How to get the most from a 35IS test drive?

huytonman · Post by **huytonman** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 3:40 pm

Ive had a facelift S2000 and countless Boxster-S's, in most regards my 35iS is superior to the S2000 (as it should be), yes its bigger and heavier but its prefers to keep all four wheels pointing in the same direction unless you provoke it to do otherwise (my S2000 on the other had preferred rear and front to travel in different directions..great fun if wanted but not when the missus was driving). The N54 engine and DCT box are both gems and are the highlights of the Z4 for me, its also more comfortable but dont expect S2000 reliability..you wont get it. The Porsche is a better car to drive (ive had all iterations apart from the latest 4 cylinder job) - the only place where the Z4 is better for me is comfort, Im 6'2" and all Boxsters are a tight fit with not very comfortable seats so after two hours drive I was usually crippled, not so the Z4. Reliability wise every Porsche Ive owned was bullet proof so getting the Z4 has been a bit of an awakening for me - BUT they cost a lot more to maintain and to own which is the reason I jumped ship earlier this year. Horses for courses etc..but as for the test drive, as suggested put the transmission into sport mode and take over the shifting with manual override, if the roads are smooth put it into Sport mode (if not smooth dont bother) - if its on run flats you wont be impressed by the handling but this is easily addressed to a large degree by switching tyres (and in my case wheel size from 19" to 18"), it then handles fine but unlike the Boxster that gets more secure as you push it and increase speed (within reason), I find the Z4 gets nervous and doesnt instill anything like the same degree of confidence for me, it does understeer more but keep it in Sport and keep the throttle open and it becomes much more neutral. I dont intend to come across as negative, I really like the 35iS and would buy one again it suits me for most of the time.
Keith

tomscott · Post by **tomscott** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 4:05 pm

Bought my first BMW from Peter Vardy and they were great to deal with much better than our local lloyds. At the time I was living in Cumbria so a decent distance up to Edinburgh.

The 35IS is an interesting one, the adaptive sus is a game changer and a horror story in one. Great when it works and expensive to fix when it doesnt.

I took a 35i out for a test drive and loved it, me and the GF do a lot of motorway miles now and this would be great to drive up and down the motorway to see friends and family but the depreciation worries me.

Looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

gwatson · Post by **gwatson** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 4:19 pm

I viewed and test drove the car at lunchtime today. It was a short route as I was pushed for time, mostly urban 40mph stuff, with a few miles of national speed limit. Not a great test drive, but they offered the car for a few hours on Sat if I want to take it out myself. I drove in sport mode all the time, mix of auto and manual modes, roof down all the way of course. Didn’t get to test the handling on the limit, but felt great on roundabouts and B road, no signs of roll anyway and plenty of neutral grip.

So Initial thoughts:

Positives:
DCT gearbox, really quick changes as you’d expect, yet super smooth in auto mode.
Ride was surprisingly very good, even in sport mode. It had Bridgestone RFT’s. Really shocked by this.
Loved the throttle blips and “farts” between changes, although quite quiet though.
Steering is nice and direct.
Interior, great place compared to the E85. Seats are also much more supportive than they look.
Drives like a naturally aspirated , no turbo lag to speak of.
Excellent performance, plenty quick!

Negatives:
Engine is far too quiet, no induction noise at all.
Exhaust is also too quiet, is 35is really 10db louder? 35i must be whisper quiet.
Really poor traction on damp roads
DCT whilst brilliant, it’s almost too good. Unlike the in the Golf R (my only other comparison of a dual clutch setup) the 35is gearbox just didn’t beg to be played with. Didn’t make much difference if in 5th or 3rd, was so quiet a times I didn’t know what gear I was in. Car seemed to suit auto mode more. Now point it down a B road I’m sure that would change.
Car doesn’t have much presence, not really a head turner, perhaps because the paint on this example was really flat, lost all its shine.

Great car though and very much reminded me of my first 3.0i back in 2005. However, it definitely lacks the sparkle and personality of the ///M. A great all-rounder, but not what I’m looking for I’m sad to report. The S2000 is so much more engaging and exciting to drive come the weekend. Some aspects pleasantly surprised me, the ride and seats, the noise was a complete disappointment though. I guess it’s exactly what I thought it would be, but I had optimistically thought it may have been closer to a ///M than a std model, in reality it’s the other way round. BMW missed the mark, but many wil argue they did with the E85/86. The ///M was flawed, much like the S2000 in many way, but that's what I loved about it, character!!

However, both my S2000 and Z4M had aftermarket exhausts and intakes. So I wonder if the Z4 35i is a better starting point and for a Eisenmann Race exhaust to liven things up. Is an intake possible? Not sure though….. would probably need a LSD too, then ARB’s….. expensive route to go down.

For now, I won't waste the guys time by test driving on Sat. Really happy to stick with my S2000 and get saving for something else. There really is nothing appealing in the £15k to £30k price bracket.

Nice car though if you're in the market, front bumper has some road rash as to be expected and a little on the side skirts. A little wear on the drivers bolster too, paint was very flat too as I mentioned, but easily sorted I'm sure. £25k is a lot of money though for what it represents! I just couldn't though, especially knowing it's still dropping at least £3k each year. At £15k they start to make sense and you can tinker .

tomscott · Post by **tomscott** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 4:58 pm

Did you have the roof down or up?

I was amazed how loud the 35i was compared to my Z4M coupe. Obviously with the roof in the coupe you dont get the noise like the roady but more induction noise but I was pleasantly surprised with the exhaust note of the 35i. With it being a turbo you arent going to get the NA induction noise although you can here the turbo spooling. Same with the exhaust 90 of FI cars sound pap. Look at the M3/4 awful exhaust note.

gwatson · Post by **gwatson** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 5:06 pm

Roof was down yeah.

