2003 BMW Z4 3.0i

MY OPINIONS
Most of what you'll read from my ratings are based solely on my opinions and will not discuss deep details regarding car specifications. Detailed specs can, of course, be found at other websites such as

www.bmwusa.com
www.carpoint.com
www.edmunds.com

I picked up my BMW Z4 from the Spartanburg, SC plant. Picking up your Z4 at the plant itself allows you to take one of their cars for a test drive on the track prior to them handing the keys to your own car!

Why not? Upon arriving at the Performance Delivery Center, I saw my car in one of the special delivery bays... It looked awesome. It was to be the first Bright Red 3.0 Z4 in the Boston area. So anyway, after a short classroom session (which I found utterly boring since I've done racing schools for the past 12 years), they handed us the keys to a car similar to the one that we're taking delivery of in the afternoon. In this case, they gave me a 3.0 sport packaged automatic - yikes! My car was a 6 speed.

So here are my thoughts on the…

BRAKES
We drove the car through a slalom and did some braking tests. I must admit that I "tested" the car in a much more aggressive manner than I did at the dealership. When the instructor asked us to slam on the brakes, I SLAMMED on the brakes. I found the Z4 to stop incredible well and pretty straight. I actually out-braked a 2004 M3 Coupe. But I think it had a lot to do with the driver of the M3 not being forceful enough. Then again, the M3 does weigh about 400 lbs more. My 1999 BMW M3 (see my review!) still brakes harder than either car.

ENGINE
The engine rated at 225hp seems a lot faster than it is. This is mostly due to the fact that BMW made real good use of the car’s 6 speed. This car is geared real well. It feels snappy. Also, the car is “drive-by-wire”. That is, there’s no cable attached to the gas pedal. It’s electronic. Your pedal input is directly transmitted to the engine. Clicking the “sport” button enhances the response even more. I’ve driven a *lot* of cars. In terms of smoothness, availability of power (where and when you need it), strength all throughout the rev range, sound, etc. look no further. This is the best series of engines I’ve ever ran on any car. This engine feels like it wants to be driven HARD. You run out of nerve before the car does. It keeps pulling HARD all the way to the redline. You do not notice the engine “running out of breath” as you get closer to the rev limiter.

TRANSMISSION
BMW transmissions have proven to be the best to me. I’m even comparing the smoothness of shifting against Porsche, Lotus, Mercedes, Audi and Mazda. When you shift gears on the Z4 (or any BMW it seems), the shifting is incredibly smooth and direct.

Just for comparison, the Porsche’s (911 and Boxster) up to model year 2000 felt *very* notchy. I would have expected the shifting action to be a lot smoother. The unusually long length of the shifter throw (distance of the top of the shifter from 2nd gear to 3rd gear) actually reminded me of driving the VW GTI and Corrado. I was quite disappointed since Porsches were supposed to be pure “sportscars”.

PERFORMANCE/HANDLING
Car and Driver stated that the Z4 was a nice solid car. I have to admit that it’s the stiffest chassis I’ve driven for a convertible (Ok, the Boxster is nice and solid also). Through the slalom, I found the Z4 pretty darn stable. The DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) really helps you out here. I felt that it maximized my times through the slalom. I did play around with the DSC off (but DTC is still on), but the DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) just slowed me down too much. With both OFF, I felt less confident through the turns. If you need to know what DSC or DTC is, you'll have to go to the BMW website for their explanation.

Since I have the sports package, I have to say that the suspension is HARD. But I like it this way. It’s a sports car. I wanted it to ride hard and handle like it was on rails. The car doesn’t exhibit much body lean during turns. At the limit, the car tends to understeer than oversteer. But the car’s behavior is extremely predictable. With DSC, it makes great drivers out of average ones on the track.

