Z4 Coupe vs Z4M Coupe - which is best

mr wilks said:
All been written before , no doubt be written again
Ms are good , very very good which gives the Si a massive hurdle to get over , ive been flipping between my ///Mroady & 3.0sI roady the last 3-4 weeks if you drive one for a while you get used to it but if compared more directly the differences are more noticeable .
Si brakes nowhere near as good as M ones but they aren't meant to be .
Steering / sure to divide here but the eps on Sis are a dream to drive after wrestling the M car , , sure when i'm out on a run there is no finer set up than the M steering but drop back into town driving & id take the Si steering every time yep , its so so easy if detaching .
Torque / Si pulls fine when worked but the S54 just is the one & only
Clutch & gearbox / Same as the steering , if out on a decent free road drive then the M will wow anyone but hit the town & give me that Si box + clutch
Suspension / here's where the M really wins out , very very flattering of average drivers ( like myself ) & knocks the Msport set up on Si.s off the park
Spec / like for like
Prices / old ground i know but as Si gets even cheaper £6k-£9k 80k-90k cars the gulf seems so much wider to find double for the M versions .
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Great comparison from someone who has owned both. :thumbsup:

I have a Z4C and love it, but also have a daily which helps to make the Z4C feel special whenever I use it!

I might be able to afford a Z4MC but then the daily would have to go, and I wouldn't want to use an M as a daily!

Decisions, decisions!

I've never been in a Z4M (which I need to put right, ideally the sooner the better) but it seems to me that in Coupe terms a 3 litre is about 80% of the car for about 50% of the cost?

I may be wrong on that, but if you want the extra 20% and can afford another 50% on price why wouldn't you? :lol:
 
mr wilks said:
All been written before , no doubt be written again :oops:
Ms are good , very very good which gives the Si a massive hurdle to get over , ive been flipping between my ///Mroady & 3.0sI roady the last 3-4 weeks :wink: if you drive one for a while you get used to it but if compared more directly the differences are more noticeable .
Si brakes nowhere near as good as M ones but they aren't meant to be .
Steering / sure to divide here but the eps on Sis are a dream to drive after wrestling the M car , , sure when i'm out on a run there is no finer set up than the M steering but drop back into town driving & id take the Si steering every time :o yep , its so so easy if detaching .
Torque / Si pulls fine when worked but the S54 just is the one & only
Clutch & gearbox / Same as the steering , if out on a decent free road drive then the M will wow anyone but hit the town & give me that Si box + clutch :P
Suspension / here's where the M really wins out , very very flattering of average drivers ( like myself ) & knocks the Msport set up on Si.s off the park
Spec / like for like
Prices / old ground i know but as Si gets even cheaper £6k-£9k 80k-90k cars the gulf seems so much wider to find double for the M versions .
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I agree with everything you have said...

On paper the M isn't 10k more car, But it is special. I have had my Si for 4 years, I fancied a new car... After nearly buying a e92 m3 & Caymen S, I decided to stick with what I know and bought a Z4MC 2 weeks ago :driving:

Personally in stock form I prefer the sound of the Si... The S54 in stock form sounds like a bag of spanners :rofl: - and no mines not buggered!

Adam
 
Having owned a Z4C and currently owning a Z4MC, I have made the comparison between the two cars and I think that if you can afford the M then go for it. When I had my Z4C I forever lusted after those lovely creases in the bonnet, the twin tail pipes, the noise and honestly everytime I saw an M (not often) I felt very envious.

The M is a top of the range performance car that drives, as it should, like a performance car but can easily be used as a daily driver. Eventually it will, if properly maintained, be a fantastic investment worth substantially more than it is currently selling for, probably regardless of miles, but this could take 10 - 15 years. However, in the short term, I think they will probably only rise by slightly more than the yearly cost of maintenance and insurance.

So in my opinion here is the kicker. If you do decide to purchase a Z4C to save on the higher maintenance and insurance costs of the M, and then (in say three years time) choose to buy a Z4MC, you will probably find that they have risen by at least the cost of the maintenance over that time. I think most people would agree that in 3 years these cars will be worth £3k more than they are now. In other words, if you buy now or later you will be paying for the cost of maintaining an M!

If I could go back in time I would not have bought the Z4C even though I loved it. I would have gone straight onto the M. In the three years I owned the Z4C it depreciated slightly, (and Z4C prices were holding up better then), yet in 4 years the M I eventually bought went up £5k. I know this because I saw what my buyer paid for it. In other words he might not have made much profit on the car above and beyond his total investment, but I paid for all his servicing, insurance, MOT and any other costs incurred!

So this is my (rather glib) advice; if you are even considering the M, then buy one now. Eventually you will always wish you had, and more than likely will one day take the plunge. But if you choose to go the other route and buy a Z4C, (which is a fantastic car), do it having made the decision that you will never buy a Z4MC!

