Z4 Advice

T

tyranical

Member
Hi All,

After a bit of advice/opinion regarding a potential Z4.

I currently drive a VW Scirocco, nearly bought an old generation Z4 instead of the Scirocco but decided against it in the end but i've come back to them, the Scirocco is nice to look at but such a boring thing to drive.

I've never driven RWD before (although I do alot of gokarting if that counts ;) ) I was told that the Z4 is quite twitchy compared to say a 1 series BMW, not sure how true this is? I'm not sure I want to be driving on the edge of my seat every time I go out.

I'm a bit unsure on which model would be suitable for me, I originally fancied a 20i but the power of it is similar to the last 3 cars i've had (Scirroco 2.0TSI, Cooper S & Remapped Ibiza FR) and every time i've wanted something quicker, 28i would be ideal but they seem to be as rare as anything due to so few being sold.

The one that appears to be most suitable for my needs on paper would be a 30i I think but I'm not sure if I'll like going back to an N/A after having so many turbo's which I love the driving style of.

in terms of options, the Idrive system appeals to me but is it as good as it looks? I am also a little confused on the xenon headlights front. Xenon headlights are a must for me but when looking around on autotrader many of them claim to have xenons, you can see on the pics they have got the headlight washers but then the lights on in the photo's are quite clearly yellow not your normal white/blue of a xenon?

I am looking at at least a 60 plate due to personalised number plate, not sure if there have been any face lifts etc in the range?

Any advice/guidance much appreciated.

Cheers,

Matt
 
Hi Matt, don't think anyone has any worries about the E89 being twitchy that may be people getting confused with the previous E85 /E86 M model
If your buying second hand a 30i will be easier to find and imo the one to go for but that of course is subjective
Xenons are standard on all E89's
Don't have the idrive so cannot comment :thumbsup:
 
As a driver who's come from a 1 series vert to a e89 35is I can confirm that yes it is a bit more twitchy but then they are completely different cars. Different suspension, chassis and power. Infact the E89 is different to all other BMs and we have 6 in our household.

Unfortunately if you've no rear wheel drive experience you need to be careful as it's quite easy to get carried away and end up with a rather big mess on your hands. They are pretty powerful cars and the added torque in a RWD can make things a little hairy.

I wouldn't say the 28i is rare, it was only released in 2012 and given that most people have maybe taken these as a lease on at least a 24 if not 36 month term there won't be many in the second hand market for a good while possibly more nearer the summer towards the end of 2014. It's also a buyers market at the moment so unless you really need to or want to sell a convertible, usually most owners hang off until the summer when the weathers better.

As advise all Zeds have Xenons and I've never seen a picture taken for a sales ad which shows the lights on, only the halos of the Angel eyes which are on constantly and are halogen so are hello looking. Clearly if you found that the xenon on were not to your liking you could alway shell out a few hundred for new bulbs more to your liking. Personally I find the light output very bright and white and feel no need to go to stupid levels like a lot of people with aftermarket HIDs.

As for a facelift this came in 2013 and so unless you are looking to compromise on spec you won't find a facelift car for the same price as a 2010 model clearly.

What appeals to you about the idrive system? To be honest it's a nice to have but frankly unless you feel you need a very expensive satnav it actually doesn't bring much more to the table. If you were buying new you would have the online stuff for 36 months but more than likely this will have been activated and if you want it it'll be 120 a year.
Ideally I would suggest that you pop to a dealership and try the car to see how it feels, even the seating position is different from most cars and can take a bit of getting used to.

Given your past car history the running costs of a Zed will differ greatly from servicing to insurance to tyres. Unfortunately for some people they forget that once they've got a car they need to ensure they have the funds to maintain it and if something does go wrong and you've no warranty BMW dealers charge on average £147 an hour labour so costs can easily mount up

One things for sure.......it's not a boring drive! Best car I have ever owned. Even the other half loves it more than his car and he has a GTR
 
I drive a 35i and it's pretty much the most complete car I've had. I will go as far to say on a practical level it's better than a a boxster in that it has a folding hard roof.....and I don't care what anyone says, fabric roofs don't stay looking great for years on end....

The only thing I have issues with is that the alloys crack and I never get better than 20mpg, but then again I live in London, and have a very very heavy right foot... :cry:

It's powerful, can accelerate with a ferocious pace and looks nothing short of amazing

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My two penny's worth

Ditch the run-flats at the first opportunity and you will have a different car, this makes a huge difference to the ride, especially on larger diameter wheels and also aids traction.

The 3.0l is a great engine, lots of low down torque, I haven't driven the 28i so I cannot comment on the difference but others have and worth having a search for. However when a manufacturer feels that they have to pipe fake sound into the cabin to make the engine sound better you know somethings wrong.

As for RWD, it matters not what gizmos they come up with, you can't change the laws of physics, as you accelerate mass transfers to the back, this helps a RWD car and hinders a FWD car.

The standard stereo is rubbish, no seriously rubbish, 25W x 4, through 6 speakers, if you have any passion for music make sure the car has one of the optioned speaker packages, you can tell by the inclusion of large speakers behind the seats

Good luck and you won't be disappointed
 
Hi Matt (another CS member coming over here, crazy)

I'd go for either the 3.0 or the 35, any thing less and you'll be disappointed if you want a decent amount of power. I really love the new ones of late, so I'm seriously jealous.

