Another one of those "shall i get something else" moments

[Aliv6]

also when you take weight into account, the e92 M3 and the Z4M are pretty much neck-and-neck up to about 120/130mph

Correct! My friend has a e92 M3 and I have a Z4M.... We ride a lot together and this is a fact... But there is more in a car then its horsepower and acceleration times. TT-RS is fast, but the driving experience and is not my taste and less fun then in other "slower" cars.

If I could only have one car and I really needed to replace my Z4M for something to carry more then 2 people, then it would be a e92 M3 (probably a manual) for me a this time of my life. But my Z4M is my second car and I have a 325I as daily driver. Love them both and at this point would not want to change anything...

Hummm...See i completely disagree with that! Its difficult to say you're wrong as clearly you've tried it against your pal; which baffles me as to your findings...

Anyway, i've had a blast with a couple of E92's and they walk away from the Z4...And i was tucked up and on the gas before he was!

This is against a manual, the DCT is marginally quicker too!.....thoughts?

[youtube]lDCwtUXe5fY[/youtube]

 

[ga41]

I agree with Aliv6, it should be no contest. Even against an M3 CSL which has much less of a horsepower advantage (albeit less weight) the M3 still walks away..

This is me against a mate in a CSL, both cars with full tanks and a passenger.

[youtube]MZUPwZZ8DjY[/youtube]

 

[v8matt]

My M is my daily driver, and does 60 miles a day, every day, 5 days a week, so an e92 M3 is going to cost me a whole pile of extra cash in fuel.... not really an option at 16-18mpg

The M3 fuel economy is the pits and will always be the thing that stops me going for one, even as a weekend drive. My father's Ultima was getting better than that even when it was naturally aspirated and with the hood down.

 

[Franzino]

Anyway, i've had a blast with a couple of E92's and they walk away from the Z4...And i was tucked up and on the gas before he was!

This is against a manual, the DCT is marginally quicker too!.....thoughts?

[youtube]lDCwtUXe5fY[/youtube]

This video is a rolling start... The e92 M3 has a lot more torque, so it will allways be quicker is these situations. When we do a acceleration test on a highway, he is also mostly quicker then me. I was talking about a test from 0-60....starting from a complete standstill. Then I'm quicker off the line with my Z4M...

When we are driving together on the track (mostly the ring); on the straights he is quicker, but I gain when braking and in the corners... I have to push hard to keep up with him and it's not an easy job... Also because he knows the track a little better

 

[mad4slalom]

s54 uneconomical, ? i think the opposite for a na high revving high po engine , i would say the s54, all things considered is very econimical. oke:

 

[carl]

On the one hand I'm becoming more and more convinced that an Audi R8 is the next step. :driving:

On the other hand I walked back to my car while it was parked up today and thought it looked perfect :sweetheart:

 

[Sae]

On the one hand I'm becoming more and more convinced that an Audi R8 is the next step. :driving:

On the other hand I walked back to my car while it was parked up today and thought it looked perfect :sweetheart:

You could do a lot worse, the r8 does seem to be the reliable mid engined sports car, £40k will get an early one, but running costs are still a step up from the zed.

But r8s and 911s do seem to be a logical move on from the zed

 

[LeeZ4MR]

s54 uneconomical, ? i think the opposite for a na high revving high po engine , i would say the s54, all things considered is very econimical. oke:

The S54 is far more fuel efficient than the S65 in the M3 & that's what makes the S54 such a stunning engine it offers the best of both worlds. :driving:

 

[Anonymous]

the r8 does seem to be the reliable mid engined sports car, £40k will get an early one, but running costs are still a step up from the zed.

I think you'll find running costs on an R8 are a step up from a 911

 

[pilchardthecat]

Well i've still got it...... 3 years now

Probably keeping it until next year at least - it just passed another MOT (just advisory notes on all 4 tyres) so 4x PSS going on next week I need £30k cash to upgrade properly - nothing that costs less than that feels like an upgrade, frankly. A 997 Turbo will be the replacement, eventually.

 

[original guvnor]

I can sympathise with this.

For me though it will be a 997 GT3, although at least 12 months away and maybe longer. Still keeping the MC is no hardship. I took it out for a mini-hoon on Monday evening at dusk. It really is fabulous fun.

 

[Bigpow]

996 turbo maybe....

I've got a 5 series diesel for the day work but the rawness of the z for the weekend .. The z is great bang for the buck though. M5 v10 sounds nice as well

 

[Darren Slone]

Mmmm ///MC on occasion, depends which side of the bed I wake up on tbh, also I've not got unlimited funds, everything is paid for outside the mortgage but would only look at something a few £K higher in value, never done finance, I've had an Aircooled 911 for over 10yrs and tbh the WC cars that I could afford don't do it for me, but maybe an Elise/Exige/Boxster/Cayman , lottery win Lamborghini Aventador :driving: best buy a ticket

 

[Carol M]

If you win and buy any of those, remember who you bff's are!

 

[Bigpow]

I had a boxster s and loved it.. But the m is a totally different toy lol. Illness sticking for a while

 

[Darren Slone]

If you win and buy any of those, remember who you bff's are!

You're in!!

 

[hamza]

I've been eyeing some of the models from the Lotus side of the pond of late.

I recently took the new Exige V6 for a test drive... wow... in terms of pure driving pleasure its amazing and makes the Z4MC feel like a heavy, bloated and rather dull instrument by comparison.

It couldn't replace a Z4MC for its long distance ability though, i think it would get tiring very quickly once you'r not having fun on the back roads anymore and in reality yes it is still £30k more (but its new).

I've been looking at the older Exige S2 more recently (which is a little more but comparable money really)... it doesn't feel quick (though on paper the Exige S is quicker with 0 to 60 in 4.2 seconds) in a straight line but it certainly handles better... again can't replace the Z4's ability to cross countries effortlessly though.

 

[carl]

I sat in the Exige V6 at Hethel and it was virtually impossible to get into. The Evora seemed far more practical a proposition. Plus the Exige's ground clearance seemed to be about an inch -- I think it's really a trackday car rather than a daily driver. I also had a look at the options list and you're looking at >£60k for a properly-specced one.

 

[hamza]

I agree its awkward to get in and out of (though personally i'm ok with it) and yes a well specced one is into £60k territory which is a lot of money for an Exige I feel....but the price is about the only reason there isn't one already in my drive/garage!

The ground clearance does look really low but I didn't have any problems with it during the test drive and it is superbly well behaved even on really poor road surfaces. I think I went over some speed bumps too but I wouldn't swear on it and didn't have any problems.

I agree its not a daily driver perhaps, certainly not in the same way a Z4 can be, but I don't think its exclusively a track car in the way an Atom or KTM X-Bow would be. I think its quite usable as a weekend car, they way many of us probably use the Z4.

 

[saskia]

Alternatives to z4mc depend on wether its going to be used often or as a weekend car , would like a few pops and bangs all the time which leaves very few choices , Cerbera or t350c are strong possibilities !