2007 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. 

Step into the BMW Z4 Roadster and you are immediately enveloped in a cabin of sporty exclusivity.Long bonnet, long wheelbase, short overhangs, the BMW Z4 Roadster has classic roadster proportions, but combines muscle with a style that's all its own.It all adds up to a roadster that's as thrilling to look at as it is to drive.The good thing about the Z4 is that it is not just a boy toy.From a girl's point of view, the BMW Z4 is just as much a head turner, if not more, when there is a woman behind the wheel.It is the kind of car you want to rev at the lights, because you can.It is the kind of car you want to pull up right in front of an exclusive restaurant and parallel park.It is the kind of car you wish was in your driveway every morning when you walked out.The standard sports seats feature sculpted side bolsters for optimum support in fast cornering.The centre console, sports steering wheel and instruments form a harmonious ensemble. And the variety of fascia trim options gives the interior even more individuality.With its fully automatic remote control roof, the BMW Z4 Roadster will open up on command.Just press the button and the roof folds in less than 10 seconds, leaving not even a tonneau cover to spoil the aesthetic appeal.With the roof up, the variable soft-top box means even more space for your luggage, while the scratchproof mineral glass ensures you get a clear view of the cars you've left behind.The six-cylinder Z4 Roadster models deliver efficient and powerful performance.The 195kW 3.0si accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in a mere 5.7 seconds, with the 2.5-litre version not far behind, reaching the 100km/h mark in 6.5 seconds.Even more impressive is the effortless smoothness with which these aluminium/magnesium engines deliver their power.Less weight means more agility. That's why the BMW Z4 uses lightweight components for its suspension.The aluminium front suspension and five-link rear suspension guarantee sporty handling.The roll bars, springs and dampers are ideally matched to the engine and transmission.And the wide track, long wheelbase, low centre of gravity and 50:50 weight distribution ensure perfect balance at all times.

It borrows nothing from the limited-run Z3 series M Coupe, which aimed at a narrow but discerning audience and was a wild, tail-happy blast to drive.When it came out in 1998, it was a ballistic little bread van-style unit cranking out 236kW of power and 350Nm for $137,000 new. The Z4 M coupe arrives for $127,500 with a completely fresh look some are interpreting as a modern-day version of Jaguar's E-Type.That may be so in the eyes of some, but this BMW has one gene unique to the species — the power of M division. There is not much that is subtle about the piping-hot Z4 hardtop, which produces 252kW from the screaming 3.2-litre M-tuned inline motor. Everything it does is edgy, loud and proud.It is a boombox on wheels, with an unrelenting soundtrack that fills the air like a heavy metal rock concert at full volume. This M baby barks big time, the quad tailpipes giving off their sinister beat at the blip of the throttle.You need to give the go pedal a decent shove to awaken the two-seater, and from there, its ballistic sounds turn into ballistic moves.Grip the meaty, three-spoke steering wheel; grab second, third, bang it into fourth, and you'll be guaranteed a thrill in less than 60 seconds. Pluck fifth and sixth only if you want to dawdle around.The clutch is fairly heavy and will give your left calf muscle a decent work-out in traffic. It is also measured for an early take-up so you can blast away with little delay.Balancing the take-up point and your throttle delivery is a fine art and one which, when applied precisely, rewards the driver.Gear changes on this model were a little imprecise, occasionally fumbling between third and fifth.The brakes are huge and can cop a hammering with the pedal feel firm, but with enough modulation that you can wash speed off gently and safely. On a drive involving city roads and highways for a week, the Zed blaster gulped about 12L/100km but that was being fairly kind to the equipment and sticking within socially acceptable speeds.It is a tough car and requires a firm hand at the controls. There are no compromises. It would be out of place down “poseur street”, where soft-style, fashion-accessory cars park. This is a carnivore on steroids. It rides like a rock, banging and crashing and walloping. Lack of suspension travel will do that.It is not as at home on the impure roads of Australia as it is on a nice smooth racetrack. That's its environment to a tee. The Z4 M coupe is essentially a competition car that just happens to be able to be cop a rego sticker on the window.Switching off DSC frees up the ability for the rear to wave its tail but it doesn't want to let go altogether. It can be controlled on the throttle. Point-to-point it is devilishly quick with pin-sharp steering. It doesn't promise to deliver a balance of serenity and aggression on demand. There is one mode for this BMW: hard and fast.

For every equivalent to "Phwoar, that's all right," there was a "****, that's horrible!"You can groove on the Z4's endless bonnet and plethora of planes and creases. Or, like me, you can find the construct vaguely nauseating.In which case, the 3.0si model really does deliver on its looks. If ever there was a single case against BMW's fitment of runflat tyres to almost all its models, here it be.Picture the reaction of a big cockroach when narrowly missed by a tightly furled and vigorously wielded newspaper. This image came to mind when driving, with no particular intent or enthusiasm, on one of western Sydney's standard, coarse-chip roads.When not tramlining along ruts in a way that any less stiff sidewalls wouldn't, the 3.0si skittered and skipped at the merest patchwork. That Lotus Europa S we featured a fortnight ago was more forgiving.And the latter is a mildly constrained version of Lotus's road warriors, not an allegedly luxury coupe.Given that the fat majority of 3.0si models are bought by soft cogs who stipulate the automatic transmission — rather than the notchy, short throw manual of our car — Bimmer is missing its market by the width of its rubber.Of course, you could always emulate several BMW owners we know of — rip off the runflats and replace 'em with conventional low-profile tyres. If you have a serious flat any distance from the metropolis at least you'll have a chance of replacing it locally and at perhaps half the cost.And unless your daily drive is over the beaut blacktops of rural Tasmania, you'll find the going much less maddening.Such a street legal modification might even enhance the anodyne electro-mechanical rack and pinion steering, which is not a patch on the hydraulic set up afforded the hot Z4 M (which eschews runflats, incidentally).While pushing the Sport button sharpens throttle response, somehow it also serves to further denude the wheel of feel, dissipating the fun factor of a nicely balanced rear-wheel-drive coupe.Buzzing about results in more within. Not for the first time in one of BMW's US-built sporters we've had cause to suspect fit and finish. There may be only a bit of clicking and vibration, but there's too much of it too often for anything like this money.To continue in that universal language, if you can't find the means — or the will — to live with the uncompromised M version, save heaps and buy a Nissan 350Z. If that's too common, look at Mazda's high-revving rotary RX-8.Of course, what neither of these have is BMW's superb 3-litre inline six, with 195kW/315Nm that can be enjoyed to its utmost in the 1320kg 3.0si.Strapped in with your rear end somewhere near the rear axle, trying to stir the 3.0si to its claimed 5.7second 0-100km/h sprint time is a sure-fire smile.If all-round vision is more restricted than even the aforementioned Lotus, it's no chore to clamber in and out of the Z4's cockpit. Nor, when opening the doors, do you risk disabling bystanders on the other side of the street, a la Alfa's Brera.The 3.0si's dash design and instrument cluster is lean, clean and easy to read with the sat-nav unafflicted by i-Drive. Bold aluminium accents and beige leather are tasteful contrasts to the particular shade of metallic grey that's the most pleasing of BMW's current hues.These are aesthetic points upon which even observers polarised by the Z4's shape can agree. Just as they would likely arrive at the same verdict after driving it home.