I'm sure it would get louder once properly warmed up and driven hard, but it really was very quiet, even on initial start-up. That said, it does have lovely tone and nice deep bass noise to it.

Whilst I normally deplore that fake cabin noises, the 35IS is crying out for it. M135i sounds a lot better!

john-e89 · Post by **john-e89** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 5:31 pm

The 35is came with Bridgestone run flats OP so you would be driving it at its worse. They're so much better on non run flats, different car altogether. Run flats are frankly awful in comparison.

Turbo's naturally damp sound on the exhaust side, I'm sure an aftermarket system would solve your issue, I'm not sure if you can get a modified air pipe or 'dump valve' if that floats your boat but there's probably something out there to sort some induction noise.

Z4M-2006 · Post by **Z4M-2006** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 5:32 pm

Good that you drove it....

Im suprised the exhaust was quiet,Mine wasnt,much louder than the m car in standard trim. That said,i had the flap in the exhaust defaulted to "open" all the time...

DCT,it does get a bit of getting used to.... Around town at 40 mph isnt the place to do it,it becomes second nature after a few weeks and paddle shifting is a doddle...

Traction will be tyres.... RFT's are too hard and grip is crap. Normal tyres are better,but remember what kind of torque the 35is has,it will spin up the wheels no bother whatever tyres you have..

You can get a lot of induction mods for the N54.....if you want to go down that route..

£25k is a lot of cash though... I wouldnt want that ampunt of money in one...

gwatson · Post by **gwatson** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 7:40 pm

Fair point on the run flats, I've had 12 or 13 BMW's and always the first thing I remove, both for ride and grip. I'm sure a set of 18" Michelin PS4's would help a lot. But that wasn't my issue today, it was the lack of noise, drama and theatrics.

Golf tee exhaust could help too.

Whilst I was at the dealership, a F Type V6S started up in the forecourt, now that's what a sports car should sound like!

Wondering if I should go back for an extended test drive and stretch it's legs, if only to put this one to bed. First drive wasn't very impressionable, maybe one of those cars that takes a while to get under your skin. Not a £25k risk I'm willing to take. Don't even think I'd do a direct swap for my £10k S2000 if I'm honest.

mr wilks · Post by **mr wilks** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 7:58 pm

gwatson wrote: ↑Thu Sep 28, 2017 7:40 pm Fair point on the run flats, I've had 12 or 13 BMW's and always the first thing I remove, both for ride and grip. I'm sure a set of 18" Michelin PS4's would help

Wondering if I should go back for an extended test drive and stretch it's legs, if only to put this one to bed. First drive wasn't very impressionable, maybe one of those cars that takes a while to get under your skin. Not a £25k risk I'm willing to take.

Tyres will & do help reduce some of the E89 failings but don't expect a longer testdrive to give you the drama & theatrics that a ZM offers before you're even off the cul de sac

totally different machines & to be fair both have their merits .
I'm a massive ZM fan but always accept they themselves aren't without flaws or weakness

I'm enjoying getting to know my 35i & making it my own with a few tweaks but its by no means the same ownership experience offered with the S54 or the 3.0Si .
Right now with mine i feel like being in a fast 3 series with 2 seats & the V8 from a 6 series

but i like it it in perverse way

Before i bought i watched the whole E89 market & Z4M-2006 has it about right , , , i don't care about miles , year or spec , i simply wouldn't feel comfortable north of £20k tied up in either a 35i or 35is

john-e89 · Post by **john-e89** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:15 pm

gwatson wrote: ↑Thu Sep 28, 2017 7:40 pm

Whilst I was at the dealership, a F Type V6S started up in the forecourt, now that's what a sports car should sound like!

From everything you've said I very much doubt an E89 is for you, it's simply not a sports car, end of. Too heavy, steering too numb, nowhere near nimble enough, thrills are lacking compared to genuine sports cars, Power is not everything. I really like mine but truth be told I'm disappointed with it for the lay out, I take it on the chin but if I'd had one for a few weeks on trial I wouldn't have bought a new one, having said that for the job it does it's a fantastic GT roadster.

Imho it's a Boxster you need.

Z4M-2006 · Post by **Z4M-2006** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:49 pm

Ya see I just wouldn't have a Boxster at all...just on the wrong side of camp ..

Cayman....

Oh yes ..

gwatson · Post by **gwatson** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:58 pm

mr wilks wrote: ↑Thu Sep 28, 2017 7:58 pm Tyres will & do help reduce some of the E89 failings but don't expect a longer testdrive to give you the drama & theatrics that a ZM offers before you're even off the cul de sac totally different machines & to be fair both have their merits .
I'm a massive ZM fan but always accept they themselves aren't without flaws or weakness
I'm enjoying getting to know my 35i & making it my own with a few tweaks but its by no means the same ownership experience offered with the S54 or the 3.0Si .

You've summed it up very well. As I mentioned above, the Z4M was indeed flawed, but I enjoyed it for that and would forgive all when you got the S54 going.

Will look at the F type or Boxster S next, but not until the depreciate a little further. Both seem special enough to justify a 40th birthday present in a few years

Kugaman1 · Post by **Kugaman1** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 10:07 pm

Nice write up gwatson.....I will just keep an eye on it and when Vardys reduce it too £20k, I will make my move....

john-e89 · Post by **john-e89** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 10:09 pm

Z4M-2006 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:49 pm Ya see I just wouldn't have a Boxster at all...just on the wrong side of camp ..

Cayman....

Oh yes ..

mr wilks · Post by **mr wilks** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 10:18 pm

Kugaman1 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 28, 2017 10:07 pm Nice write up gwatson.....I will just keep an eye on it and when Vardys reduce it too £20k, I will make my move....

Probably Feb - March next year

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