Drove Z4 M
#21
Originally Posted by steve c,Mar 20 2006, 12:47 PM
Not post pointless threads. 10 minutes with a sales person in a car that is not even broken in is a pointless thread. You might as well give us your driving impressions after just sitting in it for 3 minutes because it will have about as much value. Jumping to conclusions based on this limited experience as to things like how the car handles is a total joke.
The guy prefaced his post with a disclaimer that he couldn't test the full potential of the engine and he made no claims that he was going to offer us a complete, detailed review. He was merely posting his experience with a new car that a lot of people are curious about. Go buy Car & Driver if you want to read unfettered praise of the MZ4 (or any car).
#22
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Originally Posted by Zangerzone,Mar 20 2006, 03:52 PM
Does this happen after you let them run a credit check? I only have one BMW dealership near me and the BMW plant is only 10 minutes from where I live. The last 3x I have been at the dealership, they want to run a credit check before letting me test drive a car. I have not been back there since. This was in 2001.
#23
The guy prefaced his post with a disclaimer that he couldn't test the full potential of the engine and he made no claims that he was going to offer us a complete, detailed review.
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A new car's suspension doesn't have to "break in." I drove the car on narrow winding road with tight corners. 1st gear and second gear curves. I tested the responsiveness of the steering by moving he steering wheel left and right. My comments were qualified and limitted, but relevant.
The steering is communicative. Don't need to go 150 mph to tell you that.
Stability control doesn't kick in prematurely like in the regular Z4. Don't have to go 150 mph to tell you that either.
Yes, in first gear under 4K there is enough torque to throttle steer.
I have a suggestion for Steve C, if a discussion doesn't interest you, go back to the rock you crawled out of and leave it to the rest of us to participate in without your hostility.
The steering is communicative. Don't need to go 150 mph to tell you that.
Stability control doesn't kick in prematurely like in the regular Z4. Don't have to go 150 mph to tell you that either.
Yes, in first gear under 4K there is enough torque to throttle steer.
I have a suggestion for Steve C, if a discussion doesn't interest you, go back to the rock you crawled out of and leave it to the rest of us to participate in without your hostility.
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It sounds like his mini review was fair. He was compairing the feel and response of 2 cars driven at similar speeds. Heck, his review of the stereo and the roominess, which comprised of about half of his review, didn't even require that he drive the car.
#28
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A guy gives some subjective thoughts about the Z4, granted with little seat time and limits on pushing the engine but a decent review for what it was....
Yet we have people saying it was a useless thread. The funny thing is all these individuals who find the thread useless and still post..what does that say about their posts...
Yes you are right just as useless....
Yet we have people saying it was a useless thread. The funny thing is all these individuals who find the thread useless and still post..what does that say about their posts...
Yes you are right just as useless....
#29
I'm sorry, but how about some more driving impressions instead of aruing if it's a worthy post or not? Who cares, this is about first impressions of the MZ4, just like most of the car articles. Isn't this why we read these posts?
I just recently sold my S2000 and am now looking for a replacement.
Drove the MZ4 today:
Good: The sounds system rocked, definately wouldn't need to upgrade at all or for a while. The S54 engine is amazing, plenty of torque and power. This car moves, recklessly fast, feel like you can outrun anything. M tcs/differential/electronics really keep you out of trouble. Couple of times when trying to accelerate out of turns, the backend would come a bit loose and then correct itself. I've done this a couple of times in my S2000, but I think due to the electronic pedal in the M that this happened easily, just a different pedal feedback. Excellent brakes, the car really stops when needed. Steering is precise, suspension feels tight/well tuned.
Bad: Aggresive styling still isn't perfect. Just something about it I'm not completely sold on. A head turner i guess, still looks similar to the regular Z4, but not much of an "exotic" look to it. As technically sound the engineering is, it's hard to explain but I just don't feel one with the car. I'm used to driving my S2000 and the NSX several times, and the visibility of the MZ4 is uncomfortable. It feels more like I'm always looking at the dash instead of the road, it just feels like it sits on your chest. I couldn't get the seating just right, they were supportive but felt to low poor visibility and not comfy/plush enough. The seats are nice, but feel like they were meant for a different car and not a bucket seat feel.
