduction of the Z4.The first Australian imports of the BMW Z4 reached us downunder in July 2003. Handling of the Z4 is exceptionally good with excellent chassis balance thanks to the setback position of the engine. Naturally rear wheel drive gives you proper throttle control. Some may feel the ride is on the firm side, but true drivers will be more than willing to overlooks this.Perhaps take along your regular passenger and get their feelings for the car on roughish roads. Though the little BMW began life with a 1.9-litre four-cylinder engine, the German marque is famed for its six-cylinder engines and these were soon squeezed under the long bonnet and almost immediately became the powerplant of choice in almost all cars.In June 1999 imports of the 1.9-litre four had ceased in Australia and all used a sweet little 2.0-litre straight-six. The big gun engine in the Z3 is the 3.0-litre six-cylinder. Performance from the smaller engines is nothing to get excited about, but the free-revving nature, and great exhaust note, makes them feel faster than they really are – and isn’t that what counts?BMW Z4s have a 2.5 or 3.0-litre straight-six from their 2003 introduction until the company started to get into the small-capacity turbocharged field with blown four-cylinder engines. Some sixes remained alongside the turbo-petrol fours until 2012, when they were replaced by big-boost turbo fours. Some miss the demise of the straight-six turbo engines – ourselves included – so if you really love them it might be time to invest in the last of the line.A special engine is used in the Z4 33i models. A 3.0-litre twin-turbo six, it gives huge amounts of forward thrust and is a delight for the revheads to punt along. Manual and automatic transmission are offered in most cars and the auto isn’t as slow and irritating as in some sports models. Our choice is still the DIY shifter, though.Manuals have six gear ratios. The autos increased in the number of gears, beginning with just four speeds in 1997 and advancing to no fewer than eight in 2012, with five and six speeds being sold along the timeline. The BMW dealer network is well established in Australia and is known for its high quality of technical training.Electronic diagnosis of problems is highly refined as BMW was a leader in this field. The technician plugs in your car and it is then connected to a large computer in Germany where it is quizzed not only on current problems but even in intermittent troubles that aren’t actually present in the car at the time it was driven into the workshop. Clever stuff.This high-tech diagnoses and servicing is just one reason it makes a lot of sense to buy a used Z3 or Z4 that has always been serviced by an official BMW dealer. Spare parts aren't outrageously expensive for a car in this class, but may prove to be a factor in your decision as to whether to buy an older Z4 rather than a cheaper convertible from a lower-cost maker.Insurance may be expensive if the driver is young and/or inexperienced. Surprisingly there is seldom a big increase in premiums for the high-performance models.WHAT TO LOOK FORCarry out your own pre-purchase inspection to the best of your ability. Once it has passed your tests call your BMW dealer, or at least a qualified mechanic with knowledge of the marque. Lift the carpets for signs of dampness or even rust if the car has been caught out in the rain in a big way. It’s best to ask permission from the seller before doing this as technically it’s dismantling the car and that is often frowned upon.Check for previous crash repairs by looking for signs of paint overspray, panels with a slight waviness in their finish and for colours that don't match exactly from one panel to the next. Make sure the engine starts virtually instantly, idles smoothly within a second or so of startup and pulls without hesitation even when completely cold.CAR BUYING TIPSome sports cars are ‘fanged’ on a daily basis, others never get past the mid-range marks on the tacho. No marks for guessing which is the better bet as a used car. 

I was a fan of the old Z4 — it was a sportscar that had some traditional elements to it, rather than pandering to the masses. It may not have been classically attractive, but it was a bold looking device, with a proper soft-top joined later by the coupe. There were M versions of both, which very-much catered for the driver with proper hydraulic power assistance for the steering and not a run-flat in sight.A stint in an M-Coupe in Classic Adelaide a few years back reinforced the abilities, but the new model is here and has been accused of getting soft.Design The new Z4 carries the styling theme over but BMW has succumbed to the folding metal hard-top roof, beefing it up over the old model and increasing the glasshouse for improved vision as well.It offers the best of both worlds in terms of open-topped driving but the security of a hard roof for parking it places and not worrying about twerps with knives doing serious harm to the top.The drawback is that the boot, which isn't voluminous to begin with at 310 litres.But drop the top — a simple 20-second full-auto exercise once the fiddly rear luggage area's cover is in place — and the roof folds back into the loadspace, where there's barely enough room for the school bags at 180 litres.DrivetrainWe're in the 35, which is powered by the twin-turbo straight-six, with the seven-speed DCT, while the rest of the range has to make do with the optional six-speed auto. This engine