Road Test
BMW Z4 3.0 sDrive35i
Test date 02 June 2009
Price as tested £38,145
For Elegant interior, flexible engine, versatile twin-clutch gearbox
AgainstBalance between ride and handling, steering, pricey options
The new BMW Z4 is much more than a predictable evolution of the car it replaces. BMW believes that the bigger dimensions, folding hard-top – its predecessor had a fabric roof – and adjustable steering, throttle and chassis settings are essential ingredients to make the new Z4 appeal to a wider audience.
Even the plush cabin now offers more room and better visibility for those wanting a tourer as well as a roadster.
Whereas the previous generation of Z4 was available with a four-cylinder engine, though, the latest version is not. Instead, there is a narrow range of high-output six-cylinder engines.
The smallest in the line-up is a 2.5-litre unit that offers 201bhp, and the rest of the range is filled by a 3.0-litre engine that’s available in two states of tune: 255bhp and 302bhp.
So performance is clearly a top priority for the new Z4. But is the multitude of new technologies and the arrival of a folding hard-top really enough to make the new Z4 live up to BMW’s claims of a car that can “morph from comfortable yet sporty cruiser through to outright performance car”?
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