It's new, has a ton of power, excellent electronics to keep you safe, but for me at least, I'm going to pass. I really wanted to 'love' it and buy a new car, but I can't do it. I'll take a look at other two seater converts/targa tops. I guess coming from the S2000, the MZ4 is just such a diiferent driving experience that I can't find a comfort zone with it, maybe I just need more seat time. The one thing keeping me from the Porsche is the (over)price, that and I think the interior is bland, reminds me of the SLK350. I feel I'd be happier with a 'dated' NSX with stereo system upgrades and nice wheels. It's a classic if not now will be 5-10 years later when I still own it.
I just recently sold my S2000 and am now looking for a replacement.
Drove the MZ4 today:
Good: The sounds system rocked, definately wouldn't need to upgrade at all or for a while. The S54 engine is amazing, plenty of torque and power. This car moves, recklessly fast, feel like you can outrun anything. M tcs/differential/electronics really keep you out of trouble. Couple of times when trying to accelerate out of turns, the backend would come a bit loose and then correct itself. I've done this a couple of times in my S2000, but I think due to the electronic pedal in the M that this happened easily, just a different pedal feedback. Excellent brakes, the car really stops when needed. Steering is precise, suspension feels tight/well tuned.
Bad: Aggresive styling still isn't perfect. Just something about it I'm not completely sold on. A head turner i guess, still looks similar to the regular Z4, but not much of an "exotic" look to it. As technically sound the engineering is, it's hard to explain but I just don't feel one with the car. I'm used to driving my S2000 and the NSX several times, and the visibility of the MZ4 is uncomfortable. It feels more like I'm always looking at the dash instead of the road, it just feels like it sits on your chest. I couldn't get the seating just right, they were supportive but felt to low poor visibility and not comfy/plush enough. The seats are nice, but feel like they were meant for a different car and not a bucket seat feel.
It's new, has a ton of power, excellent electronics to keep you safe, but for me at least, I'm going to pass. I really wanted to 'love' it and buy a new car, but I can't do it. I'll take a look at other two seater converts/targa tops. I guess coming from the S2000, the MZ4 is just such a diiferent driving experience that I can't find a comfort zone with it, maybe I just need more seat time. The one thing keeping me from the Porsche is the (over)price, that and I think the interior is bland, reminds me of the SLK350. I feel I'd be happier with a 'dated' NSX with stereo system upgrades and nice wheels. It's a classic if not now will be 5-10 years later when I still own it.
#30
Originally Posted by no_really,Mar 21 2006, 12:25 AM
while I do agree that you CAN tell alot about a car just by taking it on a test drive, I would also agree with stevec about the really useless nature of a thread based on one guy's short test drive. Not that the test drive is useless for you, just that even after half an hour in a Miata on a test drive, I don't think I could do any more than tell someone the smae things they could determine on their own drive, excepot that my impressions of the Miata are certainly going to be different than someone else's, especially if that someone else actually fits in the car. So I don't start thread about my Miata test drive. It was useful to me, but unless I actually owned one, I don't think it qualifies me to comment on the car other than on the most obvious aspects.
It does get old when people jump all over passing comments based on the short time SOMEONE else spent with the car. The THREAD can be useless, regardless of the quality of the original post.
I don't have a problem with someone posting their impressions of interesting cars after a test drive, however. I found yours to be fair and informative, not "useless," but still, not much more than a cursory review. Enough to make me want to drive one, however
It does get old when people jump all over passing comments based on the short time SOMEONE else spent with the car. The THREAD can be useless, regardless of the quality of the original post.
I don't have a problem with someone posting their impressions of interesting cars after a test drive, however. I found yours to be fair and informative, not "useless," but still, not much more than a cursory review. Enough to make me want to drive one, however
In the end, the only way one can fully appreciate any car is to drive it themselves since there's no such thing as an unbiased report (whether it's a forum member, magazine reviewer, or your best friend doing the reporting).