is fast becoming one of the all-time favourites within the BMW range and in the automotive world in general, and nothing about its application here is going to change that.Driving Teamed with a double-clutch seven-speeder that is quick and clever, the new Z4 has no shortage of pace, but while electric power steering might tax the engine less for its assistance, ye olde hydraulics relays more information back to the driver.That's part of why it falls short of the old Z4 M Roadster for outright grin-factor — that car was a crackerjack ride and is sorely missed — but this one is easier to live with day-to-day from a driving perspective.The ride is decent thanks to the adjustable suspension system, which offers three levels — normal, sport and sport-plus, tweaking suspension, steering and pedal attitude to suit the driver's current desire. Sport mode leaves the stability control lurking in the background, something that can be an advantage for those brainfade moments when the outputs — particularly the 400Nm of torque on offer across most of the rev range — have been momentarily forgotten.Give the 35 too much right foot and the tail squirms, giving a solid hint of what it might do should a track day be in your diary.The top-spec model gets bigger brakes and a feature list that also includes cruise control with braking function, parking sensors front and rear, the aforementioned suspension system, all-electrochromatic mirrors, 18in alloy wheels, adaptive xenon headlights with high-beam assist and (for the first time in the breed's roadsters) the iDrive system.While some of the cars of a similar ilk and pricetag might lack the outright mumbo of the Z4, or the versatility offered by a folding metal roof.There's something missing from the Beemer that some of its primary opposition (of the same nationality) has more of — personality, soul, whatever you call it — but having driven the Audi TT S convertible I think I'd bank the difference, or tick some option boxes.Z4 sDrive35i Roadster Price: from $116,900.Engine: three-litre twin-turbo direct-injection in-line six-cylinder.Power: 225kW @ 5800rpm.Torque: 400Nm between 1300 & 5000rpm.Transmission: six-speed manual or seven-speed automated double-clutch, rear-wheel drive with electronic differential lock.Performance: 0-100km/h 5.2 seconds (DCT 5.1), top speed 250km/h.Fuel consumption/capacity: 9.4 litres/100km (DCT 9), tank 55 litres.Emissions: 219g/km (DCT 210)Rivals:Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 convertible, from $115,637.Audi TT S convertible, from $96,900.Porsche Boxster, from $114,800. 

Built to take on the latest Porsche Boxster and a host of other quality topless Europeans, the Z4 - launched today in Spain - finally gets the muscle that its body deserves.Bigger, beefier and subjectively beautiful, it also gets 225kW of bi-turbo 3-litre performance and a dual-clutch gearbox borrowed from the 335i models. And that's just for starters.Arriving in Australia in May, the Z4 comes only - at least officially - as a retractable alloy-panelled convertible. To prevent confusion with its other rag-top models, BMW now calls this latest Z4 a Roadster.The three model Z4 range - sDrive23i, sDrive30i and sDrive35i - has a choice of three engines - 2.5 and 3.0 from the previous Z4 and the bi-turbo 3.0 - and three transmissions that comprise six-speed manual and automatics and the seven-speed dual-clutch box that is optional only on the sDrive35i.Pricing jumps $8000 for the entry-level sDrive23i - despite its numbers, it's actually a 150kW/250Nm 2.5-litre six - which will enter Australia at $86,200 as a six-speed manual and $89,500 as the auto. This replaces the Z4 2.5si that was $78,200 manual and $80,800 as an auto.Step up to the 190kW/310Nm sDrive30i at $98,100 - $101,400 - compared with the outgoing 3.0si at $91,400/$94,000 - and the 225kW.400Nm sDrive35i at $116,900 as a manual and $120,400 with the dual-clutch box.Though some buyers see the new Z4 as lining up against the Boxster, BMW sees it differently. It compares the 23i roadster with the Mercedes SLK200K, Audi TT 2.0 Roadster and the Alfa Romeo Spider 2.2.The 30i challenges the Alfa Spider 3.2 V6, Audi TT 3.2 V6 and the Boxster. Here, up against the Porsche, BMW figures show its Z4 is quicker - 0-100km/h in 5.8 seconds compared with Porsche at 6.1 - and on par for fuel economy despited weighing 115kg more and having a 300cc bigger engine.Up against the Porsche Boxster S, the Z4 35i is quicker to 100km/h by 0.2sec at 5.2, and more frugal at 9.8 litres/100km compared with the 10.6 l/100km.However, data provided by BMW Australia for the comparisons appear to be based on the previous Porsche model. Porsche updated its Boxster range in January with its dual-clutch PDK transmission, direct petrol injection and weight reductions.BMW says the Z4's two-piece aluminium folding roof erects or collapses in 20 seconds and stores within the boot.The bigger body of the Z4 compared with its predecessor allows more cabin and boot space, though the intervention of the roof panels into the snub tail of the Z4 more than halves luggage capacity from 310 litres to 180 litres. However, there is an optional kit that creates a luggage hatch from boot to cabin to take a golf bag.DrivingTwo turbochargers acting on six cylinders in a two-seater body. You could virtually relay the driving feel of BMW's new Z4 on the data alone.Or perhaps not. For though BMW unashamedly takes on Mercedes-Benz and Porsche two-seat roadsters, it is