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BMW Z4 sDrive35i – Driven
April 16, 2009
At the recent international launch of the new Z4 in Alicante, Spain, we drove the top model at a fair lick on some fantastic mountain roads. With the late Winter weather playing along, we folded the metal roof and stored it in the boot, electrically of course.
Yes the new Z4 now has a Mercedes-Benz SLK-like roof, so there’s just one body style. The old car was all about a long, bulging bonnet, fussy intersecting lines and an abrupt rear end. The new car keeps the classic roadster proportions, but gains a more cohesive set of shut and crease lines and a pointier reverse-rake snout. Necessarily longer, to store the roof, and heavier, to stiffen the structure, the new Z4 is a more substantial car.
Fortunately the engine lineup is beefier to suit. 2.5, 3.0-litre natasp and 3.0-litre twin turbo straight sixes mated to six-speed transmissions in manual and automatic offer a great balance between power and efficiency. Optional on the flagship Z4 sDrive35i we drove is a seven-speed DCT dual clutch auto. Changes are practically seamless and the electronics so clever, apart from the ambidextrous paddles, that it’s the box of choice, even for purists.
What they might not like is the palpably softer ride. You can order yours with BMW’s Adaptive M suspension for a push-button firmer ride, but even in the stiffest Sports+ mode, there’s an uncanny (for a sporty BM) compliancy and suppleness. What it all boils down to is that average drivers can now hustle this Z4 down a bumpy country road at speeds that would have scared them in the old one. It’s not as demanding of your absolute concentration and therefore less involving, but BMW probably rightly figures there’s only a handful who like their cars to be a handful.
So the new Zee has a comfier ride, is easier to drive fast and is a more attractive all-round proposition. The bottom line is broader appeal. Still pure driving pleasure or have BMW diluted the mix?
You can read an in-depth first drive review in the June issue of Topcar magazine.
Z4 sDrive23i
ENGINE | 2497cc 24v straight six
POWER | 150kW @ 6400rpm
TORQUE | 250Nm @ 2750rpm
TRANSMISSION | 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
WEIGHT | 1480kg
PERFORMANCE | 6.6 (7.3)sec 0-100kph, 242 (239)kph
FUEL INDEX & CO2 | 8.5 (8.2)ℓ/100km, 199 (192)g/km
(Figures in brackets apply to 6-speed automatic)
Z4 sDrive30i
ENGINE | 2996cc 24v straight six
POWER | 190kW @ 6600rpm
TORQUE | 310Nm @ 2600rpm
TRANSMISSION | 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
WEIGHT | 1490kg
PERFORMANCE | 5.8 (6.1)sec 0-100kph, 250kph
FUEL INDEX & CO2 | 8.5 (8.3)ℓ/100km, 199 (195)g/km
(Figures in brackets apply to 6-speed automatic)
Z4 sDrive35i
ENGINE | 2979cc 24v straight six, twin turbo
POWER | 225kW @ 5800rpm
TORQUE | 400Nm @ 1300-5000rpm
TRANSMISSION | 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
WEIGHT | 1580kg
PERFORMANCE | 5.2 (5.1)sec 0-100kph, 250kph
FUEL INDEX & CO2 | 9.4 (9.0)ℓ/100km, 219 (210)g/km
(Figures in brackets apply to 7-speed dual clutch auto)
KEY DETAILS | BMW Z4
LENGTH/WIDTH/HEIGHT | 4239/1790/1291mm
SUSPENSION | Two-joint spring strut front, independent rear
MADE FROM | Steel and aluminium
ON SALE | June
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