Shmee has released a first look video

[john-e89]

It looked better with the black and white camouflage than in any colour seen so far.

Looks like the bastard offspring of an unmentionable weekend threesome with an S2000, SLK and a Fiat Spyder.

This car was to be a Boxster rival? Wonder how long the sales people at Porsche will take to stop laughing.

The front, the back, the middle? Which is worse?

Interior for the Bluetooth generation. Ok if you like gadgets. Probably ok to live with.

The same guy who scribbled this abomination also designed the 1 or 2 series suv pretendy off roader bollocks thing. That should have given BMW enough of a warning. Perhaps he's never seen a convertible before and it was a last minute design on a Sunday night after being on the beer, whisky and German hookers all weekend.

Ugly, ugly, ugly, ugly and ugly!

That's my last comment on this monstrosity. I'll just pretend it doesn't exist from now on as BMW ended production of the Z4 in 2009.

And how does it drive...?? Any idea...?? Or are we poo pooing it purely on looks?

My 981 looks a pile s**t...I don’t like the looks of it but damn it’s a cracking car to drive..

It could be the best car to drive in the history of man but it doesn't exist to me anymore as it's just so fugly.

How was your experience driving it? Better than the Porsche? Worse? Same?

I haven’t driven it just as you haven’t, but I’m not condemning it purely on looks. If you don’t like it without having driven it that’s fine obviously.

 

[MrPT]

I'm not seeing anything particularly "wrong" with the side profile... :? Looks are always subjective.

PH-8230099928.jpg

Relative to it's overall length, those wheels are too close together - they need to be pushed out to the extremities. The rears particularly look too far in.

Yeah, compared to the concept it’s gained front overhang and lost the slight bonnet bulge that was a characteristic of the E86 and E89.

Early vids were very complimentary re the handling. Hopefully the straight line performance won’t matter too much.

 

[SpiketheBike]

Posted this using quick reply before, which doesn't seem to work. So apologies if this appears more than once.
I think it looks like the illegitimate love child of an F Type and an SLK, incorporating the worst of both. Back end is too high, and bland. Something not right with the front end, not quite sure what. Dont like the bonnet or grilles. Can't stand Shmee either. :lol:

 

[tomscott]

I think it looks and sounds really rather nice.

Much better compromise to the E89 over E85. Somewhere in the middle, dont think it will be a cayman boxster beater but it will fit somewhere in-between.

 

[philbo909]

I'm not seeing anything particularly "wrong" with the side profile... :? Looks are always subjective.

PH-8230099928.jpg

No I don't understand the side profile issue, and the rear looks better than the e89
Just the headlights I don't like, should have been less vertical

 

[sars]

It's funny to hear someone griping about 1500 kg being excessively heavy for a car, the 2.5 litre PDK Boxster's unladen weight (EC) is 1460 kg (source Porsche UK technical page for Boxster S) and I don't think I've heard anyone say that's lardy! If you want something light buy an MX-5 or a lotus.

Also manufacturers performance figures are minimum values, so it's unsurprising that the E89 when tested by EVO was quicker than published data. Both cars have similar torque levels, the G29 is allegedly lighter by 50 kg so one would expect slightly better acceleration but really that's going to be down to gearing more than anything else.

So much negativity before we've actually seen it in the flesh or driven it.....hmmm, just like the E89 when it replaced the E85 :lol:

 

[Z4 Beemer]

Indeed sars, the negative comments are slightly amusing. Like you, I’ve owned the E85 and E89, both great cars in their day, with their own unique positives. The G29 moves things on, it’s fresh, modern and technically advanced.

 

[TitanTim]

I don't think BMW will ever make a nimble sports roadster, I imagine the American Market dictates boulevard cruiser like the old model. I still wished BMW would make the Z4 smaller aka Z3 size and give it the nimbleness of an MX5 to make it a bonefide sports car. Its too similar to the old model except theyve tried saving weight with a rag top. Of course as said we don't know how it drives but I'm honestly not expecting anything exciting.

Tim.

 

[ErrErrminator]

Looks ok. Some overly fussy details, but that just seems the way styling is going a lot these days.

One thing I do really dislike about these demo/press cars is the the finish. What is it with matt paint (or vinyl wrap, whatever)? I think it looks awful and does the car no favours at all.