clearly doing it on its own terms.Hunting the thousands of hills outside of Alicante in Spain in a bi-turbo Z4 - the top of the three model range that comes to Australian showrooms in May - shows that the company has strived to get its 225kW engine to be all things to all drivers in a chassis that, also, has to be sporty yet comfortable. Then it must be safe, fuel efficient and roomy - all nearly impossible targets yet BMW comes very close to pulling it off.In Spain yesterday, BMW handed out the keys only to its sDrive35i - the convoluted name for the 3-litre bi-turbo version - with its seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. None of the other two, more lowly-specced Z4s were offered for a test drive.It is clearly a good thing. Quite beautiful in the metal and bigger than pictures relay, it sits low and wide and not to distant in appearance to the company's more lavish - perhaps more excessive - 6-Series.The 35i has been tuned for the owner who likes the gutteral sound of six cylinders being urged along by two turbochargers. Even with the metal roof engaged, the sound is musical and under the command of the accelerator pedal, runs through the scales from gentle thrum to a spine-chilling scream that is interrupted by an aggressive bark on the downshifts.Take the roof down and its all the same, just louder.The beauty of the bi-turbo engine is its breadth of power and torque delivery. It can rumble along in low revs and yet recover quickly to make gear upchanges and downchanges seemingly unnecessary. That makes it easy to drive but difficult to pick a sweet spot. That's not a complaint, just a fact.The appearance of the Z4 is low and wide and certainly that's confirmed once inthe driver's seat. The cabin is surprisingly spacious, has a goodly range of storage spaces and the light-coloured plastics and fabrics - together with expansive glass - make it bright and airy. And that's with the roof up, so it's a welcome cabin for a convertible.The dual-clutch box drives through BMW's now ubiqitous PlayStation gear toggle in concert with double-action steering wheel paddles for the manual mode. Like the Porsche PDK paddles, it's not the best system and certainly doesn't enhance manual gearshifting. The gearlever action, however, is spot on.BMW offer three gearshift modes - standard, sport and sport plus - with the last two also sharpening up the response of the steering, accelerator and suspension systems. Sport gives a little bit of leeway before calling in the electronic stability and traction control nannies, while Sport Plus lets it all rip by disengaging everything. My preference was Sport. The standard mode has a bit of lag in its changes while flicking gthe console button to Sport and using the gearbox manually just makes it a bit more fun and slightly more engaging.The standard mode will excite most owners. Sport will make the passenger pay attention while Sport Plus is simply too wild for the street unless in trained hands.And here's the thing - this car has an engine that will put most of its rivals to shame and the Z4 35i clearly has the performance to awake any jaded soul. But the whole package is wrapped in cotton wool. You can push this car hard - very, very hard - and it will scare you so much your teeth will sweat. But it's held together by sophisticated electronics that are working overtime to keep the car on the road and its increasingly over-confident driver as safe as possible.These electronics create something akin to an artificial driving experience. The rawness of the car is polished out and in its place is a package that while a tad surreal, perfectly suits a broader range of drivers. People who love driving will love this car. People who don't get a thrill from sitting behind the wheel will love it because it's so easy to drive. Is this the perfect sports car.BMW has rid itself of the overly assisted Active steering system and in its place is a better feel that delivers the best of parking and high-speed manouevres. The wheel sits high on the dash predominantly because the driver sits so low. That ordinarily ruins visibility and BMW doesn't disappoint with a bonnet that stretches somewhere up front and an invisible tail behind.Parking aside, the driver may find the car a bit wide in some circumstances - I swallowed my heart about a hundred times through the tight twists of the Spanish mountain passes - but once familiar, will be in awe of its directional stability and comfort.Comfort in a sports car from BMW. Thanks to electronic dampers, the Z4 rarely puts its occupants in pain. The suspension monitors road surface changes and instantly adjusts. If the front wheel encounters a pothole, the damper valves open to reduce the thump and while doing that, tell the rear wheels that a bump in on its way.The seats are short on the cushion and that is normally a problem. However, it doesn't impair comfort and actually gives the driver a bit more space to move around in the seat.On sale - MayPrice: sDrive23i $86,200 manual, $89,500 auto; sDrive 30i $98,100 manual, $101,400 auto; sDrive 35i $116,900 manual, $120,400 dual-clutchEngines: Six-cylinder inline with variable-valve timing and lift, 2.5-litre, 3-litre and 3-litre bi-turboOutputs: 150kW @ 6400rpm - 23i, 190kW @ 6600RPM - 30i, 225kW @ 5800rpm, 35iEconomy: 9.2 l/100km, 23i and 30i, 9.8 l/100km, 35i manualPerformance: 0-100km/h - 6.6sec, 23i, 5.8sec, 30i, 5.2sec, 35iTransmissions: 6-speed manual or auto, seven-speed dual clutch, rear drive