3.0 Z4 (231bhp) vs. hot hatches

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Maybe it's my driving skills (lack of) but find it v hard to get the power down in anything but the bone dry (3.0si), even in 3rd.

A Corsa VXR pulled away from me recently as my back end was slipping & sliding all over the place coming off a roundabout.

That said, in the dry I've enjoyed some runs against a few great cars including an Aston Vantage off a few roundabouts last week - great fun! He was hardly managing to pull away up to 90 & then I backed off.
 
wills said:
Maybe it's my driving skills (lack of) but find it v hard to get the power down in anything but the bone dry (3.0si), even in 3rd.

A Corsa VXR pulled away from me recently as my back end was slipping & sliding all over the place coming off a roundabout
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What Tyres do you use? My stock contis were like that.
 
i ve had loads of fast hatch backs , audi s3 , golf gti edition 30 , skoda vrs , but the zed is a different animal its all about the drive not how fast it is
and if you keep going on about corsa s this thread should be deleated , come on guys , it s a vauxhall !!!!! :?
 
In a straight line and around twisty bends most hot hatches will be faster than a 3.0i Z4. Focus ST, Megane R26, Astra VXR, Golf GTI all have torquey turbo engines which can be remapped cheaply to yield much higher BHP. The forgiving FWD chassis make them easy to throw around.

Nothing is going to touch the Z4 0-60 though, the 3.0i has recorded 5.4 seconds, even the daddy hot hatch Focus RS doesnt come close. Also on fast sweeping bends the Z will be better with its low centre of gravity and wide tyres.
 
Yeah. The S3 I had was only a millesecond slower than the Z4 3.0l 0-60! But blackred said, its all about the drive.
 
wills said:
Ah that may be why, mine are stock run flats (bridgestone I think) - 255 rear & 225 front.
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On the cold, damp mornings mine was so tail happy. Now running winter tyres and much more grounded, Tyres seem to make a huge difference.
 
ksher said:
Mid-engined Renault Clio V6.
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If you drive that like a normal hot hatch you'll be backwards through a hedge before you know it :)

Love them, just can't stop the nagging doubt in the back of my mind that says "it's still a Clio" when in reality it's NOTHING like a normal Clio. Serious rival (in my mind) for a replacement for my Z4 when the time comes.
 
Dont let it spoil your enjoyment of the Z4. I come from a megane R26 which was fast but at the end of the day it was 95% the same as a normal megane with a big turbo slapped on it. The Z4 is a little bit more special than that.

Why not get a 3.0si? (265bhp)

Andy
 
The problem i find with the Z vs a hot hatch is the fwd vs the rwd.

I fwd car is much easier to drive faster with little skill then a rwd car... especially around corners/ sbends.

My mates 2.0 TDI Golf would give me a run for my money.. low down torque and 0-30 speeds would prob be quicker then the Z.
 
If you just want stonk, buy a Scooby, Evo, or one of the later breed of hot hatches. But if you want stonk and style, buy a Z4 :P
 
A nicely driven hot hatch will embarrass much more expensive machinery on a B road. When i first got my M i took it at some twisties and i had a mk5 Golf GT (1.4lt turbo and supercharged with about 170hp) following me and we had a little play, i couldnt shake him off. Sure i pulled away in short straights but it was obvious that he knew the roads very well and it was my first time ever on that narrow twisty piece of tarmac (excuses, excuses :D ). Anyway the point is that dont underestimate a hot hatch.

If i had the room and the money i'd definitely buy a nice hot hatch as a second or third car. Probably a Renaultsport Clio 200 Cup... In lime green... With a nice rorty exhaust... :driving:
 
ga41 said:
If i had the room and the money i'd definitely buy a nice hot hatch as a second or third car. Probably a Renaultsport Clio 200 Cup... In lime green... With a nice rorty exhaust... :driving:
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Nah, Liquid Yellow all the way!

If I needed a more practical everyday car I'd love to have some sort of hot hatch - unfortunately I don't. Sometimes, given the state of the roads we have in the uk, I'm tempted to change back to a hot hatch: more suspension travel, more compliant. But the Z4 is too hard to give up.
 
a11y said:
ga41 said:
If i had the room and the money i'd definitely buy a nice hot hatch as a second or third car. Probably a Renaultsport Clio 200 Cup... In lime green... With a nice rorty exhaust... :driving:
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Nah, Liquid Yellow all the way!

If I needed a more practical everyday car I'd love to have some sort of hot hatch - unfortunately I don't. Sometimes, given the state of the roads we have in the uk, I'm tempted to change back to a hot hatch: more suspension travel, more compliant. But the Z4 is too hard to give up.
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Oh i'm definitely never changing the Z4, i'm in love with it. There are faster, better handling and supposedly "better" sports cars out there but this just has something special to me.

Anyway back to hot hatches, they're easy (easier anyway) to drive quickly, new models are very capable, very powerful and offer good value for money. They're great do-it-all cars. It's a good time to be shopping for a hot hatch. A 3.0lt Z4 might only be as quick as a good hot hatch but it offers something they cannot, RWD, a top that folds down and a lovely soundtrack.
 
I'm coming from a turbocharged, remapped Ibiza (pushing 215bhp and 260lb/ft torque).

Hmm.. think I need to do some thinking.
 
tyranical said:
I'm coming from a turbocharged, remapped Ibiza (pushing 215bhp and 260lb/ft torque).

Hmm.. think I need to do some thinking.
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OH! You shouldnt be discouraged mate, try and arrange a test drive with a Z4 and then you can judge by yourself if it's right for you. Perhaps drop by one of the forums meets which are constantly being arranged and see and hear some of the member's cars to really get your juices flowing.
 
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