New Z4M a step closer?

[PawnSacrifice]

Two years would just be perfect for me

Mark my words ... The first discussion will be with Breaker who will state that there is no real life difference with his s35

:lol:

In the interim he can practice on the new 35is or whatever it's called... got to admire his dedication to the cause

EDIT: Actually, have any of you M chaps (the ranks of which I desperately want to join) actually tried the 35i?

 

[pvr]

I have indeed, and as I reported at the time after the extended test drive - it is a great upgrade for those having a 3.0 in current format. For us "M" boys, the step down is just too much in many aspects.

 

[PawnSacrifice]

I have indeed, and as I reported at the time after the extended test drive - it is a great upgrade for those having a 3.0 in current format. For us "M" boys, the step down is just too much in many aspects.

Ah... apologies, should have used the fabled* search - will look it out!

Good to hear though... I'm still staggered by what you can get for £20k these days!

EDIT...
Sort of what I was expecting, except the negative ride aspects - although this may be case in point, the rave reviews have been from 3.0 drivers! The rest it seems could be solved with the V8! Regardless of what's down the line for me and whether I can afford one if they build it, having spent just 20 - 30 minutes in the old M, I really hope they do... the world will be better for it! Still have a feeling it may be pitched higher... 35i... 35is and the M as a sort of CSL version, priced accordingly.

*Fabled no more... got it to work! Or rather, I managed to think of the right things to search to find what I was after!

 

[mikedav]

I've driven one. I thought it was fantastic - plenty fast, better ride, styling is slightly soft around the back for my tastes but the interior kicks the living bajeesus out of the previous generation car. Could be tempted, but as above, it's a fabulous replacement for the 3.0, not an M? A different kind of car...smoother and less frantic.

It's the same across the range - take 550i vs M5, or 335i vs M3. Even where the stats are roughly similar, the way they deliver that power / performance is completely different. Ms are set up to be more brutal, more highly strung, make you laugh manically the first time you take it up to 80 through the gears, whereas the 335/35i are designed to offer smoother, more refined power. IMO, the non M top spec model of any given BM can be nicer to drive / live with when you aren't in the mood actually...but of course, that difference in performance and all the extra touches make Ms hugely addictive. Try an E46 330 vs E46 M3 or E92 335i vs E92 M3 and you will see what I mean...

A V8 powered Z4M would sit alongside it very nicely indeed (As with the M3 / 335i). It will be too expensive though just like the last one so I will wait for a 6 month old one!



On a side note, I actually drove a Z4 Sdrive23i as well and THAT car impressed me. Far better sounding, quicker and nicer to drive than I thought it would be

 

[gnx]

I would still go for Z4M over the M3. personally prefer the roadster. Wish they would just have a ragtop, If you need a coupe then why not buy the M3.

Because the M3 is not a coupe.It is a 2 door sedan, as opposed to a proper sedan or a sedan with a tailgate for big boxes, if they made a touring.

 

[chetalien]

I would still go for Z4M over the M3. personally prefer the roadster. Wish they would just have a ragtop, If you need a coupe then why not buy the M3.

Because the M3 is not a coupe.It is a 2 door sedan, as opposed to a proper sedan or a sedan with a tailgate for big boxes, if they made a touring.

I know what I meant was for the price. I would go for the z4m anyday. It was a question whether people who are looking at whay they will get for the money M3 or a Z4m.

 

[mikedav]

I know what I meant was for the price. I would go for the z4m anyday. It was a question whether people who are looking at whay they will get for the money M3 or a Z4m.

Not many people are cross shopping M3 and Z4M I don't think. You either want four seats and a boot, or you want a two seater sports car. A lot of the Z4M Coupe market seems to be those who have switched from M3s after enjoying on of those for a few years.

Z4M cross shopped with Cayman/Boxster/SLK...

M3 cross shopped with S5/C Class/Used 911 ...

When the E46 M3 (£40-49k depending on spec) was alongside the E86 Z4M (£41-46k depending on spec), comparing the two I think the Z4M probably looked quite expensive - smaller, no back seat, no boot, same money. However it means it's a rarer beast and I quite like that - the benefits of a mainstream, reliable German car with the exclusivity and a hint of the style you get from something Italian that breaks a lot.

 

[chetalien]

OMG i have to kick myself for uttering the word- M3. Suddenly I've become anti-Z4M. I wont even bother justifying what i was trying to say.
BUT BMW- BRING IT ON -Z4M.

 

[Great Pretender]

God I hope they give the S65 a last hoorah and drop it into the E89.

Please, please, please....

 

[Erhan]

V8 in a possible Z4M? I don't think so... BMW is putting a turbo (or two :lol: ) to anything these days. I'd be happier if they were putting superchargers to the M cars at least...

By the way, it would be interesting to see that race against the 35i and the Z4M! :wink:

I don't think it will be an exciting race. 35i did 1.28.2 in Top Gear whereas the Z4M did 1.26.0... I know, just one test track, 3 year difference etc makes it less comparable, but 2.2seconds in a relatively short track is quite a difference. Not to mention the track was slighlty damp at the time Z4M did its lap...

 

[Darren M]

I'd be happier if they were putting superchargers to the M cars at least...