Only my opinions, prices may go down as well as up, please don't shoot me down for stepping into this dangerous topic area or hold me accountable if I'm wrong!! :D
 
original guvnor said:
I think they're both great. You'll never know if the M is worth the extra unless you drive it. For me it's worth every penny extra. The S54 with my Eventuri is epic and the M has so much grip. At the end of the day the premium isn't about the differences between the two cars, it's a lot more to do with the fact that the Z4MC/Z4MR were the last two straight six normally aspirated M cars ever made. They will go down in history for that.
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Good to see this thread has generated some good discussion, can't beat a good car chat :D

The core of my original post is that whilst the Z4MC is undoubtedly the better car, but on the whole it tends not to be most peoples daily driver, due to running costs, hit on the cars value and the less commuter friendly driving experience it offers.

Whereas the Z4C you get 90% of the experience for half the price and importantly can use it daily , with lower costs all round. Whilst the Z4MC has been said feels special, has so much grip etc, equally the same can be said of the Z4C. Every morning when open the door and fall into the seat and shut the door and start the engine feels special, at the end of the day lets not forget it was a 35k sports car when new.

I can't think of many car models like the BMW Z4 Coupe, that only has 2 cars in the range that are both performance models and no other ones in that model range. , eg Ford Focus has an RS and ST but also a TDI, and lower petrol models. An Audi TT Coupe has an RS, TTS, TT with a range of lower BHP engines and so on.

I think for someone that wants to drive a rare sporty car like the Z4 every day, with low costs, good performance, commutable friendly -
the smart money is on the Z4C, whereas the Z4MC is the better investment when used as a weekend car. You pay your money and take your pick, both are winners !
 
tomscott said:
Steve84N said:
To be frank the only reason you wouldn't daily the M is if you can't afford it or you're a garage queen.
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I disagree, I wouldn't daily an M because they suck as a daily compared to pretty much any other daily hack you could buy. Theres a difference between affordability and using one for the sake of it. The sus is hard as nails, the steering is too heavy and the gearbox is so notchy city driving/motorway traffic is a nightmare and they are very loud in the cabin which is tiring if you are driving a lot.

IMO they belong on the country lane / b road and are ok for the odd motorway journey. Otherwise I would take anything else as a daily.

I used to be a country bumpkin living out in the sticks in Cumbria and ran the M and a mini cooper S. My commute was minimal but I still put 15k on my M in 3 years as a second car and about 20k on the mini because I enjoyed driving it.

Ive now moved to Manchester and commute doing around 16k per year in a diesel it does about 80mpg no road tax and is comfy and has all the modern luxuries. The thought of being stuck in traffic on the M60 for 2 hours a day in nose to tail traffic is not something I would like to do in an M.

Yes you could do it but the 'only' reason you wouldn't daily it being money or its a garage queen is a bit of a stupid statement IMO.
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I agree with this.... they utterly suck at being a DD imo... really not enjoyable after the novelty wears off....
 
The MC has been my daily driver for 10 years, in all seasons and conditions, covering short and long journeys. I still love getting into it every time and don't recognise the arguments made about it being a hard car to live with unless on an all out blast or on country roads. Man up I say. If you can only afford to run one car or only choose to run one car then don't be out off the M by these arguments, it's a perfectly useable BMW two seater sports car which has gained a bit of kudos in recent years. That doesn't necessarily make it it an investment which should be driven sparingly or looked at as some specialist tool for special drives. If you want to use it that way then it's your car and your choice but please don't portray these cars as something they aren't. For sure there are more relaxing cars to get about in but that doesn't mean the M isn't daily driver material. All in my opinion of course.
 
dgm said:
The MC has been my daily driver for 10 years, in all seasons and conditions, covering short and long journeys. I still love getting into it every time and don't recognise the arguments made about it being a hard car to live with unless on an all out blast or on country roads. Man up I say. If you can only afford to run one car or only choose to run one car then don't be out off the M by these arguments, it's a perfectly useable BMW two seater sports car which has gained a bit of kudos in recent years. That doesn't necessarily make it it an investment which should be driven sparingly or looked at as some specialist tool for special drives. If you want to use it that way then it's your car and your choice but please don't portray these cars as something they aren't. For sure there are more relaxing cars to get about in but that doesn't mean the M isn't daily driver material. All in my opinion of course.
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Well said!
 
That's what I was trying to say earlier. I'd rather drive something special on a regular basis, life's too short for boring hacks.
 
It is quite a personal choice - but as NickDE commented above, for me the decider was that:

1) the Z4C came in an AUTO (+ paddles) ... plus also:

2) Not sure if interior trim is the same in all countries, but in Oz, I found the interior of the Z4MC that was offered a bit dark (I think it had a black roof interior trim, rather than cream);

3) Z4MC had sport/bucket seats which I found much harder to get in and out of;

4) From memory, in Oz at least, the Z4M always came with the satnav built in - and I thought that looked a little dated right from the start - and more so today ---- whereas I don't think anything in the Z4C interior has dated. They both have a very clean elegant retro look that seems almost timeless (other than the satnav).

Having said all that, I always lusted after the extra power of the Z4M. In today's world, one can have one's cake and eat it, as most M models now ship with dual-clutch auto gearboxes (and sometimes BMW even threatens not to make a manual). But then, I don't like very much that BMW has done since the Z4C ... other perhaps than the 1M (and that's not nearly as special looking as a Z4C).
 
