Bavarian Hairdryer

A few months ago, I received a phone call from my dad asking me if I was interrested in going car shopping with him. I immediately said yes and questioned him on where he was thinking about going. My interest peaked when he said BMW. Now being a car and driving enthusiast, you have to appreciate a car company who's marketing mantra states their cars are the "Ultimate Driving Machine". I've always had an affinity towards BMW's, and this opportunity to get to drive one couldn't be passed up.

My father had already been to BMW a few times and had set his eyes on an Z4 3.0i equipped with the six speed manual. Whether or not you're a fan of the Z4's skin, you have to admit that it is eyecatching, if not for any other reason than people are probably wondering about Chris Bangle's sense of style. However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I do think this new Z does look attractive from some angles. The most notable angle being the rear three quarter view. Although the Z4 retains the long nose short deck proportions of the Z3, its nose looks particularly bulky to me compared with it's predecessor.

Our example was Black Sapphire Metallic, with the Dream Red leather interior and Poplar Grain Wood Trim. The seats were comfortable and well bolstered in the sides, although I can't attest to their comfort in long drives. The interior design was very modern and well laid out. The controls were easy to read and use. Just forward of the shifter on the center console is a small button labeled "DSC", Dynamic Stability Control they call it at BMW if I recall correctly. To disable this, you have to hold the button down for somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 seconds. Turning it back on proved to be a little tricky and I'm not sure how I actually managed it, although you would think all you would have to do is push the button once or hold it in for another five seconds. After a minute or so of fumbling with it the little hazard triangle in the dash (indicating all stability and traction control off apparently) went out. This is probably due to my incompetence as to how the thing actually works and no fault of the car. Interior room is good overall with plenty of shoulder room for the two occupants, although my 5'7 150 lb frame doesn't take much room, and legroom was comfortable. The driving position was excellent and pedal placement seemed nice although during my driving I didn't really attempt any heel and toe footwork.

Power figures for the 3.0i stand at 225 hp @ 5900 rpm and 214 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm. Hit the ignition and the 3.0 inline six starts with a growl and settles into a smooth idle with a healthy burble out of its exhaust. From the cabin the engine's voice is audible but not obnoxious. BMW did something in the development of this car that most car makers wouldn't think of doing when they built what they call the "Dual Resonance Intake System". It's like a speaker for the engine in which there is basically a hollow tube that runs from the intake to the cabin and magnifies the cars voice. The sound is a sort of growl at low revs which climbs into a raspy snarl in the high register that is absolutely magnificent. Trounce on the loud pedal and you can grab 60mph in 5.9 according to BMW USA, and those figures certainly seem accurate after my drive.

My actual driving in the car was limited as this was a test drive so we weren't out for more than a half hour. The roads around Cincinnati's BMW Store can be somewhat congested in some areas, but do provide a few good spots for tossing the car through some turns. The Z4 felt like it would be quite liveable in everyday traffic. The six speed box was a joy to row through the gears with. Shifts were short and direct with good feel. Clutch takeup was also very smooth and easy to modulate as were the brakes. The speed sensitive Electric Power Steering was light yet had good feel to it and seemed to weight up nicely as speeds increased. This car is very capable of just cruising around town, albeit a somewhat stiff ride. But what do you expect from a sportscar? It's obviously not going to ride like a 7 series, nor should it. The overall driving experience was wonderful and the car seemed superbly balanced through turns and very planted.

Styling controversy aside, I think that BMW has created another fine driving machine to add to their lineup. In the end, I walked away from this test drive with a big smile on my face, and isn't that all that really matters?