 

[GuidoK]

It's funny to hear someone griping about 1500 kg being excessively heavy for a car, the 2.5 litre PDK Boxster's unladen weight (EC) is 1460 kg (source Porsche UK technical page for Boxster S) and I don't think I've heard anyone say that's lardy!

Then you havent read reviews of say a car like the new alpine.
Btw the ec weight of the z4 35is is 1600kg, so if this ones 50kg lighter, the ec weight will be 1550kg

 

[DOOM]

firstly, in my eyes it's a E89 facelift. Especially if you look at it from the side.
As lots of you say, maybe it's a grower but that never actually happened with the E89.
Interior is not as beautifully and plainly simplistic as my Z4Cs' is, a bit fuzzy -to say the least- as I see it.
A no, from me. Unfortunately. Or maybe not so unfortunately.. :evil:

p.s. I can tolerate DeMuro cause his quirky stupidity helps me sleep.
I cannot watch a second, though, from Shmee and that overseas dude Vehicle Virgins. I even find Mr. JWW annoying.
Tavarish and Tyler Hoover seem nice blokes though.

 

[Angelus666]

I think it looks quite good for a 2018 car, not an instant beauty but it might be a grower. The times are different today so it's really hard to compare it to previous models with different environment and regulations to work towards. My question would be would you order this over it's competitors today...? How does the 2018 TT, Boxster, and SLC compare to this Z4....which would you order?

 

[TitanTim]

Do people find the likes of Schmee and MrJWW annoying because they are basically filthy rich and can afford anything they want?

Good luck to them I say, at least they have interesting content and don't come across as amateurs as most, the only one that does annoy me is Seb Delaney as he comes across as freeloading bum living off the back of his parents in Monaco.

Tim.

 

[Angelus666]

Those guys have created nice business models that merge with their passion. They'll easily pick up £20k a month from the advertising revenue alone. However, since the brands have begun to loan the free cars to promote they have all become less authentic and it's all very contrived.....i.e. see Car Throttle link up with Shell V Power....actually cringe-worthy content that lost my 'subscription'.

 

[Nictrix]

Those guys have created nice business models that merge with their passion. They'll easily pick up £20k a month from the advertising revenue alone. However, since the brands have begun to loan the free cars to promote they have all become less authentic and it's all very contrived.....i.e. see Car Throttle link up with Shell V Power....actually cringe-worthy content that lost my 'subscription'.

As soon as anybody is paid to do a review you can take what they say with a pinch of salt.
This years "must have" is next years "don't touch it with a bargepole"
I used to read bike mags and they all ended up the same, the new model was brilliant and blew everything into the weeds.
Later in the year the reviews were completely different with the same tester slating it.

 

[Z4C_er]

shmee just really grinds my gears, same as that vehicle virgins guy
as for the car, not a fan of the headlights, but otherwise it looks pretty good... not e86 good of course

Annoys the tish out of me....

 

[philip27]

I can't decide if I like it at the moment need to see one in the flesh. Not a big fan of the matte look colours either.

I was unsure on the concept until I saw it at Goodwood have a feeling it could be the same with the production model.

Can still see me in a Z4 again at some point though the M itch still pops up every so often haha.

 

[djstan]

Well I'm still intending to go to the Paris Motor Show in October to have a look at it

 

[DOOM]

Do people find the likes of Schmee and MrJWW annoying because they are basically filthy rich and can afford anything they want?

being cool and/or watchable isn't measured in a wallet thickness unit, no?

 

[sars]

It's funny to hear someone griping about 1500 kg being excessively heavy for a car, the 2.5 litre PDK Boxster's unladen weight (EC) is 1460 kg (source Porsche UK technical page for Boxster S) and I don't think I've heard anyone say that's lardy!

Then you havent read reviews of say a car like the new alpine.
Btw the ec weight of the z4 35is is 1600kg, so if this ones 50kg lighter, the ec weight will be 1550kg

And that's a fair point, the alpine is very light, and has indeed had rave reviews, probably being a better sports car than a Cayman, but that extra £10k price hike over the Z4 comes from being made pretty much entirely of aluminium and I applaud them for it. My comment was that we don't class the Boxster as porky and yet you did over the G29.

As for the E89 35is weight difference, we are assuming the stated 1500 kg is for the M40i variant G29, but we don't actually know until the full specification is published at the Paris Motor show in October. So let's wait before we start bitching about how porky it actually is and just welcome the fact that they have tried to make it lighter.