Hi folks - been requested by Mike to post some pics and thoughts, having owned a Z4MR for about a year after a TVR Tamora for 3 years, and switched 4 months ago into the Merc. Not trying to offend any Z4M owners, just my opinions! 
So why did I get the BMW in the first place? I loved my TVR, it had phenomenal performance, the best sound, quirky unusual controls, and very rare - other than going to TVR meets, I never "accidentally" saw another one while driving mine, not surprising as they only made about 300 of them!
The downsides after having had a Honda S2000 - roof was a real PITA, and in 3 years and about 24,000 miles the engine was rebuilt twice, which was the real nail in the coffin for me.
So I bought the Z4M, expecting most of the performance with a lot of reliability and all the toys and creature comforts.
And the performance is very good, and no denying the engine is a great one, if less brutal in character than the TVR Speed Six, but I guess that is acceptable in return for reliability. Below 100 it didn't have quite the kick of the TVR, but I was very impressed by the continuing acceleration at higher speeds, although in real life this is much more rarely used.
The biggest dissapointments for me were the gearchange and the throttle response. I expected the gearchange to be a lovely slick affair, but if was less user friendly than the TVR, which was distinctly agricultural compared to the S2000, which possibly has one of the best 6-speeders.
And that awful 2 stage throttle - all or nothing with Sport of Normal - was incredibly frustrating.
I also found the whole interior very disappointing - the quality of some of the interior plastics is horrible, much worse than in a Golf, and very disappointing for the top of the range Z4, especially after the luxury and opulence of all the leather covering every conceivable surface in the TVR, and bespoke alu switchgear and nobs - the BMW was quite nasty and low rent in comparison. It's also a fairly cramped and pokey cabin compared to the TVR, which despite being a shorter car had a large storage shelf/area behind the seats where you could chuck jackets and small bags, and it had a larger boot.
The BMW didn't quite last a year, and when considering a replacement I wanted something at least as fast, but I wasn't prepared to go back to TVR reliability, or the basic no-frills approach of an Elise or VX220, much as I was impressed by the VX220 Turbo on a test drive some years ago.
I did test drive a 996 C4S, and I was impressed by what a sporty car it is, with very direct steering feel and great cornering ability, definitely a proper sports car.
But I still wanted a convertible, and still don't like the chop top 911's. I also thought it would probably be quite a tiring car for longer European trips, which I will be doing in the SL. And ultimately, I really wanted to own my first large V8
I also tried an SLK 55, and the performance and noise side of things were still very impressive, but I preferred the cabin of the SL, and the extra grunt of the supercharger, even if it does have to haul more kilos around.
So far in 4 months I have not been in the least bit disappointed, I think the SL is an absolutely fabulous car - I'll admit it's not the sharpest sports car in the box, but it isn't just a GT - I love twisty country roads and have done plenty of my SL driving on such roads, and been very impressed with how it copes, given its size and weight - it is definitely chuckable enough for me on public roads, the Active Body Control suspension generally keeping things pretty flat through the corners, the huge brakes doing a pretty good job, and the 500bhp engine doing an almighty good job of hurling you down the road with a thundering V8 soundtrack
- having said that, I would quite like a louder exhaust :evil:
The 5 speed auto can be left in auto sport mode a lot of the time, kickdown is good, and the engine works well with the auto. But I have also been using the steering wheel buttons to "manual" shift, and they're not bad. It's a relatively soft change, nothing like all the fast brutal changes of the Italian supercars, having recently been able to sample the e-gear of a Gallardo LP560, but it still works ok with this engine. It's a shame it doesn't blip on manual downchanges.
The interior still doesn't have the extravagence or style of the TVR, but at least it is all covered in good quality leather, and it's a spacious pleasant place to be - the Z4 doesn't come close - but then again this did start life as a £100k car, and they're incredibly good value 2nd hand buys now.
It is thirsty, best I've seen is about 20mpg, prob average around 18mpg, but I averaged similar in the TVR, and only about 24mpg in the BMW.
From some angles I loved the look of the Z4MR, but from other angles (quite a few angles), the flame surfacing is "challenging", and roof up the car looks awkward - the Coupe is definitely the better looking car.
Overall I think the SL is unquestionably the better looking car, with the AMG having some nice extra touches. And of course with that roof you have the best of both coupe and roadster worlds, and a large boot, to boot.
