2013 BMW Z4 Reviews

BMW Z4 has one of the purest body shapes on the road whether it's used as a closed coupe, or a top-down roadster in which to appreciate the joys of cruising in Australia.

BMW Z4 is a true roadster, with a very long bonnet, a stubby tail and seats all the way back, within a few centimetres of the rear wheels. We love the shape of this sporting little BeeEm, which has just been given a mild update with extra equipment packages.The model range for the new BMW Z4 is: Z4 sDrive 20i: $79,900 (automatic), Z4 sDrive 28i: $89,900 (automatic), Z4 sDrive 35i: $119,545 (automatic). Prices are virtually unchanged from the previous series and represent considerable savings when the added equipment is factored in.These prices aren’t likely to hold for long. Phil Horton, the MD of BMW Australia, admits they were set when the Oz dollar was close to its peak and that his company’s profits will be trimmed because of the recent drop in the dollar’s value.Upgrades for the 2014 model year include the installation of the BMW Professional satellite navigation system. There are several optional packages as BMW Australia is continuing its strategy of bundling items that had proven popular as individual features. The Design Pure Balance package includes sport seats, wood trim and leather upholstery to the seats.The M Sport Package is offered for the four-cylinder models and includes 18-inch alloys, sports seats, aluminium and carbon fibre interior trim, a leather steering wheel, M sport suspension, and an aerodynamics package.Finally, the new Design Pure Traction package, available across the range, features sports seats, Alcantara/leather upholstery, interior trim finishers in ‘metal weave’ design and an individual roof-liner in Anthracite trim.Styling changes to the body of the latest Z4 are minimal, with the headlights now having DRLs (Daytime Running Lights) running rings around the quad headlights; there are metal arches over the lights and more chrome around the front blinkers. Reshaping of the side ‘gills’ gives a tapered effect. New paint colours complete the picture.Inside the cosy cockpit a bolder effect has been achieved by using piano-black in several key locations, as well as mild revisions in style.Engines are all turbo-petrol units; choices are 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol in two stages of tune, 135kW and 180kW, and a 3.0-litre six-cylinder with a rip snorting 250kW. A big change from the previous BMW Z4 is the use of an eight-speed automatic transmission with the four-cylinder engines. The six has a dual-clutch seven-speed unit.During our road testing we fell in love with the 180 kW four-cylinder unit as mated to the new eight speed automatic transmission. It provides almost as much performance as the six-cylinder and its lighter weight adds to the already good agility of the Z4 in the twisty bits.Then again, the lower powered four-cylinder costs significantly less and still gives good push in the back. And when we floored the pedal in the six-cylinder model the smoothness and ease of acceleration was exhilarating. As you may have gathered, I couldn't quite make up my mind...On the road, the Z4 continues to be an excitement machine, with excellent chassis balance, huge levels of grip in corners and the ability to answer to steering and throttle inputs in a pure sports manner. Anyone who doesn’t come off a drive in the Z4 on mountainous roads with a big smile on their face hasn’t been trying hard enough.On the downside, there’s a lot of tyre noise on coarse-chip bitumen, to the extent that conversation can be difficult even when the roof is closed. Noise that, frankly, became rather wearing after an hour of cruising on sub-standard roads.As seems to be the norm at a media launch of any open top car, it rained on our parade; fortunately not to the extent of curtailing our driving pleasure for too long. In any case it gave us the opportunity to test the sealing of the folding hardtop. Which was, no surprises here, excellent.

BMW introduced the current generation Z4 quite a few years ago now and they have moved to keep the Z4 pot boiling with a Gen II version of the classically styled two seater.Kick off point for the latest line-up is the Z4 sDrive20i at $79,900, with extra features adding up to as much as $9000 additional value compared with the previous Z4. The updated version now features an eight speed automatic transmission with paddle shift as standard in the two four cylinder variants along with launch control.Also included this time around is BMW’s ConnectedDrive system that is filtering through the entire BMW line-up featuring an 8.8-inch hi-res screen. It networks features such as the internet, music interface with a smart phone, telephony, voice control and navigation among other things.The optional packages, give a different take on Z4 ranging from classy to lairy and sporty. Possibly the most popular will be the M Sport with 18-inch light-alloy wheels and an aerodynamics package with large air intakes in the front and a rear bumper inlay painted Anthracite metallic. Something similarly sporty applies inside. The brutally quick Z4 sDrive35is has a version of the M Sport package as standard -- with 19-inch alloys.Drivers will no doubt appreciate the standard-fitted Driving Experience Control to select a configuration to suit the situation at hand and satisfy personal preferences. COMFORT, SPORT and SPORT+ modes can all be called up using the rocker switch on the centre console. As well as adjusting the responses of the engine and DSC stability system, the different modes also alter the shift characteristics of the automatic gearbox, the responses of the Servotronic function and the mapping of the electronically controlled dampers, if these items are specified. These modes allow the driver to choose from a selection of distinctive and clearly differentiated set-ups for the car. Other items of equipment fitted as standard are xenon headlights, air conditioning, a heated glass rear window, the Soft Close Automatic function for the boot lid and run flat tyres with a run-flat indicator.The new Z4 is slightly tweaked externally and cosmetically inside and is a hardtop-only these days, with a two piece lid that takes a scant 19 seconds to deploy at speeds up to about 40kmh. You’d be hard pressed to pick the exterior changes but Z4 has reshaped headlights with a reflective strip along the top edge, family bixenon headlights with white LED corona ring driving lights and an elongated kidney grille.A variety of paint finishes includes a stunning metallic orange called Valencia Orange and a number of interior packages are available to virtually customise the car's passenger compartment including Traction, Balance and M Sport.The three model local range consists of the Z4 sDrive20i, Z4 sDrive28i and the Z4 sDrive35is, all petrol turbos with four cylinders for the first two and a 3.0-litre straight six twin turbo in the latter. The 20i is good for 135kW/270Nm, a 6.9 second 0-100kmh sprint and 6.8-litres/100km.The 28i (same engine in different state of tune) is good for 180kW/350Nm, 5.5-seconds and 6.8-litres/100km. The fabulous 35is is good for 250kW/450Nm (500 on over boost), 4.8 seconds and 9.0-litres/100km. All pass EU6 emissions regulations and feature TwinPower technology _ direct injection, variable valve timing and lift and twin scroll turbocharging on the four bangers.We drove all three variants in sunny Queensland and to be honest, would be entirely satisfied with the entry 20i model. It has superb dynamics and plenty of punch for those legendary mountain road drives on a crisp Sunday morning. No matter which dynamic system you single out, the Z4 will not be found lacking.The 28 is a quicker and more engaging device because it has a lot more mumbo under the bonnet and is probably going to be the biggest seller. The 35i is a Boxster competitor with the required exhaust not and brutal acceleration but you have to concentrate harder as a result which can detract from the drive. The car looks sensational and we really liked the Traction package fitted to one drive car complete with orange leather inserts in the seats and dash.In terms of performance, the Z4 was and always has been a crackin' good drive regardless of the engine or transmission. High levels of driver engagement and sharp responses have been a hallmark of the model since way back.