i had a chance to check out my friend's z4 today. initially i was excited when he pulled up, but after spending a half hour driving and checking out the car from bumper to bumper and inside out, i was left feeling underwhelmed. from the photo's i've seen in magazines and from articles i've read on the car, i was expecting a vehicle that is superb in finish and exhilarating to drive. i won't comment much on the exterior cuz it's one of those designs that either you love it or you hate it. i personally don't think it's too bad of a design as long as you get it in silver or white. the car looks extremely bad in black cuz for some reason it makes it look like an unfinished prototype, especially from the back. i applaud bmw for being a little gutsy with their design, but i'm one who feels a car's design should compliment and/or enhance the purpose of the car, and with the z4 design, i find the styling to be distracting from the car's purpose...if it even has one to begin with... as for the interior, i was extremely disappointed. the general design is fine, but it is the quality of material they used that makes the interior look cheap. bottom line: too much poor quality plastic. if someone was to present me with the dash alone and tells me that it is from a chevy, i would probably believe them. and not only does everything in the interior look cheap, but they also feel cheap--from the door handle, to the seats, to the steering wheel, to the shifter, etc. even though i was never much a fan of the z3's interior, it at least has a "bmw quality" to it. this new interior gives the impression that one of bmw's main objective is the same as that of nissan, which is to cut cost where ever possible. as for my driving impression, i found the car to be somewhat sluggish for a car that size. i understand the motor is only a 2.5 but i've driven a 525 wagon before and the motor in that car felt more brisk. maybe it just needs to be broken in. as for the suspension, i felt if was too soft for any serious spirited driving. the suspension overall was on the soft side, and for some reason, the ride on this particular z4 has a bounce to it. i didn't get to drive it too hard, but i can just sense lots of squats, dives, and body rolls. all in all, the car is fine if you are looking for a "stylish" roadster with a prestigious badge for crusing around. i definitely don't feel the car is worth its price though (which i believe to be in the ballpark of $35K+ for a 2.5), but then again, all bmw's to me are overpriced. even though i didn't like this particular z4 i checked out today, i'm sure i'd feel differently if and when i can get my hands on a 3.0 with the sports package...but then again, that car will cost somewhere in the ballpark of $40K+, which is a helluva lot of doe for a simple roadster.

 

Most disappointing thing for me driving the Z4 was the shifter. It was short, loose, and vague, like yanking on a wet noodle.

The Z4 was raced on the Trans Am series and was very competitive. Where are the S2000's?!

 

"the interior looks really poor much in the lines of the 350z and the g35 coupe. very nissan like"

Yeah because Honda is known for it's high quality interior design and materials... Listen if you want to talk about poor interior Have You Driven A Ford Lately?

 

The more I see of the Z4, the more I like it. I saw one in a dark red and it looked nice. I sat in the interior and I thought it was a quantum leap over my friends M Roadster. That being said I will definately wait for a more agresive looking, and infinately more powerful M version before I buy. God, please put 350-400 hp in it (even 333 hp is becoming underpowered these days).

 

"i found the car to be somewhat sluggish for a car that size. i understand the motor is only a 2.5 but i've driven a 525 wagon before and the motor in that car felt more brisk."

This kinda brings up a long-standing question I've had. How come the newer 2.5 motor (I think it came out when they started selling the 323's in '97 or '98) is rated at only 174 h.p. or so. The older 2.5 installed in the earlier E36 was rated at 189 h.p., and it did not have the double vanos that today's 2.5 has. So why the lower rating for the newer motor of the same displacement with variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust??? I dunno. I've driven an E36 325 (I think it was a '93) and an E46 325 (I think it was a 2002). The motor in the E36 felt spirited and quick, whereas the motor in the E46 felt overly refined and lazy. Can anyone shed some light on why the 2.5 has lost power as it has evolved? Are emissions controls to blame?

 

I had a chance to drive a 3.0, and overall I liked it. The hood seems huge from inside compared to the S2000, but I liked the steeply raked windshield. It seemed about as fast as the S2000, but with a little more low-rpm punch. The interior may not be BMW's finest, but it's still above average. The shifter doesn't have that confident "notchiness" that the S2000 has, and the clutch is for pansies.

Just my .02

 

I'll go ahead and be bold and politically incorrect by saying....


ITS FUGLY!!!

I'm sorry but every time I see one on the road I instintively CRINGE. It's gross proportions and brutal lines cause me to have to consciously control my bowels every time.

I'd be embarrased to be seen in one.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Now let me tell you how I REALLY feel.

 

The S2000 reminds me of a shark and the z4 reminds me of a carp!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by bjohnston
[B]This kinda brings up a long-standing question I've had.

 

the z4 is one the best cars iv driven, i dont know what all you are talking about. The interior is on the same lines of a 350z??!!! Ok buddy