335i or Z4??

F

FirstKnight

Member
Hello Everyone,

I used to drive a Z4 2.2i SE in Sapphire Black - was a Member of Z4um then - and absolutely loved my little Roadster.

I then had to change to a 4-seater as my stepkids needed collecting after school and my wife and I agreed I'd collect them and she would take them as it suited our work times.

So I bought a E46 330cd M Sport Convertible. Which I liked but never loved. I remapped it courtesy of DMS for more power and I still found it a less than exhilerating drive coming from a Z4. Power isn't everything.

Next I chose an E92 335i SE Coupe that I have added an SSTT tuning box to and it makes a healthy 346bhp / 490Nm and is very quick indeed.
It is an awesome drive and is excellent really.

However, I still miss my Z4. I like small cars and find the 335i on the verge of being too large. My wife and stepdaughter miss the Z4 too. My stepson will be in Secondary school from September and he is going to catch the bus to and from which means I collect only my stepdaughter...you can see where my thoughts are going...I can now return to 2-seater motoring if I want to.

My wife has the sensible E91 Touring which is our choice for trips with the family incl. dog already.

Soooooooooooooo, do I make a deal with my local Dealer and swop my 335i for a Z4 3.0si now or wait for the next gen Z4 ?
I'm guessing I'll not want to fork out for a new car next year or the year after which pushes Z4 ownership from new a couple of years away whereas I could jump right in now if I simply swapped and then trade-in the Z4 in a couple of years for the next generation version. I have been offered a Z4M Roadster - lower mileage than my car - as a straight swop but don't fancy the running costs nor commuting 50-odd miles a day in one as it seems to me to only really shine above the 3.0si when driven very hard.

My 335i has a high spec and I'm looking at a Z4 3.0si with a similarly high spec but with very low mileage - the Dealer is coming back to me with facts and figures tomorrow.

I'm just finding myself thinking that I REALLY want a Z4 again but then my 335i is a very capable car too and I like it very much. Decisions, decisions.

Anyone else driven both and can share experiences?
 
Hmmm....gong from 300hp to 255 (U.S. spec) would be tough to swallow for me. Particularly since you can tune that 335i to 380hp pretty cheaply. Better just get a z4M ;-)
 
the Z4M offer you got is definitely worth considering IMHO... the M doesnt just offer more power than the 3.0si, think technically superior, awesome looks etc :driving:
 
Thanks for the welcomes and advice :)

I am still in a quandary as to what to do. I like my car a lot but I've never enjoyed motoring as much as I did in my Z4.

My commute to and from work is approx. 46 miles of mostly B roads. I usually use the motorways in the morning on my 25 mile journey but increasingly find I cannot use all the 335i's power due to traffic constraints. My route home is all B roads with a few interesting twisties. Again, the 335i cannot really open up so it is only a couple of times a day that I actually accelerate hard and I never get to any great speeds. On occassion that I do drive fast - say on a weekend when I'm racing to the shops on the motorway, I am finding myself thinking that I really ought to slow down.

Y'see, I value my license and I'm thinking more and more that the 335i thrives on high speeds and, for me, is only really fun at speeds best suited for a track - which I have no ambition to visit.

I remember my Z4 giving me tons of smiles just cruising in the countryside, enjoying my commuting even though I was forced to go slow due to the prevailing road conditions and traffic. I never had any ambition to modify it and was happy with it as standard. I had the roof down most of the year and just enjoyed cruising along with the odd redline fun.
My coupe's / saloon's on the other hand have always left me wanting more and hence I always did something to make them faster - ergo the SSTT in my 335i.

But I'm thinking a 3.0si will suit me just nicely; giving me enough performance to feel as though I'm going fast even if it isn't literally or technically as fast as the 335i and sound good too. Most importantly, however, I get to have the roof down again when I'm just cruising home from work.
 
marriedblonde said:
Strange as I am contemplating going the other way and changing my z4 coupe for a 335i M sport convertable...
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I would definitely keep my 335i coupe over a Z4 coupe...it's the Roadster experience I miss. Having had a 4-seater convertible, I just wasn't impressed as when I pushed it on twisty B roads it wallowed and flexed even in M-Sport trim. I've driven the new 335i 'vert and it is noticeably better but still more suited to cruising generally and I'd miss the handling my coupe provides. The Roadster would give me the best of both worlds.
 
Push your dealer for a good deal if you go for a 3.0si. I noticed at my dealers some of the sub 2,000 mile 2007 coupes are now going for 2,000 cheaper than when I bought mine a few months ago and interestingly the 335d second hand at the same dealer, similar mileage and age is going for nearly £5,000 more than the Z4's!!!
I guess it also depends if you want to stand out from the crowd (Z4) or be part of it! :P
Nice 330i at a car meet the weekend. Black with kit and wheels. No one looked at it but they did look at my Z4! :D
 
marriedblonde said:
Strange as I am contemplating going the other way and changing my z4 coupe for a 335i M sport convertable...
Click to expand...
If you do, make sure you swop your wheels for my 208's (plus some cash your way). :P
 
Breaker said:
marriedblonde said:
Strange as I am contemplating going the other way and changing my z4 coupe for a 335i M sport convertable...
Click to expand...
If you do, make sure you swop your wheels for my 208's (plus some cash your way). :P
Click to expand...

