Gents, first let me again just shortly introduce my Zed, it's 2003. Z4 with 2500 ccm M54B25 engine, making 192 HP. I got it from a good tip from a friend, I know the first owner, and I got it with perfect service history (that was the main reason we got Z4 and not Mazda 3 that we wanted) and 192.000 km. Today it has 197.000 km and in 2020. we had a nice road trip to Tuscany with around 2500 km that we made (I live in Zagreb, Croatia).
A photo is always nice:
So the other day, my girlfriend (who initiated the purchase of Z4 and it is on her name - I have also Mini One R50) asked me do I love our Z4, and I said, I have mixed feelings about it.
And that started me thinking, first just a short introduction, in my young days - 18-22 - I was building Volkswagen Beetles (the old ones), even participating on street races and old-timer rally races. Then, I started to drift, even in competitions, local and regional, with some good successes. I that period of time, I had a Toyota Corolla Ae86 GT Tureno model, well build for competition - the whole deal. After that, I had some exotic cars, well for Croatia, a Mitsubishi Starion Turbo, Lotus Elise, and then I fell in love in Mazda MX-5, NB generation, I had two identical ones - 1.8iS Icon model, over 140 HP, LSD, big brakes, and it was a charm, I took it on road trips, track days, you name it. I skipped the NC generation, and I always said to myself, after Miata, I would go to Z4 or Porsche Boxster S.
And now with BMW Z4, I have mixed feelings, the road feeling that Miata gave me, was perfect, even as a daily driver. Z4 is massive, for me it is a more a Grand Tourer than a Roadster because for me Roadster philosophy was set by MG and Triumph, light, not so powerful and small two-seaters.
From a point of a road trip to Tuscany, girlfriend and I love it, we had enough room for our stuff, it was a pleasant drive, and I would say comfortable, in one day I did around 600 km without stopping (I like it that way, if I drive, I drive), and my back was alright, I wasn't tired, I couldn't do that in Miata, or Elise.
But, when I took Z4 to a familiar hill drive, where we trained for rally and competitions, I felt it robust and disconnected from the road. It didn't give me the wow effect that I expected from that car.
So my first conclusion (and I didn't take Z4 to a track day, it's a plan for this year), Z4 is perfect for nice road trips - I am planning to go if all goes well with covid nightmare to Sicily. But it doesn't give me that nice road feeling that I expected. My friend has a Boxster S, and Porsche is Porsche regarding driving feeling, I am not comparing power, but just the feel of the drive.
So that's it, my few comments as a new owner of the Z4. And don't get me wrong, it is the most beautiful car I have ever seen, our, E85 model, they don't build cars like that anymore, sadly.
Some photos, just to break the text:
Mazda MX-5:
Lotus Elise
A photo is always nice:
So the other day, my girlfriend (who initiated the purchase of Z4 and it is on her name - I have also Mini One R50) asked me do I love our Z4, and I said, I have mixed feelings about it.
And that started me thinking, first just a short introduction, in my young days - 18-22 - I was building Volkswagen Beetles (the old ones), even participating on street races and old-timer rally races. Then, I started to drift, even in competitions, local and regional, with some good successes. I that period of time, I had a Toyota Corolla Ae86 GT Tureno model, well build for competition - the whole deal. After that, I had some exotic cars, well for Croatia, a Mitsubishi Starion Turbo, Lotus Elise, and then I fell in love in Mazda MX-5, NB generation, I had two identical ones - 1.8iS Icon model, over 140 HP, LSD, big brakes, and it was a charm, I took it on road trips, track days, you name it. I skipped the NC generation, and I always said to myself, after Miata, I would go to Z4 or Porsche Boxster S.
And now with BMW Z4, I have mixed feelings, the road feeling that Miata gave me, was perfect, even as a daily driver. Z4 is massive, for me it is a more a Grand Tourer than a Roadster because for me Roadster philosophy was set by MG and Triumph, light, not so powerful and small two-seaters.
From a point of a road trip to Tuscany, girlfriend and I love it, we had enough room for our stuff, it was a pleasant drive, and I would say comfortable, in one day I did around 600 km without stopping (I like it that way, if I drive, I drive), and my back was alright, I wasn't tired, I couldn't do that in Miata, or Elise.
But, when I took Z4 to a familiar hill drive, where we trained for rally and competitions, I felt it robust and disconnected from the road. It didn't give me the wow effect that I expected from that car.
So my first conclusion (and I didn't take Z4 to a track day, it's a plan for this year), Z4 is perfect for nice road trips - I am planning to go if all goes well with covid nightmare to Sicily. But it doesn't give me that nice road feeling that I expected. My friend has a Boxster S, and Porsche is Porsche regarding driving feeling, I am not comparing power, but just the feel of the drive.
So that's it, my few comments as a new owner of the Z4. And don't get me wrong, it is the most beautiful car I have ever seen, our, E85 model, they don't build cars like that anymore, sadly.
Some photos, just to break the text:
Mazda MX-5:
Lotus Elise