Why? M cars have always been normally aspirated and for very good reasons.
It would be a sad day IMO. THey'd potentially have to cheapen the M brand.Using turbo's would also be against what BMW stated their M cars stood for. Part of me doesn't think it will happen,although BMW have already kind of ruined the M brand anyway with the M X's,so if they have to break their own M cars rules maybe they will. YEars ago I read about the demise of performance cars yet today we still have NA fuel guzzling beasts, so I won't be surprised if M cars still remain normall aspirated.SOme years ago I can remember seeing a dedication to a supercar that was described as 'last of its kind' due to changes in emissions (I think, or some law changes),yet we still have cars like the Enzo etc

 

[mikedav]

Why? M cars have always been normally aspirated and for very good reasons.
It would be a sad day IMO. THey'd potentially have to cheapen the M brand.Using turbo's would also be against what BMW stated their M cars stood for

They recently came out and said modern turbo technology is now 'good enough', and also allows them to deliver the performance of a V8 from a Straight 6 with low emissions and better MPG...Apparently the new M5 is going to be a V8TT...the only reason I think a Z4M V8 is likely is to get a bit more value from the M3's V8 - they did it with both previous ZMs, so fingers crossed

 

[Erhan]

I'd be happier if they were putting superchargers to the M cars at least...

Why? M cars have always been normally aspirated and for very good reasons.
It would be a sad day IMO. THey'd potentially have to cheapen the M brand.Using turbo's would also be against what BMW stated their M cars stood for. Part of me doesn't think it will happen,although BMW have already kind of ruined the M brand anyway with the M X's,so if they have to break their own M cars rules maybe they will. YEars ago I read about the demise of performance cars yet today we still have NA fuel guzzling beasts, so I won't be surprised if M cars still remain normall aspirated.SOme years ago I can remember seeing a dedication to a supercar that was described as 'last of its kind' due to changes in emissions (I think, or some law changes),yet we still have cars like the Enzo etc

I'm for NA all the way. What I meant was, now that BMW is in FI way, they should at least put superchargers to M models to deal with weight and turbo-lag and use turbochargers for the non-M models. In anyways, I don't see myself buying another BMW for a long time.

 

[Breaker]

V8 in a possible Z4M? I don't think so... BMW is putting a turbo (or two :lol: ) to anything these days. I'd be happier if they were putting superchargers to the M cars at least...

By the way, it would be interesting to see that race against the 35i and the Z4M! :wink:

I don't think it will be an exciting race. 35i did 1.28.2 in Top Gear whereas the Z4M did 1.26.0... I know, just one test track, 3 year difference etc makes it less comparable, but 2.2seconds in a relatively short track is quite a difference. Not to mention the track was slighlty damp at the time Z4M did its lap...

Get 2 everyday drivers from this forum driving them and you wouldn't notice the difference! Actually the 35i is easier to drive fast on the road than the Z4M! :wink:

 

[Breaker]

V8 in a possible Z4M? I don't think so... BMW is putting a turbo (or two :lol: ) to anything these days. I'd be happier if they were putting superchargers to the M cars at least...

Love it if they put supercharges on them just for the noise alone!!

 

[alexman]

The problem with M3 is also that you're automatically assumed to be a dick as too many dicks have owned them... esp the coupes.

 

[budgie195]

Out in march 2010 is the new z4 sdrive 35i with an extra s
34 bhp over the standard car and 450Nm maximum torque
this is by an extra short time boost in turbo pressure
0-60 of 4.6 seconds an improvement of 0.4 seconds over the current z4 sdrive 35i
also sitting 10 mm lower than the new z4 with a sport exhaust and m
aerodyamic body styling package.
So why didn't BMW label this as the new z4 m? Don't think they will be one? :|

 

[sammyz]

BMWs engine strategy for these cars is interesting. The 3 series facelift gets the new 35i engine which is a single turbo but same power as the older twin turbo engine. There is to be a 335is with the same uprated older twin turbo engine in it as the Z4 35is but this will be only available in North America to start with
Logically the newer engine will be fitted into later versions of the Z4 to give better CO2 emissions and fuel consumption and it will eventually be uprated to produce more BHP giving later versions even more power. BMW are happy to put a model between the M3 and the 335i which seems strange as the standard 335i is a very quick car.

Where does this leave the Z4M? Well, would they put an uprated version( say 360 BHP) of the newest 35i engine in it and call it an 'M'? Would seem unlikely but if they can build a X5M then they can do anything! They will almost certainly do it mid term to boost sales of the whole range. There's a lot of good publicity for the whole range when you bring out an 'M' version. Could be the V8's swan song but if the current 35is hits 4.6 seconds to 60 then the V8 isn't going to be much faster so they might look at a weight saving regime, lighter panels and maybe a fixed carbon fibre roof to create a hardcore coupe only version. My money's on their being a Z4M of some sort eventually

 

[Andy]

My money's on their being a Z4M of some sort eventually

Mine too.. it beggars belief despite what's been said that there won't eventually be a Z4M model of some sort. Introducing a Z4 SD35iS surely means that the Z4M will be significantly better so they can get away with a hotter model in between, so here's hoping for a lightweight V8 with the DCT and M Suspension.. what a car?

If they do make it fixed roof though, I'd rather have a 635d Conv / M6 Conv / Existing Z4M.