Z4 Advice
- Thread starter tyranical
- Start date
We'll my opinion for what it's worth...... I bought a 54 plate 2.5se at the end of the summer 52k FSH . I too had done much karting but had been driving a Ford Focus so moving from FWD to RWD did play on my mind I too had heard that the Z4's were a little twitchy and had read all of the info on run flats etc.......having never owned a sports car and now with the benefit of driving it every day since August here are my humble findings .....
The car is NOT twitchy at all....it has run flats on it and I love the stiff ride.... it corners like it is on rails accelerates like a motorbike and handles beautifully ok you can feel every bump and "pot hole" but when you drop the roof and hear the gargle of the six cylinder engine whooooo I love it only yesterday I was on the motorway at about 55mph in torrential rain/ sleet terrible conditions but with a massive smile on my face !
Ok it steams up inside when it's raining, the glove box is crap, there's nowhere to put your sunglasses the storage between the seats is pretty much impossible to access - would I change it !!!!!!!!!!
Great car best decision I ever made !!
The car is NOT twitchy at all....it has run flats on it and I love the stiff ride.... it corners like it is on rails accelerates like a motorbike and handles beautifully ok you can feel every bump and "pot hole" but when you drop the roof and hear the gargle of the six cylinder engine whooooo I love it only yesterday I was on the motorway at about 55mph in torrential rain/ sleet terrible conditions but with a massive smile on my face !
Ok it steams up inside when it's raining, the glove box is crap, there's nowhere to put your sunglasses the storage between the seats is pretty much impossible to access - would I change it !!!!!!!!!!
Great car best decision I ever made !!
TitanTim said:
Is it? I have it and to be honest apart from the connectivity which you have to pay £120 a year for just so you can access google etc via the car I don't see really what other benefits it brings over the standard car.
CD/multimedia - accessible via a standard radio in bmw - no real advantage here
Radio - again a standard radio would do the same
Telephone - last car had Bluetooth and no idrive and it worked fine via....oh yes the radio
Navigation - that'll be that sat nav which is so far the only real benefit the idrive brings over a standard car
Contacts - from your phone via Bluetooth or snap in adaptor. Again had that before via the radio
BMW service - you do get the concierge service again part of the £120 a year subscription. Otherwise the other contacts are your dealer, bmw emergency services - mondial. It will give them your co-ordinates if you need to call them. Slightly more useful than just calling them via the standard system but those numbers are still listed.
Vehicle information - tells you the same as the wee on board computer on the dash ie oil level, next service etc. only benefit is that if you have a puncture it tells you what one.
Settings - again these are ALL things that can be done via a standard car via the on board computer like setting the time and date. Setting how loud the bong is that tells you it's 3 degrees or less, how the lights are to run ie DRL or follow me home time after locking. Door locks - do they lock after a certain speed, does one open on one press or both at the same time?
So can't really see the HUGE benefits of having idrive other than it might make the car more attractive to someone else in the future, however trade it and BMW won't give you any more for it.
So for me it's a Sat Nav with the benefit to tell them when I've broken down where I am (clearly I expect that not to happen but you never know) and to let me know what tyre is knackered. I couldn't of cared less for the idrive on my car, have never been a fan of it but each to their own.
Not quite sure how someone who doesn't have it can say that it's worth having but if the buyer is going to use it then so be it. Personally I'd rather have a radio etc that I can use without having to divert my eyes from the road to navigate through the system. I'd say using that whilst driving is just as bad as people driving using a mobile phone. Once I'm in my car it's stuck on whatever it's set to play be it a CD, USB or the Radio because I refuse to navigate it whilst driving.
Seems a long post but I just thought for those who don't have it I would list what 'Benefits' the idrive brings to the party.
The Badger said:
You also drive a E85 and this is about the E89. Even E85 3.0l owners have been known to say it can be a bit twitchy when they give a right good welly. But usually any car especially RWD can become twitchy if your giving it a bit too much beans at the wrong point ie cornering a bit too fast, dodgy road surface or in the wet.
metal licker said:
Yes they are basically DRL and have always been on. Yes they are separate to the headlights. It's just a nice feature introduced years ago by BMW and has stayed. Yes the changes for the facelift where differences made to the headlights and indicators. There was also the removal of some options and the replacement with others if ordering brand new like packages. There is now a nice alcantara with orange stripe interior. There was also the introduction of the orange colour to the range and the two tone roof if so desired.
Angie4m said:
Think I'm gonna stop posting on here seem to get things wrong constantly maybe it's all a bit too confusing for a virgin zeder
:thumbsdown:
The Badger said:
I wouldn't stop posting but your opinion is about the previous generation and if the cars were the same people wouldn't buy the new one. However your comments are valid that you still went for a car even though you had read/heard reviews about it. Isn't that what it's all about? Seeing something you fancy and just going for it?
I assume you clicked on the link via the 'hot topics' on the front page. We all do it and god knows what section you'll end up in.
If the Zed is the right car for you and what engine you should pick, is dependent on how you will use it I think. It is a roadster with more focus on comfort than on sportiness, though it performs quite good and is fun to drive. The folding steel roof makes the car both a coupé and a convertible, but takes up space in the boot when folded, with roof up trunk space is quite decent for the car size. So overall it works very well as a"sporty", very good looking all day car, even in winter. Taking it out on country roads with roof down a warm summer evening is a true joy! 