Thank you for the very kind offer :) I've still got my sport wheels the car came with so they will be switched when I get round to swapping cars over. If I have a sudden change of heart and buy something other than the coupe I'll give you first dibs on the rims.

J.
 
marriedblonde said:
Breaker said:
marriedblonde said:
Strange as I am contemplating going the other way and changing my z4 coupe for a 335i M sport convertable...
Click to expand...
If you do, make sure you swop your wheels for my 208's (plus some cash your way). :P
Click to expand...

Thank you for the very kind offer :) I've still got my sport wheels the car came with so they will be switched when I get round to swapping cars over. If I have a sudden change of heart and buy something other than the coupe I'll give you first dibs on the rims.

J.
Click to expand...
:thumbsup:
 
Well, took the Z4 3.0si I like out for a test drive yesterday and it was very much as I was expecting. I find looking out over the long bonnet and seeing the large hips in the wing mirrors a joy to behold and the seating position makes me feel like I'm in a real sports car - which it is.

Roof down on twisty B-roads it is a joy to drive and definitely has a greater fun factor than my coupe. In Sports trim the ride is firmer than I had even imagined but not altogether unpleasant and I felt - literally - that it added to the sporty driving sensation.

Performance in terms of handling is top notch and it felt very sure-footed but I never felt it was better than my 335i although I hadn't spent much time in it to test it properly. Acceleration on the motorway was a little disappointing when compared to my modified 335i but I put this down to the fact that the 335i's power is not only greater but is instantly accessible and effortless; much like a diesel in midrange. The Z4 clearly required some work. Which, again, lends to it being a more sporty drive. Which is fun. I did forget to engage the Sport button - would that have made any difference at all?

I did find that the Z4 3.0si would be the better option for me over the Z4M - and my wife as she would share it. Most of the time the Z would be used in slow commuting traffic and the M-car would lose its shine for me in those conditions - not to mention the much higher running costs. If it were purely a weekend toy, then the M would be my preference but not when the car needs to be used every day.

I'm very tempted to go through with the trade. We have a new 325i Touring and this serves as out practical car. The Z4 would be the toy and I would commute in it. :D
To close the gap power-wise and provide more midrange punch I'm seriously considering a DMS remap to add another 24 bhp and 28 Nm; not a great deal but after I've gotten weaned off the 335i and used to the Z, the extra bit should make me very happy and able to cope for the next couple of years until I buy the next generation model.
 
Must admit the 335i M sport would be the car I would look at if I were to sell my Z4. But at the moment I like the sports car style!
Not a lot in it in performance although the 335i is a bit more powerful. Glad someone else thinks the same as me about the M. :P You will probably find the mapping of the engine is different to the 335i to give suit the style of car. The sport button does liven things up a little. Does your 335i have a sport button? Go back and test drive again with it engaged! :poke: :thumbsup:


By the way, the Z4 Coupe is the better looking car! :P
 
Breaker said:
Must admit the 335i M sport would be the car I would look at if I were to sell my Z4. But at the moment I like the sports car style!
Not a lot in it in performance although the 335i is a bit more powerful. Glad someone else thinks the same as me about the M. :P You will probably find the mapping of the engine is different to the 335i to give suit the style of car. The sport button does liven things up a little. Does your 335i have a sport button? Go back and test drive again with it engaged! :poke: :thumbsup:


By the way, the Z4 Coupe is the better looking car! :P
Click to expand...

The 335i can be modified quite a bit - some are circa 420 bhp already. But if I really wanted that much power I'd buy an M3! I don't need that much power as the 335i gives me plently - I'm already thinking it is too much for my driving ability and needs - hence a little less, albeit not too much less, ought to be perfect. No sports button on my 335i so I didn't think about the one that the Z4 has. Stock acceleration figures from a standstill suggest that the Z4 and the 335i are very close and top end is the same but the midrange is very much in favour of the twin-turbo'ed 335i.
The Z is 76 miles away from me so a second test drive is probably not on the cards...it would be a pleasant surprise if the Sports button made a difference.

The Z4 Coupe is better looking when the Roadster has its top up...but when the top is down the Roadster is much better looking than the hardtop! :evil: :D
 
Why not try the Alpina version?

It has a lot more torque and 300bhp with a little bit more spec than a fully kitted 3.0litre. However, running costs are more than a 3.0 but less than the M version.
Just an idea if your stuck deciding :)
 
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