The BMW z4 sDrive30i is a smashing set of wheels, especially with the addition of the various M-Sport features. Acceleration is gutsy, and the balance of the car, while not perfect, is pretty close. With robust horsepower and lots of torque on tap, you'll be tempted to subdue corners rather than finesse them.
If you do, the taut suspension, grabby tires, wonderful brakes, and crisp steering, along with the quick-shifting eight-speed, should fill you with confidence. Straight-line velocity is also nothing to scoff at. This Z4 has a bit of the drag racer hiding under the hood, even with the four banger (the six-cylinder can make that run in a hair under four seconds).
The engine isn't a burbling or backfiring menace, but it can get its soundtrack on, if it's in Sport Plus and you're pushing it in manual mode.
Ragtops have long been knocked by enthusiasts for inadequate stiffness (chopping the roof off with do that), but in my experience, the Z4 was plenty firm — at times too much so, according to my passengers. A retractable hardtop would appease the purists somewhat, but I preferred the quick-collapse soft-top.
That's the good stuff. Now the bad. The Z4's natural rivals have always been the Porsche Boxster and the Mazda Miata. With the Boxster, you can spend about what the Z4 costs — or much, much more. From my point of view, the driving dynamics are far different, as the Boxster is a mid-engine sports car, while the Z4 has its motor up front where it belongs.
The Miata, meanwhile, is a relative bargain at $25-$30,000, but its no-turbo four makes just 181 horsepower.
(And for what it's worth, the BMW Z4 shares its underpinnings with the new Toyota Supra — the automakers partnered on development. The Supra is also priced in the Z4's ballpark.)
Anyone who has followed my car reviewing knows that I'm a Miata nut — and a former Miata owner (I had a first-gen car). To me, a roadster should be a low-powered sports car that's all about peppy top-down motoring, not ripping up asphalt.
In that sense, the Z4 is too much machine. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it; I did indeed. But it's a muscle roadster, and all I sampled was the four-cylinder; the six is definitely a big boy and candidly I'd struggle to get into all the horsepower on public roads.
So if I were buying, and all the Miatas had already been bought, I'd take the Z4 30i. With 255 horsepower, this car is about at the limit of what I'm seeking in a snappy little ragtop. It's also a very well-crafted set of wheels. BMW doesn't disappoint with this package.
Obviously, not the most versatile car in the world, but there are times when versatility is the enemy. And for those times, the BMW Z4 is your chariot.
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