BMW Z4 (From Crewe Guardian)

BMW Z4

12:43pm Wednesday 14th October 2009 in Motors By Catherine Lawler

This is the sort of car you feel almost compelled to say good morning to, perhaps even give it a gentle pat when parking up for the night.

The BMW Z4 is now in its third generation and the German manufacturer has a long history of roadster production. The new Z4 is 148mm longer with the cabin sitting further back towards the rear axle.

With a folding hardtop (the best kind of convertible) that disappears in less than 20 seconds, you can take advantage of every second of sunny weather, although we’ll probably be waiting a long time for any of that now. I did, however, manage a whole 20 minutes of top-down motoring.

This model was a particular head-turner, although unsurprisingly popular with the traffic police, so keep your eyes peeled for those jobsworth coppers.

Standard on every Z4 is Drive Dynamic Control. A first for BMW, this system allows the driver to fine-tune the car to their preferred set up. There are three settings – Normal, Sport and Sport + – so you can tune the throttle response, gear change time and steering to your liking.

I drove the 23i six-speed manual (the entry-level version), which has a 204bhp 2.5-litre six-cylinder petrol engine. It’s an agile car and handles really well and although there’s quite a bit of engine noise, it suits the car perfectly.

The 2.5-litre 23i develops 184lb-ft from 2750rpm and sprints to 62mph in just 6.6 seconds. It returns 33.2mpg and emits 199g/km, thanks to EfficientDynamics fuel-saving technology.

Standard equipment includes 17-inch light alloy star-spoke wheels, Xenon headlights, CD/radio, two-zone control air conditioning and leather steering wheel.

Safety wise, the Z4 has stability control, ABS and six airbags. It also has an Isofix child seat fitting in the passenger seat, so you can fit a baby seat in. Although, if you have a young baby, chances are you haven’t got a BMW Z4, or are even considering buying one.

Perhaps you should hang on until the child is old enough to appreciate what a beautiful car this is, or simply adopt the Z4 as a more interesting alternative...

Factfile

Vehicle: BMW Z4 sDrive 23i

On the road: £28,645

CO2 emissions: 199g/km

Top speed: 151mph

0-62mph: 6.6 seconds

Insurance group: 17-18