Speed and sport will bring BMW's new Z4 through the tough times ahead, says Andrew Hamilton
Times may be getting tough, but somehow it's comforting to know that there will be those among us who can continue to enjoy the good life. That's certainly true in motoring and the car manufacturers have plenty of tantalising stuff with which to ride above the recession.
By April or May of 2003 when there will probably be more suffering around, BMW's latest sports car will be taking centre stage.
It's the Z4, built if not born in the US, and it takes over from the Z3 which first came out in 1995. It caused a lot of heads to turn when it made its Irish debut and they've sold 559 Z3s here since 1997, but that was then and this is now, and the Z3, within the sports-car league, looks quite ordinary these days.
Not so the Z4 that we have been driving in sunny Portugal. It's a bolder, stronger, more masculine or macho proposition and its presence is far more commanding.
It's all change under the new skin too. The Z3's line-up that included entry-level 1.9 and 2.2 litre units, is replaced with two straight-sixes. The new base 2.5 develops 192 bhp, while the range-topping 3.0 pushes out 231 bhp. BMW claims the latter will reach 62 mph in 5.9 seconds and surge on to a 155 mph limit. The 2.5's corresponding figures are 7 seconds and 146 mph.
The more powerful and spirited driving is also complemented by another profoundly different feel. The Z4's chassis is a revised version of the current 3-series which includes that car's rear multi-link suspension. The Z3 relied on the old semi-trailing arm rear end from a previous generation 3-series which didn't make its dynamics thoroughly modern.
In the Z4 it all adds up a ride that is firm - as might be expected in a sports-car - and impressively damped. The steering, with electric rather than hydraulic power, has reassuring "weight".
Contributing also to the Z4's solid road-going composure, is the fact that it is torsionally more than twice as stiff as its predecessor. BMW says no other convertible or roadster has offered torsional stiffness of this standard.
We drove only the 3.0 litre version, which in performance mode, was satisfyingly vocal through its twin exhausts. Driving pleasure was greatly enhanced also with the six-speed ZF gearbox that offers swift, clean and definitive action. The 2.5 comes with a five-speed box and there's also the option of BMW's own SMG or sequential manual gearbox.
For those drivers who may err and not do the right thing, a standard fitment is DSC or Dynamic Stability Control allied with DTC or Dynamic Traction Control. Both are controlled by buttons that can be switched off. Then there's DDC or Dynamic Drive Control which is an option. For the particularly dedicated driver, it calls up maximum engine power even earlier when in sports mode.
It all comes back to style and appearance: just looking at the new Z4 is a sensual experience. We first saw it at last month's Paris motor show and even among all the other exotica, it stood out. Much of its ability to attract attention has to do with the long, sleek and stretched-out engine compartment, the snug cockpit wrapped around the driver and passenger and the very short rear end.
The wheelbase measures 2,495 millimetres or 98.2 inches, overall width is 1,781 millimetres or 70.1 inches and the overall length is 4,091 millimetres or 161.1 inches. Sports-cars are all about fun and blowing-in-the-wind motoring. It's natural, then, for the roof to come down when the sun shines. All we had to do in Portugal was press a button on the dash and the topless state was revealed in less than 10 seconds.
Sadly this fully automatic operation is an optional extra, remarkable in a car that is matched competitively against the Porsche Boxster (which naturally comes with a fully electric hood). Incidentally, a hard-top version of the Z4 is due next autumn.
But let's look forward to spring, when Z4 arrives from the BMW plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. BMW here will have more customer orders than they can meet. Clare O'Neill for Motor Import, the BMW Irish importers, expects an allocation of around 100 for next year with ex-works prices starting at around €50,000 for the 2.5-litre version and €55,000 for the 3-litre. It's hardly surprising that we are away above the average EU prices which are €35,000 and €40,900 respectively.