[1stKnight]

My new car! (pre-mid-life crisis toy?)

After much deliberation, I decided to change my perfectly wonderful E92 335i SE for a Z4 Roadster.
My initial thoughts were aimed directly at the 3.0si – perhaps even the 2.5si – as on paper they made the best commuting sense to me albeit my daily commute isn’t very much at circa 50 miles round trip over various roads but very rarely in congested traffic due to the hours I choose to commute in.

Having previously owned a Z4 – a 2.2i SE – I was very eager to get back into the car I loved the most but had to give up due to my having to collect my kids from school. That has now changed as we have moved house and schools and my wife and I found ourselves in the happy position of being able to consider a Roadster again.

Given that I have since owned an E46 330cd convertible with DMS remap making approx. 260bhp and 500Nm and the 335i with SSTT chip at 346bhp and 490Nm, there was always the concern that a lesser powered car would fail to satisfy albeit I have been talking myself into less power for months now on the grounds that I don’t really use nor need it!

My first port of call was a very nice Z4 3.0si M Sport that I test drove and found very good indeed. I noticed two negatives only: the ride was much firmer than my 335i and the power was, indeed, quite a bit less – especially in the midrange. However, I liked the car very much and pressed on with working out a deal to buy it. However, during the haggling process, I discovered that in today’s used car climate, I could get a Z4M for similar money. This led me to searching for every review on the Z4M I could and absorbing the contents thereof with much interest. I also subscribed to various forums and asked about the car from the friendly BMW-owners community.

My findings were positive and I preferred the looks of the Z4M but I was worried about the alleged heavy clutch and notchy throttle – indeed, Clarkson’s stalling of the car during his test had me concerned that my wife would hate it. As it happened, I chose a car 90 miles from where I live and did the deal without seeing or driving it! After a loooooooooooooooong week, the car, my toy, was delivered to my workplace…at 3pm on Friday afternoon, my Silver Grey with Champagne leather Z4M, Feb 08 on a ’57 plate with 3300 miles, Satnav Pro, HiFi DSP, Bluetooth, Heated Seats and a host of other options, arrived.

My first impression was how fantastic the car looked; equally as good-looking as my 335i but preferable to me as I like small, sporty cars. At idle, both cars sounded great! A thorough look around the car revealed that it was spotless, no scratches, scuffs or even swirl marks. After concluding the deal, seeing my faithful 335i depart and not being able to work anymore, I decided to go home - via an extended route.
I immediately noticed that my fears regarding the clutch and throttle response were groundless, the Z4M is no worse than my manual 335i was and therefore something I am very used to; no probs for my wife to drive then. Next was power…the car delivers it quite differently from the 335i and needs more work with the power band being so high up the rev range. The 335i’s power was so effortlessly available from low down. Still, acceleration from a standstill felt quicker than the standard 335i and more comparable to the 335i with SSTT. The major difference here being that my modified 335i struggled on anything but perfectly smooth roads to get the power down. The Z4M clearly has no such hang ups and delivers with perfect assuredness all the time. M-diff? With the roof down, absorbing the sun’s rays, the engine note is sublime. I actually laughed out loud I was so happy. Next up was handling. I approached a very tight series of S-bends near my home and I was duly blown away by the grip and cornering ability. Power aside, the way this car handles is worth the price of admission alone! I have never driven anything like it. I do believe I understand why the M drivers feel cars like the 335i cannot, in standard form, be truly compared to the M3 – E46 or E92 – based on outright speed alone because the M’s handling is so very much better and takes the experience to a whole new level!
My final comparison was comfort and, again, I can hardly tell any difference between the 335i and the Z4M. I would say the E92 is more comfortable ultimately but not amazingly so. Indeed, I hadn’t noticed a significant difference but my wife mentioned on a later drive last night that as a passenger, the Z4M might be slightly less comfortable – albeit she much preferred the sports seats in the M.

All said, I am very pleased with my new toy and do believe it was the right decision – a very good car indeed!

[Turbo Power]

Congratulations on the new car
Excellent car and great choice of colour too enjoy.

[CD]

looks awesome ... those quad exhausts look very mean ! I like the colour too, suits it (would look better in black dont worry im biased )

enjoy , lets hope for a nice dry spell for you !

hmm, i wish i had a garage (that i could get my car in )

[CD]

Originally Posted by 1stKnight

I actually laughed out loud I was so happy!

phew, i thought i was slowely going insane ... glad im not the only one who does this when driving

[yashBMW]

i really love your car
amazing combo
dont change anything
best of luck

[uhn2000]

Sweet ride. Congrats.

[JoeyFiasco]

it's a beaut man, I'm sure I don't have to tell you to enjoy it.

[misterS3]

Lovely car - hope summer arrives soon for you. Although saying that it is sunny in Glasgow today!!

[dxb335d]

Nice one mate

[peterg1965]

Looks fantastic, love the colour combo. Enjoy!

[mikem]

Looks great the Champagne and Silver Grey is quite unusual.

[beemerbird]

Good write up and glad you've gone with your heart. I do like the exterior colour, and I really like that champagne interior contrasting with the black.

From the pics. the car looks neat and compact if that makes sense.

Lovely car and I hope you thoroughly enjoy it.

[1stKnight]

Thanks everyone!

I've done a couple of drives today in the sun and it is phenomenal.

My wife drove it for 17 miles and decided to floor it on a newly-laid section of road and I've now got a number of tiny chips on the rear bumper and boot lid to sort out but them's the breaks I guess. I didn't display my annoyance to my wife as she was having such a good time. I've touched them all in and it looks a lot better but I know its not perfect so I'll be getting it repaired properly soon.

I'm looking forward to more sun tomorrow hopefully.

[encee]

Very nice mate; lovely motor !

[Snooky]

Beautiful car mate!

I would be interested to know what you got for your manual 335i. I'm not planning on changing (I love the E92 335i) but have seen a Z4M Coupe in Bronze that I would love!!

If you feel like sharing the info then send me a PM

[Porscha!]

Love it

Proper car yay! Fun round the twisties and will do MWay no bother.

Have fun and remember roof down motoring at all times

[tisme]

Looks very good indeed, especially the contrasting cream and black inside. Well done.

[mgarvey]

Great car mate - hope you enjoy it!

[330cdsport]

You are a lucky man!! What a lovely car. The champagne leather is a great colour.

[adamaster]

looks awesome

[Z4 Beemer]

What a terrific colour combo - congrats. I too owned a 2.2i Z4 before the 325i coupe, and know exactly what you mean about being "small and sporty". I'm eagerly waiting to see what the new Z4 looks like - rumoured to be launched at the start of 2009 with a choice of soft or hard top - I think production of the existing Z4 has now actually stopped. With the 3.0i twin turbo in the new Z4 it will be a fantastic roadster.

[spandeli]

I have always been a roadster owner and fun until my last move for the E92.

As soon as i saw the first Z4, my first impression was.. Hey... BMW has built a S2000 wannabe.. I remember also an aussie car magazine, some 12 years ago, that was having a Z3 preview, and was saying as a hedline that BMW builts an MX-5

I must say that i was about to get a Z4 as well, before my wife pushed me into skiping the roadster idea and get into something bigger with rear seats, as maybe it was time to have some kids

I must say that i haven't regret getting my coupe, but whenever i see a Z4, specially in white...im like

Nice colour combo mate