BMW Z4 2004 review

Like its competitor, the Mercedes SLK, the BMW Z4 has sufficient sex appeal, oomph and a Christmas stocking full of features to even hit hard at the third topless exotic European, the Porsche Boxster.

The Z4, which grew out of the very ordinary yet exceptionally overpriced Z3, picks up on the erratic styling cues shared by its sedans.

But while the BMW sedans look a touch awkward, like a primary school graduate dancing in her first pair of high-heel shoes, the Z4 is distinctive and even intriguing.

All the odd shapes – the creases, the concave panels, bulges and curves – work with a long bonnet, short tail and prominent twin nostrils to create something you just can't ignore.

Roof up or down, it's a sexy beast.

On the track it is simply a beast. BMW kit the Z4 with all the electronic safety gear – stability control, traction control, brake assist, ABS and so on.

But though the car's electronics only modestly interfere with the power output, they can still be over-ridden.

Press the console button once and traction control is disabled, keep the button depressed for three seconds and all electronic aids are turned off.

That leaves a rather raw ride, with the light rear end happy to break into oversteer and plenty of wheelspin.

Clearly, the Z4 can handle such treatment, but this is not the essence of the roadster.

Take a brisk drive to Toodyay, swing right to Northam and the roads – curved, sweeping, thin with rutted bitumen and then wide and smooth – reveal a lively and exceptionally competent two-seater.

But you soon realise there's not enough room for much luggage and that, at 55 litres, the fuel tank is rather small and the lack of a spare tyre is less than confidence-inspiring.

Out here – 90 minutes from the CBD – there are not a lot of service stations with a spare tyre mounted on a BMW wheel hanging from the rafters. Even if there was, at what cost?

Yes, there is a repair kit to temporarily repair any puncture, though I see the nightmare of this challenge happening at midnight in the rain. While you're alone.

There's not much personal storage space within the cabin, but there is a phone and a CD player.

The seats are leather, though flattish. There's a choice of upholstery colours, of course, though the red pertinently matched the dynamics of the car and the bank account of this driver.

Yet despite the unshapely seats – which, by the way, are heated for open-top autumn driving – the ride comfort is firm, though rarely uncomfortable.

The best news is that the Z4 can make anyone look good. The price is a bit rakish, but the quality is certainly up to the mark.

^*Vehicle track-tested at AHG Driving Centre.