Then engines. I have just had my 28i for a month. It is my first zed, but did a quite good research before buying I think. Read as much as I could about the model and test drove as many as possible (which was not that easy, it is a rare model and 20i dominating at dealers). I drove 23i, 30i, 20i and 28i. Probably good I didn´t found a 35i, guess it performs very well but insurance and fuel cost...
23i - nice sound but not impressed by speed, felt a bit "flat" I think (no real punch). Fuel consumption high compared to output.
30i - liked that one. Felt more like a "real bmw six".
20i - Surprisingly good I think. Decent turbo punch from 2k revs, but still felt "ordinary".
28i - Those extra 60 hp compared to 20i is what was missing. Maybe imagination, but the sound is also deeper and more like the 30i.
The experience also depends on from what car you´re used to drive. I came from 520d and was a bit spoiled by the nice power at low revs, which in fact is most common when driving. The petrol zed on the other hand needs higher revs to start performing.
For me personally, having the zed as a daily car to work and more into cruising than racing, 28i seems as a good choice. I get 36 mpg (mixed traffic) so far and the power is there when I want it.
What I cannot say anything about yet is build quality. So far everything feels very solid and "premium" I think, but of course the model seem to have its weaknesses (just browse this forum). Time will show.
Then engines. I have just had my 28i for a month. It is my first zed, but did a quite good research before buying I think. Read as much as I could about the model and test drove as many as possible (which was not that easy, it is a rare model and 20i dominating at dealers). I drove 23i, 30i, 20i and 28i. Probably good I didn´t found a 35i, guess it performs very well but insurance and fuel cost...
23i - nice sound but not impressed by speed, felt a bit "flat" I think (no real punch). Fuel consumption high compared to output.
30i - liked that one. Felt more like a "real bmw six".
20i - Surprisingly good I think. Decent turbo punch from 2k revs, but still felt "ordinary".
28i - Those extra 60 hp compared to 20i is what was missing. Maybe imagination, but the sound is also deeper and more like the 30i.
The experience also depends on from what car you´re used to drive. I came from 520d and was a bit spoiled by the nice power at low revs, which in fact is most common when driving. The petrol zed on the other hand needs higher revs to start performing.
For me personally, having the zed as a daily car to work and more into cruising than racing, 28i seems as a good choice. I get 36 mpg (mixed traffic) so far and the power is there when I want it.
What I cannot say anything about yet is build quality. So far everything feels very solid and "premium" I think, but of course the model seem to have its weaknesses (just browse this forum). Time will show.
I think the idrive is a great option to have. But then again depends if that's what turns you on or not. I always buy cars with as many options as I can, otherwise the lack of any one would drive me crazy and have me buying a new car in a very short time. Soe thing I have done before. I don't think navigation adds that much to a used cars value, maybe just a few hundred quid
Oh dear its become an iDrive thread lol... Anyhow, I love the option in mine and wouldn't have another BMW without it. I think its more about ease of use than features. Lots of information on screen rather than fiddly little speedo menus etc. Along with voice control it makes for a lovely way to control the kit in the car.
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Cheers Maniac, I'll check those videos out when I get home. Don't get me wrong it's a nice touch and has come along way since it's introduction in the 7 series in 2002 I think. I just wonder why people who don't have it say get it or they would like to have it. But then it's maybe the fact that it's a nice option.
As for the difference in used prices it goes without saying you will pay more for one with idrive than one without but the value when trading it in will be negligible unfortunately but sell private and you could use it to your advantage. Question is would you pass up your almost perfect car just a because it didn't have this feature and you'd never had it before? I can understand that people who have it may want it in their next car but would life be so bad missing out on something you never had anyway?
This tread does seem to have two main topics 4 vs 6 and idrive vs no idrive.
As for the difference in used prices it goes without saying you will pay more for one with idrive than one without but the value when trading it in will be negligible unfortunately but sell private and you could use it to your advantage. Question is would you pass up your almost perfect car just a because it didn't have this feature and you'd never had it before? I can understand that people who have it may want it in their next car but would life be so bad missing out on something you never had anyway?
This tread does seem to have two main topics 4 vs 6 and idrive vs no idrive.
Here is a video of my 1.8 (2.0) exhaust note http://youtu.be/Hh8bXewaxG0
idrive is great - I had it in my 5 series which was a company car - I wouldn't pay £2500 for it but if I had found a car with it nearly new I would have gone for it. It improves the ipod display and DAB giving you full information - there is only so much on the standard stero that can be displayed - same for phne etc
idrive is great - I had it in my 5 series which was a company car - I wouldn't pay £2500 for it but if I had found a car with it nearly new I would have gone for it. It improves the ipod display and DAB giving you full information - there is only so much on the standard stero that can be displayed - same for phne etc
DAB is an would have to have been fitting as an option in a older car pre 2013 as it was only introduced as standard from Jan 2013. However the idrive does play DVD. Not that useful unless your parked up but alright if you've got 10 mins to waste whilst you wait on someone and want to catch up on something.