Z4 opinions

[Ralph Hosier]

I would be very interested to hear opinions of the Z4 (pre 09 model).
What is it like to own? Up side, down side etc.


Cheers
Ralph

[Welshbeef]

Looks wise I love the front and side & the big wheels small really let it down + rear not great.

I'd have one certainly but they are quite colour sensative. Please make sure you go for a big banger of an engine push the limits.

[DSM2]

Ralph Hosier said:

I would be very interested to hear opinions of the Z4 (pre 09 model).
What is it like to own? Up side, down side etc.


Cheers
Ralph

Wife has 2.0 SE. Totally reliable, handles OK, very underpowered. Long geared so needs lots of stirring to get about quickly.

Definitely go for bigger engined models, even the wife would next time. Sport models have very hard ride on RFTs.

[ben]

I have a "54" 3.0i - love it to bits. Comfort is great and it just eats up the motorway miles. I have done loads of trips to Scotland and Wales in it and still can't get enough..

Take a look on http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/index.php
This is where I did my research!

[Sticks.]

Agree with all that.

Is this for Evo magazine again, or similar?

[toasty]

I've had an '03 3.0i since February this year replacing a 330ci.

MPG has been about the same at 28mpg.

The M54 engine sounds great and pulls even stronger due to the weight loss over the 330. Still not quite enough poke though.

The ride is hard but the seats are pretty comfortable (we drove to Budapest (2 days) and back (3 days) without too much pain.

On initial startup the Z4 interior's got more rattles than Mothercare but they seem to disappear after 15 minutes of driving.

[cheadle hulme]

I've got a 2.2 which is a bit slow, 6 cyclinder though, so sounds great at full chat.

Build quality is fine, although the interior is boring and a bit cheap looking. Cupholders rattle like hell.

I think they're very colour sensitive. Awful in Burgundy, not great in silver or black. Blue/Grey the best options.

Ditch the run flats and go for 17" rims for the best ride.

[Vroomer]

Black is best, silver and grey good. Blue doesn't suit at all. Red or burgundy...yuk.

[ben]

Agree with ditching the Run-Flats, my ride has been completly transformed now on Falkons.
My computer says 27mpg on a 5 hour run up to Scotland, not bad. I got an average of 19mpg over 88 miles at a track day however...
The boot is larger than other cars I considered - 2x sets of golf clubs is possible.
The Engine (3.0) and the looks make it a class leader in my oppinion..

[Ralph Hosier]

Yes, you have rumbled me, this is for Evo again. I need a few words from someone to be the 'I bought one' person, with a very small amount of fame to be bestowed on them as a result!
I did have somone lined up but it looks like it has fallen through and the deadline is today!
So if anyone wants to tell the world about their own experiance of a Z4, and can send a head and shoulders photo, then get in touch.
I have been lucky enough to be playing with an M sport coupe, and other than the rather hard seats it seems quite a good car, lots of fun.

Cheers
Ralph

[klarky]

great cars but rft's are known to be rubbish, change to normal tyres. ride is quite hard so you will get rattles in side the cabin, my glove box in particular rattles over anything but smooth road, i have a 53 z4 2.5i and love it. common problem is the suspension springs, tend to break and need replacing. most people recommend going for the 2.5 or 3.0 if you can, 2.0 is a 4 pot and just doesnt sound the same! prices seem to have firmed up according to many owners on z4-forum.com.

[boobles]

If they are as good as the 08 i had for a while, they will be fantastic.

[Vinny09]

Definitely the high point for Bangle and has stood the test of time well. Coupe looks superb, IMO, but then I am biased

[dan101smith]

Ride quality on our '04 3.0i SE is terrible, even on 17" non-RFTs. Autobox is fine, anything under the 3.0 feels underpowered. Standard seats get uncomfortable quickly, sport seats are better (as long as you fit).

Carver stereo upgrade is a must IMO.

[a11y_m]

Ralph Hosier said:

Yes, you have rumbled me, this is for Evo again. I need a few words from someone to be the 'I bought one' person, with a very small amount of fame to be bestowed on them as a result!
I did have somone lined up but it looks like it has fallen through and the deadline is today!
So if anyone wants to tell the world about their own experiance of a Z4, and can send a head and shoulders photo, then get in touch.
I have been lucky enough to be playing with an M sport coupe, and other than the rather hard seats it seems quite a good car, lots of fun.

Cheers
Ralph

No pic, but agree with a lot of the above:

- Chris Bangle did a great job: styling is very cohesive, still looks great now
- springs do snap commonly (but replace easily enough with Eibach to avoid it happening again), both of my rears snapped within 18k miles of new
- Runflats are ste: lots of owners change to regular tyres that are far cheaper (£800+ vs £350), ride improves so much on regular tyres too
- running costs are low given performance (3.0i 231ps, averaging just over 30mpg)
- more than enough performance for me
- interior styling superb IMO
- yep the interior rattles on mine too!
- 6-cyl sounds great, even better with sound generator mod
- huge boot for type of car
- fabric roof excellent, no need for hardtop IMO
- the "108" composite-star alloys are a PITA: corrosion between the 2 parts of the wheel due to lacquer breakdown, common issue

www.z4-forum.com will surely provide someone for the article...

[a11y_m]

dan101smith said:

Ride quality on our '04 3.0i SE is terrible, even on 17" non-RFTs. Autobox is fine, anything under the 3.0 feels underpowered. Standard seats get uncomfortable quickly, sport seats are better (as long as you fit).

