Would a Z4 Coupe be a good upgrade for me?
Discussion
I've sold the Civic now but one last drive of it today after 2 days in the Zed. The first thing I noticed was the bolt upright driving position. Otherwise, it felt seriously dull in normal driving. The Civic is a good car I maintain for what it is, but the Z4 was, to quote the thread title, a good upgrade 
otolith said:
And this is why I can't go back to hot hatches.
I think I'm well and truly done with hot hatches now. Completely. I honestly could not care less if a new Megane or whatever could still show me a clean pair of heals, it just feels a lovely thing to be in and pilot at all times, even when taking it easy.I had an EP3 and the wife had an MX-5. It was the realisation that the MX-5 was more fun, despite being in many ways objectively inferior to the Civic, that did for it. That Civic was almost everything I wanted out of a hot hatch too, it's just that ultimately you can't get away from the fact that a hot hatch is an ordinary everyman car with a bit of fettling.
otolith said:
I had an EP3 and the wife had an MX-5. It was the realisation that the MX-5 was more fun, despite being in many ways objectively inferior to the Civic, that did for it. That Civic was almost everything I wanted out of a hot hatch too, it's just that ultimately you can't get away from the fact that a hot hatch is an ordinary everyman car with a bit of fettling.
I know what you mean.When I think back to all of the most memorable drives and cars I've had, they were always generally in the sports cars. I've had a couple of MX5s, an MR2 Turbo and a 350Z and they were all in orders of magnitude much more fun pretty much all of the time, even if in some cases slow (MX5).
In the time since I started this thread, I've changed my mind lots but came back to this, but TBH I was even considering a Mk3 MR2 as a cheaper option. In the end, I don't think my heart was ever in it with the Civic - TBH it wasn't really my first choice when I got it, but it was cheap and I needed a car. Its actually surprised me how competent and fun it was considering the slating they get. BUT, for anyone reading this thinking of making a similar move, a drive out in the Z4C has put that starkly into perspective, it really is MUCH more fun / special (much the same can be said for a 350Z, Elise, Boxster, S2000 etc).
TameRacingDriver said:
Still feel a bit crap but couldn't resist taking her out again. Fantastic fun, that engine is excellent and overall the car is so full of character. More raw than I expected from a bmw too.
That looks like a nice 2.8 Z3 parked next to your coupe.Had a Z3 for just over 3 years as a daily driver and did 53,000 trouble free miles
) but FN2 (WTF that is) so overall w
r........ bla, bla, bla, blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa - ah, getting out of an understeer ditch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1So I've been using this all week at work. Just boring stuff, but it handles it well especially with being an automatic, it can be an incredibly lazy car to drive. It is great for launching off the line, just plant your foot and you are away - I know none of this is news to owners of autos/DSGs but after 20 years of driving manuals its a nice change. The heated leather seats are comfortable and proving popular. I love the low driving position, the feeling you're climbing down into it. The only other car that has had as nice a driving position was my MR2 Turbo. The cabin is very minimalist which I like!
It is quite a firm car and you can feel every little detail through the chassis. Its very low so speed bumps do need to be slowed down for! The steering is not the most feel-some, but its definitely no worse than the likes of the 350Z say, and if you are coming from just about any hot hatch it will definitely be a step up, if only because the steering is not corrupted by power in a way which just isn't possible in a hot hatch. I've not used them in anger but the brakes feel very good too, nice amount of bite and power.
I would say that early indications are that it's not as good on fuel as I was led to believe, however, I always maintained if it was no worse than my FN2 that would be acceptable. It seems to return mid to upper 20's around town. It seems more impressive on a run, I reckon it would possibly nudge 40 MPG on a steady run. This is still very impressive for a 3.0L 6-cylinder sports car.
Tonight however, I had to pick up a parcel, so I left the wench at home, and stuck her in Sports + Manual. I am definitely getting used to it now, and the car is absolutely fantastic in this mode. It really seems to sharpen the whole car, and you can now much better control it. You can now hold on to gears whenever you like. It obviously wont let you over or under-rev it but I don't see that as much of a downside. If you press fully down on the loud-pedal it will kick down if you're in the wrong gear; I've got mixed feelings about that but I can now easily drive around that after just a couple of goes (i.e. don't press fully down, it's easy enough to feel for it; alternatively, be in the right gear!). The car is an animal in this mode. The engine sounds absolutely glorious (apparently 1 sound generator foam has been removed) and it pulls hard throughout the entire rev range, in almost any gear/speed.