I had an M3 a few years back, it was my daily driver ( not in winter ), now I have an M Roadster, it's my wife's daily driver, she goes slow and easy in it, then I swipe it and tear up the roads a little bit on sunny days or if I'm bored, my daily is a 911 C2S. They all work fine, slow or fast.
.
Buy what you can afford and then drive it
 
A newbie with a 3.0si Coupe - it is hard to find space to push it and even harder to find somewhere I'm happy to park it! I don't think that I want more than I've got except I would like the hydraulic steering.
 
reviving an old thread as I'm currently considering either the 3.0si (N52) coupe or Z4M coupe (S54). I have previously owned an 06 6MT 130i Pre-LCI (hydraulic steering), now this was a brilliant car and the N52 had plenty of torque/grunt in the mid range but always felt it ran out of gears and the lack of a LSD really let the car down (didn't like the e-diff that much). Is the E86 3.0si similar and with e-diff/open differential or did they have the LSD option too? I'm after a drivers car which will really only get driven on weekends so comfort/practicality isn't that important to me. Happy to hear everyones preferences from a driving perspective.

Thanks in advance!
 
mr wilks said:
All been written before , no doubt be written again :oops:
Ms are good , very very good which gives the Si a massive hurdle to get over , ive been flipping between my ///Mroady & 3.0sI roady the last 3-4 weeks :wink: if you drive one for a while you get used to it but if compared more directly the differences are more noticeable .
Si brakes nowhere near as good as M ones but they aren't meant to be .
Steering / sure to divide here but the eps on Sis are a dream to drive after wrestling the M car , , sure when i'm out on a run there is no finer set up than the M steering but drop back into town driving & id take the Si steering every time :o yep , its so so easy if detaching .
Torque / Si pulls fine when worked but the S54 just is the one & only
Clutch & gearbox / Same as the steering , if out on a decent free road drive then the M will wow anyone but hit the town & give me that Si box + clutch :P
Suspension / here's where the M really wins out , very very flattering of average drivers ( like myself ) & knocks the Msport set up on Si.s off the park
Spec / like for like
Prices / old ground i know but as Si gets even cheaper £6k-£9k 80k-90k cars the gulf seems so much wider to find double for the M versions .
Click to expand...

This currently echo's my experience, though I have rose tinted glasses for my si and I'm still in the honeymoon period with the m.

You don't really need more power than the n52 gives for the road, but the s54 dominates the experience. I can't get enough of it :driving:
 
Interesting question! After 5+ years of 3.0Si Coupes I bought an MC last December.

The 3.0Si only ever had an open diff, but a few people on here have had a Quaife LSD fitted by Birds and been pleased with how it performed.

All 3.0Sis had EPAS and run-flat tyres, although the tyres are easily swapped.

I loved both my 3.0Sis but the EPAS just didn't offer the feel that HPAS does, either on my 55 plate E90 330i daily or my MC.

I've always thought the 3.0Si is 80% of the car for 50% of the cost, but as you plan to have it as a weekend/fun car like mine if an M is in budget then why not spoil yourself? After all an M will always be worth more than an Si so the only extra cost will be road tax and "M" tax on consumables and the "Inspection" services when valve clearances need checking and shims installed if required - the S54 engine in the M doesn't have hydraulic lifters like the N52 in the Si.

The N52 engine is a fantastic unit and very smooth despite revving to 7,000 rpm, but the S54 just feels a bit more brutal and even more eager to head for the red-line at 8K.

As a daily driver a 3.0Si on non-runflats might be a more sensible choice. I never noticed mine feeling like they were running out of gears - I'm pretty sure 3,000rpm in 6th was between 75 and 80 mph so if you got to the 155mph limiter that would still only be about 6,000rpm.

But as a former 130i owner I think you'd enjoy whichever one you choose!

Looks like I've been beaten to it, but we all seem to have similar views. :lol:
 
where.is.lee said:
reviving an old thread as I'm currently considering either the 3.0si (N52) coupe or Z4M coupe (S54). I have previously owned an 06 6MT 130i Pre-LCI (hydraulic steering), now this was a brilliant car and the N52 had plenty of torque/grunt in the mid range but always felt it ran out of gears and the lack of a LSD really let the car down (didn't like the e-diff that much). Is the E86 3.0si similar and with e-diff/open differential or did they have the LSD option too? I'm after a drivers car which will really only get driven on weekends so comfort/practicality isn't that important to me. Happy to hear everyones preferences from a driving perspective.

Thanks in advance!
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Both fine cars. Go and test drive them both. :)

You know you wan't the ///M though... :wink:
 
They're both fine cars and the SI is a lot of car for the money especially if you buy smart :thumbsup:

The reality is though that the "M" will always be different and the ultimate version, buy the SI and you will always regret not buying the one you wanted :rofl:
 
It depends on the intended usage for me. I wouldn't like to daily drive my MC due to the heavy steering, clunky gearbox, and not to mention dealing with speed bumps, but that's not what it's built for :thumbsup:

As soon as you're going at any reasonable speed, the steering etc feels spot on.
 
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