I'll always miss that special car and will have one in the collection if I have that luxury in the future. I think it's the BMW most deserving classic status in the last 20 years.
I knew it would be hard to replace the feeling the Z4M gives when you drive it. I've spent countless hours trawling Autotrader.
What I wanted?
More practicality, space and comfort, along with some more modern tech, but without loosing all sense of sportyness and without being numb feeling. Not easy with most modern cars.
Electric cars are the future IMO, something I'll embrace in the next few years, but first I need one last petrol beast.
I test drove an M2 (original) it's the right size for a fun car, but the basic interior wasn't something I could get past. The M2 Competition interior is a good half step in the right direction, but still not good enough.
Porsche- I have felt the Cayman interior too claustrophobic since sitting in a workmates and both it and the 911s just didn't quite have the every day practicality I was looking for.
When looking at 911s I also started looking at the AMG GT, I love the look of them but I wasn't quite there on budget.
Jaguar FType- I'm not that old yet and Jag's are my fathers thing.
Alfa Quadriofolagiogogogo - Had an Alfa Brera, seen the same build issues are still a thing, no thanks.
Mercedes C63? Pretty but not sporty in the way I want.
Audi? drove a TTS as a "cheap" option, not enough power or feeling but the interior was very nice, I think they're a bargain in the mid 20k price range. The S5, needs a model refresh when you see it next to the other updated Audi's.
In the end it always came down to M4's but even then I worried it would be a little numb.
So how to solve that? get the most sorted and slightly more raw version
Yesterday I picked up this beast - M4 CS
In the best colour, San Marino Blue, with Icon headlights, Carbon Ceramic brakes, Alcantara steering wheel, not that there''s many options to tick on the CS, but this one had all the ones I felt were important.
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The chassis and suspension is still stiff like the Z4M but I don't grimace at every pothole now. The damping is nice and copes well with our British roads. The 19's up front with extra tyre sidewall are good to have here too. Any smaller and the front brakes wouldn't fit
It's not as loud'inside, but thats what I wanted for longer road journeys. But it's not as sound proofed as a regular or Competition M4, so there's still some sense of road and exhaust noise.
The steering is still super reactive, like the Z but it won't ever have the same feel you get from a hydraulic system. In fact I think it's probably even more direct around centre point, think a direction and you're turning in.
The DCT I love, apart from a couple of around town jerky pulls between 1st and 2nd.
The exhaust is too quiet from inside until you put it in Sports +. When you do though, it's great and brings the car alive on country road blasts
With the DCT and the torque of the engine, the power is easy to access, less work than the Z4M.The rear tyres were new yesterday, Cup2s, so a little squirly and not helped but the low temps and damp roads. With the need to be careful trying to put the power down, overtakes were still done quickly at less than full throttle. Which soon meant the brakes needed to be tested. They don't bite as hard as the Z4M, but thats down the pedal modulation which I just need to get used to. I feel like the brakes have a layer of electronic wizardry going on to ensure they feel "normal" vs the Zs being simply big and directly linked to your foot.
Having heard experience of Porsche Cayane ceramic brakes biting too hard and putting your face through the windscreen on the autobahn, I'm glad they're "normal" on the M4 and I just need to get used to them
The plan is to keep this car 8+ years like the Z4M, but eventually it will be a second car to something electric for daily duties.
Until then, I plan to enjoy the daily and fun day usage. I feel it gives me the things I wanted to add to my daily, whilst still retaining that specialness the Z4M has in buckets.
I'm going to enjoy getting to know it more. I can't wait for the summer and some good Scottish road trips
Enjoy the next 8 years 