Carver stereo upgrade is a must IMO.

Actually, don't agree with that.

Ride quality is excellent for type of car IMO, much better than the previous hot hatches I owned. I find the standard seats very comfortable, even after 3-4hrs non-stop driving. Do agree about the sports seats being narrow though: I'm regular size (6'1, 80kg) but with wide shoulders and I'm too wide for them. Regular stereo isn't the best but is more than adequate, no need for the upgrade when you've got that engine to listen to...

[Targarama]

a11y_m said:

dan101smith said:

Ride quality on our '04 3.0i SE is terrible, even on 17" non-RFTs. Autobox is fine, anything under the 3.0 feels underpowered. Standard seats get uncomfortable quickly, sport seats are better (as long as you fit).

Carver stereo upgrade is a must IMO.

Actually, don't agree with that.

Ride quality is excellent for type of car IMO, much better than the previous hot hatches I owned. I find the standard seats very comfortable, even after 3-4hrs non-stop driving. Do agree about the sports seats being narrow though: I'm regular size (6'1, 80kg) but with wide shoulders and I'm too wide for them. Regular stereo isn't the best but is more than adequate, no need for the upgrade when you've got that engine to listen to...

You have to be joking - the ride quality is awful on UK roads.

I agree with the seat comment. I didn't fit in sports seats (less legroom, knee bashed dashboard). We later found out that standard seats gave us discomfort after 1.5 hours in the saddle. Since the car was bought for long trips we had to move it on. Sold it after 2 months of ownership.

Clutch delay valve modification is a MUST (google BMW CDV). This makes spirited driving much better. the 3.0 engine is reasonably nippy when you try. It is still easy to return over 30mpg - great engine. The ride quality on runflats was terrible on British roads (I noticed it felt fine when driving on German roads - hmm). Didn't try non-runflats (the car already had new tyres on!).

I bought my TVR T350 back. No comfort problems after 500 miles in a day, plus the suspension is less crashy.

[a11y_m]

Targarama said:

a11y_m said:

dan101smith said:

Ride quality on our '04 3.0i SE is terrible, even on 17" non-RFTs. Autobox is fine, anything under the 3.0 feels underpowered. Standard seats get uncomfortable quickly, sport seats are better (as long as you fit).

Carver stereo upgrade is a must IMO.

Actually, don't agree with that.

Ride quality is excellent for type of car IMO, much better than the previous hot hatches I owned. I find the standard seats very comfortable, even after 3-4hrs non-stop driving. Do agree about the sports seats being narrow though: I'm regular size (6'1, 80kg) but with wide shoulders and I'm too wide for them. Regular stereo isn't the best but is more than adequate, no need for the upgrade when you've got that engine to listen to...

You have to be joking - the ride quality is awful on UK roads.

Well maybe I've just driven a series of cars with ste suspension that the Z4 flatters all of them? I'm basing my view on my Z4 with Eibach Pro springs (which I fitted after 200 miles - I bought the car knowing that both OEM rear springs already snapped). Ride comfort is honestly much better than my previous Civic Type R or Ibiza Cupra TDI over small bumps. Only thing that lets the Z4 down is the limited suspension travel over bigger bumps and undulations, but that's the nature of a car like this that sits so low to the ground and has less scope for more suspension travel (or at least that's what I put it down to). Still better overall than the cars I owned before...

[Targarama]

a11y_m said:

Targarama said:

a11y_m said:

dan101smith said:

Ride quality on our '04 3.0i SE is terrible, even on 17" non-RFTs. Autobox is fine, anything under the 3.0 feels underpowered. Standard seats get uncomfortable quickly, sport seats are better (as long as you fit).

Carver stereo upgrade is a must IMO.

Actually, don't agree with that.

Ride quality is excellent for type of car IMO, much better than the previous hot hatches I owned. I find the standard seats very comfortable, even after 3-4hrs non-stop driving. Do agree about the sports seats being narrow though: I'm regular size (6'1, 80kg) but with wide shoulders and I'm too wide for them. Regular stereo isn't the best but is more than adequate, no need for the upgrade when you've got that engine to listen to...

You have to be joking - the ride quality is awful on UK roads.

Well maybe I've just driven a series of cars with ste suspension that the Z4 flatters all of them? I'm basing my view on my Z4 with Eibach Pro springs (which I fitted after 200 miles - I bought the car knowing that both OEM rear springs already snapped). Ride comfort is honestly much better than my previous Civic Type R or Ibiza Cupra TDI over small bumps. Only thing that lets the Z4 down is the limited suspension travel over bigger bumps and undulations, but that's the nature of a car like this that sits so low to the ground and has less scope for more suspension travel (or at least that's what I put it down to). Still better overall than the cars I owned before...

It is true that many hot hatches have crashy suspension, and I can see why you think the Z4 is better. On a smooth road it is lovely, and it does manage some bumps OK-ish, but find a 'normal' British road that hasn't just been resurfaced and it is not nice at all. Our 2006 Golf GTi is 10 times better - it is firm, but not crashy.

Of course ride quality isn't everything

[dan101smith]

The ride quality of the Z4 is worse (significantly) than my stripped, lowered M3 on coilovers.

Dire compared to a 58-plate SLK we've got as a courtesy car at the moment (granted it is 4 years younger).

Seats get uncomfortable after about 90mins of driving.

Cabin noise levels surprisingly good for a cloth top - no need for a metal roof at all.

Performance ok, economy ok, engine sound is ok, but the M54 doesn't blow me away aurally in any application to be fair.