Went along to fairfield bmw to check out the new Z4, they had a black 23Sdrive with red sport seats and the standard 17" wheels (which look like doughnuts!). The car had the adaptive suspension but in the showroom it sat very high with plenty of arch gap - didn't give a particularly sporty appearance!
The build quality seemed better than my MY03 roadster however I did not like the following:
The new roof (which can be operated from the keyfob) takes forever and a day to open/close, no more putting up the roof at traffic lights if it rains... how come Porsche can get the boxster roof to open and close upto 30mph on the move
As much as the salesman tried to convince me the new bootspace is bigger its quite frankly not, using said bootspace is a chore and you have to raise the roof to get anything larger than a lunch box in and out. He kept banging on how you can but special luggage to fit it, on a longer jouney with luggage I would like to have the option of lowering the roof. The current roadster is very practical I find.
The thru loading system has dispensed with the nice cubby hole between the seats
the cabin doesnt feel as snug without it. It has been replace by a net that goes across the whole of the back, looks messy!
The model I saw did not have Professional Nav but the stereo below the heater controls seemed a bit of a backward step. The old one became part of the dash and was in the eyeline for ease of use, the new one is a fiddly unit.
The price... well my s drive 35 with some nice options came to £44k... this is far too much for this car, that sort of money gets you into some much more pedigree motors such as a 2nd hand 911 turbo/Boxster S 3.4/Cayman S, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, various Maseratis or maybe a nice SL 55 AMG.
On the upside:
Its the latest thing for those into their car fashion and must have the latest and greatest version.
The sport seats seemed quite comfy, however they are wider than the old sport seats which for a slim jim like me is not a good thing.
The 35 twin turbo engine is great in the 335i so I expect it to be very nice in the Z4.
The build quality seemed better than my MY03 roadster however I did not like the following:
The new roof (which can be operated from the keyfob) takes forever and a day to open/close, no more putting up the roof at traffic lights if it rains... how come Porsche can get the boxster roof to open and close upto 30mph on the move
As much as the salesman tried to convince me the new bootspace is bigger its quite frankly not, using said bootspace is a chore and you have to raise the roof to get anything larger than a lunch box in and out. He kept banging on how you can but special luggage to fit it, on a longer jouney with luggage I would like to have the option of lowering the roof. The current roadster is very practical I find.
The thru loading system has dispensed with the nice cubby hole between the seats
The model I saw did not have Professional Nav but the stereo below the heater controls seemed a bit of a backward step. The old one became part of the dash and was in the eyeline for ease of use, the new one is a fiddly unit.
The price... well my s drive 35 with some nice options came to £44k... this is far too much for this car, that sort of money gets you into some much more pedigree motors such as a 2nd hand 911 turbo/Boxster S 3.4/Cayman S, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, various Maseratis or maybe a nice SL 55 AMG.
On the upside:
Its the latest thing for those into their car fashion and must have the latest and greatest version.
The sport seats seemed quite comfy, however they are wider than the old sport seats which for a slim jim like me is not a good thing.
The 35 twin turbo engine is great in the 335i so I expect it to be very nice in the Z4.
