Sure…Blind-spot warnings and all the rest of today’s electronic alerts make me feel safer behind the wheel, but here’s what else brings me comfort:
The ability to just stick my foot into it and make that tailgating goofball in the 15-year-old four door 10 feet behind me absolutely disappear.
And it doesn’t matter if it’s on a rainy night in the twisties or just flat-out on a sunny freeway, BMW’s Z4 inspires driver confidence in any and all conditions. And when you’re talking about the M version, you can almost start to believe that you finished first in your class at BMW’s Greenville-Spartanburg Driving Experience!
BMW re-designed it’s two-seat, rear-wheel-drive drop-top Z4 only a year ago, so it’s still a fresh face on the streets. As you’d imagine, the Z4 comes in two “flavors”. The base Z4 has a 254 HP twin-turbo four that’ll get you to 60 in just a hair over five seconds with pricing starting right around 50K.
The M40i, tho’, comes with BMW’s twin-turbo in-line 382 HP 3.0 liter six. 60 can come up in a mere 3.9 seconds…and it’ll stop just as well as it’ll accelerate. Pricing starts from the mid to low $60’s.
With special paint, the usual warning alerts, and a few packages like heads-up display, wireless charging, remote start, WiFi Hotspot, auto high beams and Harman Kardon surround sound, out window sticker came to $70,245.
The Z4’s 8-speed automatic comes with the usual Comfort, Eco, Adaptive and Sport settings. I’d question the above Harman Kardon sound only if you plan to make driving in “Sport” a habit. Why? You’ll probably prefer hearing the engine and exhaust in Sport. It’s a delightful barking, burbling symphony.
Surprisingly BMW’s new X4 shares major components with Toyota’s new Supra…but if you think that a genuine sports car just has to be a convertible, then the BMW is the one for you. The Supra is hard-top-only.
And speaking of that convertible top, it’ll go up and down in only 10 seconds…and it’ll do it at speeds of up to 31 MPH.
Mileage is surprisingly good for such a high-performance vehicle. The EPA rates BMW’s Z4 sDrive M40i at 24 city and 31 highway.
The Z4’s most natural competitor is probably Porsche’s Boxter. They’re both a couple of the more enjoyable two-seaters on the market. One thing that BMW brings to the party is their 3-year / 36,000 mile free service program…covering oil and filter changes, engine and cabin air filters, brake fluid and spark plugs. So if you’re one of those folks who like to lease-‘em and leave-‘em, BMW’s Z4 pretty much allows you to just add gas and GO!
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