Get out and test drive a couple, you'll soon see which engine is for you.
 
Once you've heard the sound of the straight 6 over a 4 cylinder a 4 cylinder will not come close! I had even considered a 23i just to get a 6 cylinder but opted for a 3.0l instead. So much better, so smooth and effortless. A great drivers car
 
Hi - I have just moved from a scirocco to the Z4 PM me if you have any questions - also there is a lot of debate between 4 and 6 cylinder - saying one is better than the other - with the 4 you are getting a newer car and I test drove both and didnt find much difference - the sound from mine is quite nice (from the outside) - I stuck my gopro on the back of the car the other day and it sounded great - I need to do it again before posting the video here as I had it too high and there was too much wind noise.

Lights changed from yellow to white in the update.

You will find the ride firmer than the scirroco with a bit of shake - its convertable and if you get one with original tyres - they will be run flats which my scirocco certainly didn't have.

Did you have manual or DSG on the scirroco - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRwfvnDt7BA - this video made up my mind for DSG when I got the VW - the BMW auto is not as good as the VW

Anyway PM if you have any questions
 
Just to add to the above as advised the halos which actually add no value to the colour the xenon produce were changed from halogen to led in the facelift however you can buy a upgrade for this of you so wish. About £50 from ebay and the likes.

As for the 4 cylinders being 'newer' cars, bmw originally said the z4 would not be a 4 cylinder and then changed their mind however the 20i has been produced since 2011 and the 28i replaced the 6 cylinder 23i in 2012 as prev advised. However as the 18i and 20i seem to be mass produced going for a 30i will be a rarer car

With regards to an auto depending on the model will depend on the system provided. The 18i and 20i have the standard 6 speed the 28i & 30i now have the 8 speed and the 35i and 35is have the 7 speed double clutch basically the DSG. However older 30i will have a 6 speed auto box if spec'd. It's alright but not as good as the 7 speed.

As for sound 4 vs 6 it's each to their own however as someone who's owned BM 4 cylinders and 6 cylinders the newer 4 cylinders as available in the Z sound very ticky and almost like a diesel. My last car was a new engine 4 cylinder and everytime I heard the 6 cylinder there was no mistake of the lovely growl it makes and I actually regretted the move from a 6 to a 4 but it served me well.

We can give you all the 'advice' you want but only you can really make up your mind once you've driven one.
 
Stan1970 said:
1.8 and 2.0 have 8 speed. Non double clutch
Click to expand...

Apologies, this was available from 2012 I believe. As the poster is looking for a used vehicle around 2010 possibly 2011 it would be a 6 speed if auto and yes it won't be a dual clutch as that's only available in the 7 speed in the 35i and 35is again as already advised and hence why these models with the auto box are the quickest.

However I don't think an auto was mentioned as a requirement but good to add just incase he finds one with it.

We also need to bare in mind that 4 cylinders only made an appearance from 2011
 
Stan1970 said:
Sorry if I was a bit blunt. Was on my phone and waiting to pick up
Someone from a late train
Click to expand...

I had assumed you had possibly just scanned the posts as we all do sometimes.

Anyways where is the poster to this thread? Possibly busy but I know that when I ask for some help on a forum I pop on at least once a day of not a few times. It's not like this forum is dead unlike some others out there. Maybe he's already made up his mind :thumbsup:
 
I wandered when the 6 cyl is better than the 4 cyl comments would surface :roll: :poke:

Each engine has its merits and its down to what you value. The 4 cylinders are just as good as the 6 so don't be put off by the comments. The 4s are more economical and torquey than the 6s but just not as audibly pleasing, although in all honesty there isn't that much in it.

As for the runflats again its a case of trying and see what you think, many value the advantages RFs have over standard tyres regardless of what the anti runflat brigade might have you think. Its down to your personal choice, some prefer a slight increase in comfort standard tyres give whereas others prefer the safety aspect.

The idrive although I don't have it is much more than just a glorified sat nav so worth having if you can get it.

I'm unsure if the stardard ICE is the business unit but the professional unit is more than acceptable.

Good luck with your search.

Tim.
 
Hi all,

Thanks for the responses so far, given me some stuff to think about.

The xenon thing is confusing me how can you have yellow halos on xenon headlights? Or are the halos not the headlights? :S

Still not really any further on with which one to get. What was changed in the facelift in 2013?
 
The halos are the circles around the lights. Like LEDs that have appeared on many cars the last few years. You must have seen them on bmw's. 4 circles in your rear view mirror ;)
 
tyranical said:
Hi all,

Thanks for the responses so far, given me some stuff to think about.

The xenon thing is confusing me how can you have yellow halos on xenon headlights? Or are the halos not the headlights? :S

Still not really any further on with which one to get. What was changed in the facelift in 2013?
Click to expand...
Hope I'm correct with this but the halo's are only daylight running lights with no connection to the headlights :?
Think the face lift was only minor with just the design of the headlight and side indicators changing
 
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