And here are some pics:
So why did I get the BMW in the first place? I loved my TVR, it had phenomenal performance, the best sound, quirky unusual controls, and very rare - other than going to TVR meets, I never "accidentally" saw another one while driving mine, not surprising as they only made about 300 of them!
The downsides after having had a Honda S2000 - roof was a real PITA, and in 3 years and about 24,000 miles the engine was rebuilt twice, which was the real nail in the coffin for me.
So I bought the Z4M, expecting most of the performance with a lot of reliability and all the toys and creature comforts.
And the performance is very good, and no denying the engine is a great one, if less brutal in character than the TVR Speed Six, but I guess that is acceptable in return for reliability. Below 100 it didn't have quite the kick of the TVR, but I was very impressed by the continuing acceleration at higher speeds, although in real life this is much more rarely used.
The biggest dissapointments for me were the gearchange and the throttle response. I expected the gearchange to be a lovely slick affair, but if was less user friendly than the TVR, which was distinctly agricultural compared to the S2000, which possibly has one of the best 6-speeders.
And that awful 2 stage throttle - all or nothing with Sport of Normal - was incredibly frustrating.
I also found the whole interior very disappointing - the quality of some of the interior plastics is horrible, much worse than in a Golf, and very disappointing for the top of the range Z4, especially after the luxury and opulence of all the leather covering every conceivable surface in the TVR, and bespoke alu switchgear and nobs - the BMW was quite nasty and low rent in comparison. It's also a fairly cramped and pokey cabin compared to the TVR, which despite being a shorter car had a large storage shelf/area behind the seats where you could chuck jackets and small bags, and it had a larger boot.
The BMW didn't quite last a year, and when considering a replacement I wanted something at least as fast, but I wasn't prepared to go back to TVR reliability, or the basic no-frills approach of an Elise or VX220, much as I was impressed by the VX220 Turbo on a test drive some years ago.
I did test drive a 996 C4S, and I was impressed by what a sporty car it is, with very direct steering feel and great cornering ability, definitely a proper sports car.
But I still wanted a convertible, and still don't like the chop top 911's. I also thought it would probably be quite a tiring car for longer European trips, which I will be doing in the SL. And ultimately, I really wanted to own my first large V8
I also tried an SLK 55, and the performance and noise side of things were still very impressive, but I preferred the cabin of the SL, and the extra grunt of the supercharger, even if it does have to haul more kilos around.
So far in 4 months I have not been in the least bit disappointed, I think the SL is an absolutely fabulous car - I'll admit it's not the sharpest sports car in the box, but it isn't just a GT - I love twisty country roads and have done plenty of my SL driving on such roads, and been very impressed with how it copes, given its size and weight - it is definitely chuckable enough for me on public roads, the Active Body Control suspension generally keeping things pretty flat through the corners, the huge brakes doing a pretty good job, and the 500bhp engine doing an almighty good job of hurling you down the road with a thundering V8 soundtrack
- having said that, I would quite like a louder exhaust :evil:The 5 speed auto can be left in auto sport mode a lot of the time, kickdown is good, and the engine works well with the auto. But I have also been using the steering wheel buttons to "manual" shift, and they're not bad. It's a relatively soft change, nothing like all the fast brutal changes of the Italian supercars, having recently been able to sample the e-gear of a Gallardo LP560, but it still works ok with this engine. It's a shame it doesn't blip on manual downchanges.
The interior still doesn't have the extravagence or style of the TVR, but at least it is all covered in good quality leather, and it's a spacious pleasant place to be - the Z4 doesn't come close - but then again this did start life as a £100k car, and they're incredibly good value 2nd hand buys now.
It is thirsty, best I've seen is about 20mpg, prob average around 18mpg, but I averaged similar in the TVR, and only about 24mpg in the BMW.
From some angles I loved the look of the Z4MR, but from other angles (quite a few angles), the flame surfacing is "challenging", and roof up the car looks awkward - the Coupe is definitely the better looking car.
Overall I think the SL is unquestionably the better looking car, with the AMG having some nice extra touches. And of course with that roof you have the best of both coupe and roadster worlds, and a large boot, to boot.
And here are some pics:
Sytner are currently offering 10 or so pre-reg cars ASKING £25-26K..... So not just the Z4M suffering severely depreciation-wise.
