BMW Z4 Roadster : ZED MASTER

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There's long been a suspicion that BMW had a truly great roadster somewhere in its locker. Could the latest Z4 be it? Steve Walker takes a look.

BMW is rightly proud of the handling and performance attributes it instils its cars with. Products bearing the famous blue and white roundel set the standard for driving dynamics in sectors across the marketplace so you'd bet that BMW's open-topped sportscar would be a nailed-on winner. The roadster is the driver's car in its purest form and would appear to be the perfect vehicle to showcase the German marque's particular blend of talents but the Z4 hasn't always had things its own way against some adept competitors. The latest model sets out to put that right.

BMW is never shy about reminding anyone who'll listen that it builds `The Ultimate Driving Machine'. It's quite a boast and one that can only deepen the resolve of rival brands in their efforts to knock the boys from Munich off their self-proclaimed perch. Such competition can only mean more exciting cars for us because if BMW's bullish promotional claims are to continue holding water, its products need to stay ahead of the pack. The desire to do exactly that is evident in the latest Z4 Roadster, a sports car that aims to raise the bar in a number of key areas. BMW's engines rarely leave much room for disappointment and the Z4 has a mouth-watering line-up at its disposal. The three six-cylinder options open with a 2.5-litre 204bhp unit and even at this level Z4 owners will be able to experience the far side of 60mph just 6.6s after a standing start. Next comes the 258bhp 3.0-litre engine which is capable of a 5.8s 0-60mph sprint and the twin-turbo range topper which gets 306bhp and a 5.2s sprint from its 3.0-litre capacity. All Z4 models get a six-speed manual gearbox as standard but there are also a couple of automatic options. The 2.5 and 3.0 units get a six-speed auto with wheel-mounted paddle shifters that blunts 0-60mph performance slightly, while the twin-turbo 3.0-litre engine can be specified with a seven-speed twin clutch transmission so slick it actually improves the 0-60mph blast to just 5.1s.

"Roadsters are all about the thrill of driving and so you'd expect BMW's take on the genre to be near the state of the art."

Marshalling the Z4's prodigious shove is BMW's Drive Dynamic Control technology which gives the driver the option of adjusting various aspects of the car's set-up. How much scope for meddling there is depends on the specification of the car but the potential is there for everything from ride comfort levels and the Dynamic Stability Control system to throttle response, steering feel and gear shift patterns to be tweaked. The suspension adjustment becomes available when the Adaptive M Suspension option is specified and this opens up three different configurations, the sportiest of which lowers the ride height by 10mm. The Z4's roof will get almost as much attention as the contents of its engine bay because, following the lead of the BMW 3-Series Convertible, it's made out of metal. BMW has set out to disprove the school of thought that says folding hard-top roofs are a bad idea in focused sports cars with a light weight electro-hydraulic arrangement that can be raised or lowered in 20 seconds. The need to make space to stow a great slab of ironwork to keep the rain out can deal a fatal blow to the styling of a convertible, particularly a compact two-seater like the Z4 but BMW's designers appear to have avoided this. The tell tail distended rear end isn't in evidence and roof up or roof down, the Z4 looks taught and well-proportioned. The bulging rear haunches hint at the car's potency while the subtle cutaways down the flanks make it a sleeker proposition than its angular predecessor. At the front, the wide grill and stretched headlamps also help make this the most conventionally attractive Z4 yet. The car is bigger than the model is replaced which helped it manage the inclusion of a folding metal roof so seamlessly. At 4,239mm, the length is up 148mm and the 1,790mm width is a 9mm increase. This has yielded more space inside as well as the extra capacity out back to drop that roof into. Headroom with the canopy raised is 44mm better than in the old Z4, there's 43mm more elbow room and shoulder room is enhanced by 20mm. The boot is a useful 310 litres with the roof up but shrinks to 180 litres when it's folded. This is supplemented by a 15.5-litre interior storage area behind the seats. An optional hatch between the seats will allow longer items to be poked through into the cabin if necessary. BMW's model naming policy for the Z4 requires a little explanation. All models are badged sDrive and as is often the case with the marque's products, the numerical designations appear to correspond to engine size but don't. The base model is the Z4 sDrive23i and has the 2.5-litre engine then comes the sDrive30i with the 3.0-litre unit and the sDrive35i with the twin-turbo 3.0-litre power option. The infamous iDrive control system is found on the Z4 for the first time but in its latest guise, it's massively more user-friendly than when it first appeared all those years ago on the 7-Series. Back then the process of changing radio station would have reduced a Krypton Factor finalist to a blubbering wreck, now the iDrive joystick is supplemented by buttons to give fast access to the key functions. The more advanced features offered include a 12 gigabyte music storage system and BMW's Professional Multimedia Navigation system. These days even barnstorming sports cars need to keep running costs in check while treating the environment with kid gloves. The Z4 does a better job of this than you'd credit for a car in such a lofty performance bracket, mainly thanks the BMW's EfficientDynamics programme. This takes the form of a collection of innovations which improve a car's efficiency. There's Brake Energy Regeneration, low rolling resistance tyres, light weight design and optimal gear shift indicator lights. The results include creditable fuel economy figures of over 33mpg for the sDrive23i and sDrive30i models with 199g/km CO2 emissions. The sDrive 35i returns 30mpg and 219g/km. In all cases, fitment of an automatic gearbox fractionally improves economy and cuts CO2 output. Roadsters are all about the thrill of driving and so you'd expect BMW's take on the genre to be near the state of the art. The German marque understands how to install a big stupid grin across the chops of a keen driver better than most and the latest Z4 promises to showcase that know-how in some style. Great engines, a cleverly integrated folding hard-top, an advanced double clutch gearbox option and low running costs courtesy of EfficientDynamics all bode well for the future. BMW won't have everything its own way with some highly talented rivals competing in the market for premium two-seater convertibles. The hope is that the technological innovations on the latest Z4 wows buyers while the pretty but purposeful styling seals the deal. Whatever the outcome, this is one Z that'll be very hard to catch.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: BMW Z4 Roadster
PRICES: £28,650 - £37,065 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 17-18
CO2 EMISSIONS: 199-219g/km
PERFORMANCE: [sDrive30i] Max Speed 155mph/ 0-60mph 5.8s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [sDrive30i] (Combined) 30mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS with EBD, DSC [est] WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE? Length/Width/Heightmm 4239/1790/1291