Absolutely loving the driving experience it offers. I'd probably say in this format (auto) it's not really for the purist, but I really like it and it suits the character of the car. It gives the best of both worlds. Its great for being lazy around town in auto, but in manual, it has a much more "arcade racer" style about it, which is actually really fun if you have an open mind. You dont have to lift off between gear changes, it changes down perfectly smoothly each time, every time, and you can make very quick changes. Actually really addictive in its own way. I know some will say it takes some of the skill out of the driving, but it takes practice in its own right and when you finally get it, it's almost quite a silly, childish but fun experience!
I was worried about it being dull but its got tons of character. Definitely glad I bought. It's a massive upgrade over the FN2 (and I'm not taking anything away from it, I still think these are underrated). I really needn't have worried; I am also glad I chose it over the 350Z. That car would certainly have been a manual, and from my experience, not a great box. I loved that car, it had a huge heart, but its was plasticky inside, not a great gearbox / clutch, a worse driving position, a worse looking interior and driving position, and was not really any quicker and probably worse handling, from what I remember. I definitely prefer the Z4C, it's the best car I've had by a fair margin.
It is quite a firm car and you can feel every little detail through the chassis. Its very low so speed bumps do need to be slowed down for! The steering is not the most feel-some, but its definitely no worse than the likes of the 350Z say, and if you are coming from just about any hot hatch it will definitely be a step up, if only because the steering is not corrupted by power in a way which just isn't possible in a hot hatch. I've not used them in anger but the brakes feel very good too, nice amount of bite and power.
I would say that early indications are that it's not as good on fuel as I was led to believe, however, I always maintained if it was no worse than my FN2 that would be acceptable. It seems to return mid to upper 20's around town. It seems more impressive on a run, I reckon it would possibly nudge 40 MPG on a steady run. This is still very impressive for a 3.0L 6-cylinder sports car.
Tonight however, I had to pick up a parcel, so I left the wench at home, and stuck her in Sports + Manual. I am definitely getting used to it now, and the car is absolutely fantastic in this mode. It really seems to sharpen the whole car, and you can now much better control it. You can now hold on to gears whenever you like. It obviously wont let you over or under-rev it but I don't see that as much of a downside. If you press fully down on the loud-pedal it will kick down if you're in the wrong gear; I've got mixed feelings about that but I can now easily drive around that after just a couple of goes (i.e. don't press fully down, it's easy enough to feel for it; alternatively, be in the right gear!). The car is an animal in this mode. The engine sounds absolutely glorious (apparently 1 sound generator foam has been removed) and it pulls hard throughout the entire rev range, in almost any gear/speed.
Absolutely loving the driving experience it offers. I'd probably say in this format (auto) it's not really for the purist, but I really like it and it suits the character of the car. It gives the best of both worlds. Its great for being lazy around town in auto, but in manual, it has a much more "arcade racer" style about it, which is actually really fun if you have an open mind. You dont have to lift off between gear changes, it changes down perfectly smoothly each time, every time, and you can make very quick changes. Actually really addictive in its own way. I know some will say it takes some of the skill out of the driving, but it takes practice in its own right and when you finally get it, it's almost quite a silly, childish but fun experience!
I was worried about it being dull but its got tons of character. Definitely glad I bought. It's a massive upgrade over the FN2 (and I'm not taking anything away from it, I still think these are underrated). I really needn't have worried; I am also glad I chose it over the 350Z. That car would certainly have been a manual, and from my experience, not a great box. I loved that car, it had a huge heart, but its was plasticky inside, not a great gearbox / clutch, a worse driving position, a worse looking interior and driving position, and was not really any quicker and probably worse handling, from what I remember. I definitely prefer the Z4C, it's the best car I've had by a fair margin.
Glad you like it. The wife got a Z4MC last month after a lot of umming and ahh-ing with Boxster, Cayman, etc.
The things we notice are,,,
1) the bonnet length. It is long. Really long. I thought mine was bad, but with the Z you park level with the rear seats of the car next to you.
2) the jerky gear change. It takes some getting used to, but the clutch travel is very short and the lever quite firm, and I guess it has a very light flywheel as the revs plummet as soon as you dip the clutch. Couple this with a bottom hinged throttle and it does take some getting used to.
3) CD changer jammed after 2 weeks
Having said that, she's off from Devon to Preston this week for 2 days, and says she'd rather take the Z than the Maser, so it is looking like a keeper.
The things we notice are,,,
1) the bonnet length. It is long. Really long. I thought mine was bad, but with the Z you park level with the rear seats of the car next to you.
2) the jerky gear change. It takes some getting used to, but the clutch travel is very short and the lever quite firm, and I guess it has a very light flywheel as the revs plummet as soon as you dip the clutch. Couple this with a bottom hinged throttle and it does take some getting used to.
3) CD changer jammed after 2 weeks
Having said that, she's off from Devon to Preston this week for 2 days, and says she'd rather take the Z than the Maser, so it is looking like a keeper.
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