BMW Z4
Weather or not |
  |
By Richard J. Newman
|
NITS:The sun visors don't pivot to the sides, the cup holders don't secure a standard-sized soda bottle, and there are other practical shortcomings associated with a small-sports-car package. But who cares? It's like dating a supermodel and complaining that she's not very bright.
G-FORCES: The top-tier 3.0-liter, six-cylinder engine produces 225 horsepower and acceleration that could damage your sinuses. The base engine, a 2.5-liter six-cylinder, offers 184 horsepower and
still-sizzling pickup. Cornering is superb.
GIZMOLOGY: Even the topped-out Z4 is elegantly simple, with minimal dashboard clutter and easy-to-use analog climate dials. The streamlined layout helps the driver pay more attention to driv-ing, which is the whole point of this car. One feature that would be nice but isn't offered: steering wheel controls for the audio system.
KID MARKS: Technically speaking, you can disable the passenger-side airbag and strap a child seat in there. But c'mon.
HOT OR NOT? Hot. No need to elaborate.
ENVIROMETER: Envirometer: Ranges from 6
to 7, out of 10, on the EPA's emissions/air pollution scale. Mileage ranges from 20 mpg city to 29 mpg highway.
Details at http://www.epa.gov/autoemissions/
E-BMW-Z4Roadster-03.htm
CRASH COURSE: Not yet crashtested by the government or by private testing organizations. When information becomes available, check http://www.nhtsa.gov/NCAP/
Cars/2591.html
PRICE POINTS: Base prices range from $33,795 to $40,945. Price as tested: $44,820. (All prices include delivery fees.)
MORE INFO: http://www.bmwusa.com
|
Model year tested: 2003
It snowed the night before I took delivery of BMW's latest pleasuremobile, the undulating Z4 roadster convertible. Like a child watching a rainstorm ruin a party, I stared glumly out the window, envisioning what a washout it would be trying to drive a zesty, rear-wheel-drive sports machine through slush and snow. There was only one thing to tell myself: It's not fair!
By midmorning, when I had the car in my possession, the snow had stopped and the weather was warming. I stuck my head outside every 15 minutes to check the pavement: sloppy at first, then merely slippery, and finally just wet. Good enough. I fired up the Z4 and hit the road, thankful for any break that would allow me to sample the roadster's aplomb. The first punch of the throttle was a hoot; a refined roar arose from under the hood, and as the car raced forward my cranium retreated into the headrest. Sharp curves suddenly seemed quite straight, the car barely straining to resist centrifugal force. As I maneuvered around obstacles, the view out the truncated windshield recalled those early James Bond films, when 007 was roaring away in his Aston Martin and the camera framed a jerky, fast-moving, thrilling tableau of passing scenery. I arrived at work several hours late but with the biggest smile my coworkers have seen on my face in months.
It was like this the entire week I spent with the Z4. Lousy weather would scotch driv-ing opportunities; then there would be a break in the gloom, and I'd race out to the car with some excuse to go somewhere. That is not a very holistic way to experience sophisticated machinery like the Z4. But it's also a car whose personality is immediately evident and whose chief at-trib-utes don't need to be coaxed to the surface. The Z4 has the same serious playfulness as the Z3 roadster it replaces–an engineer's approach to fun. It is built with a number of chassis reinforcements that make the car extremely rigid. On the road, that translates into a superstiff feel around corners and an ability to hug the road like a suction cup; in my time with the car I failed to find a curve that the Z4 couldn't handle at twice the recommended speed. Steering is taut–with an optional "sport" feature that makes it even tighter–which produces great responsiveness in the wheel. The test vehicle was equipped with the top-level, 225-horsepower, six-cylinder engine, which, in conjunction with the six-speed manual transmission, accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.9 seconds.
Yeeeeeeoooooowwww! At one point I was merging onto a highway with a slow
truck in the lane in front of me and another car closing fast in the passing lane. I quickly downshifted, switched lanes, and roared ahead of the truck before the car behind me had any need to adjust to my presence. Tee hee hee.
Like other BMWs, the Z4 makes demands on the driver. The high performance suspension and steering bring the road into the car as if the wheels were
mounted at the ends of your legs. That requires an appreciation of the handling benefits and the pure fun that come from such a direct connection to the road. The powerful engine and the rear-drive powertrain place a premium on driver know-how, in order to get the most out of the
car without misapplying the power and spinning out all over town like a teenager who just got his license. (OK, I'm guilty, but I blame the slippery roads.) The standard "dynamic stability control" system, which can be set for different driving situations, is so complicated it virtually requires an orientation course. If the weather hadn't been
so bad during my Z4 tryout, I might have gotten more comfortable with the car's sophistication. I guess BMW will just have to let me have another week with the car when the skies aren't so gray.
 In the market for a new car? Use our auto search for more information.
Is there a car you would like us to review? Send your suggestion to test-track@usnews.com.
Return to the auto page to view more reviews.
|
