RE: New BMW Z4 spyshots
Discussion
cerb4.5lee said:
I hear what you're saying but I wasn't a fan of the fabric roof on my Z4M, and I thought it looked cheap and nasty when the roof was up. Whereas I really like the look of the current Z4 with the roof up or down.
The Z4M was hardly a lightweight(over 1400kg) even with its nasty fabric roof. Maybe it's because I just love a Coupe shape and a folding metal roof offers a similar look.
I'd agree with this, I thought the fabric roof looked rubbish and didn't work very well whereas the metal one looked much nicer and actually gave you a feeling of security when closed rather than feeling like a bodged together tent that would blow off in a bit of wind. It's not really designed as a lightweight sports car anyway so why worry about a few extra kilo's?The Z4M was hardly a lightweight(over 1400kg) even with its nasty fabric roof. Maybe it's because I just love a Coupe shape and a folding metal roof offers a similar look.
It looks heavy to me which was always the problem with the E89. It lost a lot of dynamic ability as a result and was considered a GT tourer by many rather than a sports car. We are all speculating here but visually this looks like more of the same. If it tips the scales under 1,600Kg I'd be quite surprised.
Guvernator said:
I'd agree with this, I thought the fabric roof looked rubbish and didn't work very well whereas the metal one looked much nicer and actually gave you a feeling of security when closed rather than feeling like a bodged together tent that would blow off in a bit of wind. It's not really designed as a lightweight sports car anyway so why worry about a few extra kilo's?
Hmm not sure where you got that from - the soft top was a very good roof - had 3 of them with soft tops and 2 with the hard top and prefer the soft top personally.9 seconds up and down, triple insulated with a large solid panel at the front so very secure and quiet. Most definitely one of the better ones on the market.
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SpunkyM said:
It looks heavy to me which was always the problem with the E89. It lost a lot of dynamic ability as a result and was considered a GT tourer by many rather than a sports car. We are all speculating here but visually this looks like more of the same. If it tips the scales under 1,600Kg I'd be quite surprised.
It 'looks' heavy??And a packet of Wotsits says no way will it be over 1,600kg. It won't weight more than a 3-series, and the M3 struggles to top 1600kg
Herbs said:
Hmm not sure where you got that from - the soft top was a very good roof - had 3 of them with soft tops and 2 with the hard top and prefer the soft top personally.
9 seconds up and down, triple insulated with a large solid panel at the front so very secure and quiet. Most definitely one of the better ones on the market.
I've been in two soft tops previously, both at less than 3 years old and both creaked like a creaky thing. Looks are also very subjective I know but I also thought they looked quite awkward with the top up.9 seconds up and down, triple insulated with a large solid panel at the front so very secure and quiet. Most definitely one of the better ones on the market.
I've been in one hard top and it just looked a lot better with the top up and felt more secure and insulated so I see this as a step backwards.
Guvernator said:
Herbs said:
Hmm not sure where you got that from - the soft top was a very good roof - had 3 of them with soft tops and 2 with the hard top and prefer the soft top personally.
9 seconds up and down, triple insulated with a large solid panel at the front so very secure and quiet. Most definitely one of the better ones on the market.
I've been in two soft tops previously, both at less than 3 years old and both creaked like a creaky thing. Looks are also very subjective I know but I also thought they looked quite awkward with the top up.9 seconds up and down, triple insulated with a large solid panel at the front so very secure and quiet. Most definitely one of the better ones on the market.
I've been in one hard top and it just looked a lot better with the top up and felt more secure and insulated so I see this as a step backwards.
Agree with the awkwardness comment to a degree but thats another reason to get the roof down!
(None of my creaked by the way to provide some balance)
Herbs said:
Depends on what you want from the car I guess. My current car is definitely more GT than sports car like the previous models. This was a purposeful change in direction from BMW but moaning about a fabric roof on a 2 seater roadster just seems to be missing the point somewhat.
Agree with the awkwardness comment to a degree but thats another reason to get the roof down!
(None of my creaked by the way to provide some balance)
Yeah the Z4 is a weird car to classify to be honest. Definitely fun to drive but not as sharp or lithe as what you'd expect from a traditional roadster so I always thought of it more as a 2 seater GT, for which a hard top roof just seemed to suit it's nature better.Agree with the awkwardness comment to a degree but thats another reason to get the roof down!
(None of my creaked by the way to provide some balance)
Who knows though, with a move back to a soft top, they might try to make this one a bit more Roadster-ey
Guvernator said:
Herbs said:
Depends on what you want from the car I guess. My current car is definitely more GT than sports car like the previous models. This was a purposeful change in direction from BMW but moaning about a fabric roof on a 2 seater roadster just seems to be missing the point somewhat.
Agree with the awkwardness comment to a degree but thats another reason to get the roof down!
(None of my creaked by the way to provide some balance)
Yeah the Z4 is a weird car to classify to be honest. Definitely fun to drive but not as sharp or lithe as what you'd expect from a traditional roadster so I always thought of it more as a 2 seater GT, for which a hard top roof just seemed to suit it's nature better.Agree with the awkwardness comment to a degree but thats another reason to get the roof down!
(None of my creaked by the way to provide some balance)
Who knows though, with a move back to a soft top, they might try to make this one a bit more Roadster-ey
The current Z4 isn't bad to drive and you can still throw it in to bends and flow from corner to corner but you know it could be a bit more pointier if it wasn't such a jack of all trades.
Herbs said:
I hope so, it's my favourite market and I also like German cars but with the exception of Porsche they seem to have struggled over the last 10 years to understand that not everyone wants mini-GT cars that are fast but have lower driver involvement.
The current Z4 isn't bad to drive and you can still throw it in to bends and flow from corner to corner but you know it could be a bit more pointier if it wasn't such a jack of all trades.
Definitely agree with this, for those who want to graduate up from something like an MX-5 you've pretty much got the Boxster or an Elise\Exige and that's about it. Most everyone else seems to be aiming for the mini-GT segment which is a bit different. Just wish Honda would revisit the S2000, that was a cracking roadster.The current Z4 isn't bad to drive and you can still throw it in to bends and flow from corner to corner but you know it could be a bit more pointier if it wasn't such a jack of all trades.
Guvernator said:
Herbs said:
Yep - never gelled with mine but that was more to do with the usage it was getting.
As a car i loved it, just not the engine. Bizarrely I actually preferred the DOHC CRX Del Sol I had had some years previous!
Heathen get out! As a car i loved it, just not the engine. Bizarrely I actually preferred the DOHC CRX Del Sol I had had some years previous!
I was mainly doing town driving or 50mph dual carriageways at the time and I couldn't maximise the VTEC so i was essentially driving round a 2.0L car with poor torque as doing over 6,000 rpm meant doing over 60mph.
Handled well though but wrong car for wrong circumstances - lasted less than 3 months before i changed it for an Elise.
Herbs said:
Yep - never gelled with mine but that was more to do with the usage it was getting.
As a car i loved it, just not the engine. Bizarrely I actually preferred the DOHC CRX Del Sol I had had some years previous!
I said exactly the same about the new 8 - that is going to look fabulous all blacked out As a car i loved it, just not the engine. Bizarrely I actually preferred the DOHC CRX Del Sol I had had some years previous!
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