So after taking delivery of my 6 speed Z4 in the afternoon, my friend and I made the trek back to Boston, MA. This logged about 1200 miles since we decided to take the car through the Blue Ridge Parkway - a great scenic driving road in the Appalachians. This was awesome! I couldn't believe how many windy roads there were. It was somewhat like driving the Pacific Coast Highway, but with a mountain view instead of the ocean.

From this experience, I found the 3.0 Z4 with the sports package to handle incredible well. The jury's still out on whether it handles better than my M3. With the DSC, it just might give me better times since I will push the car harder through the turns.

So the long drives in the car definitely gave me a good indication of my pet peeves. So here they are:

INTERIOR/ERGONOMICS
I like the fact that every switch is exactly where I would want it to be. BMW really did some ergonomics research on this one. Take the cruise control stick for instance. Pushing it forward makes the car go faster, pulling back slower. Pushing it up or down turns it off. There are no “knobs” like some GM cars or buttons on the steering wheel that make you take your eyes off the road.

The radio volume rises and lowers depending on the speed of the car. The same goes for the windshield wipers. The windshield washer jets are heated (so are the mirrors and driver door handle for de-icing).

MY NITPICKS
Where are the storage areas? The car needs more storage areas! Wow, it's got a glove box...a glovebox that will NOT even accommodate the manual that they gave you during the delivery! This is REALLY silly. The glovebox barely takes in my Valentine 1 radar detector and a set of sunglass case.

The AC controls needs to be angled upwards. As it stands, it’s angled down. Pretty silly, no?

What about coin holders? I had to use the ashtray for this one. I think they could have snuck more storage areas around the ashtray area. It would have been the perfect place to put the coin holder.

This $45k car has only one power plug. My $25k Toyota RAV4 (see my review) has 3 outlets. Get with the program! With my cellphone charging, how could I use my Valentine 1 radar locator? C'mon BMW, a LOT of your drivers have a radar detector.

The car has one-touch down for both windows. BUT, the one-touch up only works for the driver's side? What's the deal with this? BMW claims the later production cars will have the passenger side go one-touch up as well. So, will you retrofit mine? This is the ONLY BMW that I know of that has this problem. Did Dieter forget the program this in?

The navigation system was built in into my car. I ordered it this way. I have to admit, this system looks really cool and it "completes" the dashboard design. But from a usability standpoint, it kinda sucks. The best interface I've used so far was the Hertz Neverlost. This is made by Magellan. I also have a portable Garmin Streetpilot 3 (see my review) that I move back and forth from the M3 to the RAV4. This $800 unit has far more features than this $1800 option for the Z4. Would I order it as an option again? Hmm... I'm not sure yet. But if I didn't, then I'd definitely be in serious need of more outlets since the Garmin needs power, too! Also, this navigation system is DVD based. This is good since all the information is stored in one DVD. If it were CD based, then I would resoundingly say NO to ordering it again. Also, I lose storage space in the middle compartment since the DVD drive is located there. If you also get a CD changer, then you will be in serious need of more storage space.

The seat design sucks. People who buy the Z4 with the sports package will not like the seats. You'll find yourself slippin' and slidin' everywhere when you're carving up the streets. Why didn't they use the same seats as in the M3? The Z4 seats are in serious need of more lateral support. For those comfort minded folks, it'll most likely be ample.

Rear seat storage is not available as an option outside of the premium package. This is silly. You'd think that BMW would try to make more money by allowing you to order the "storage package" as an a-la-carte option. This option has storage nets behind both seats and a storage net by the passenger footwell. The 3.0 comes with the upgraded stereo, so the storage package may only come with the Z4 2.5 Consult with your local dealer.

WHAT I LIKE
I love the stereo. Despite the unfriendliness of the controls, the stereo ROCKS. I don't claim myself to be a stereo audiophile, but I am a real picky bastard with my audio equipment. In fact, self-proclaimed audiophiles are surprised by how well I pick up sound intricacies. With that being said, the stereo in the Z4 is the best stereo I've had in a car so far. It has plenty of bass and treble. You can adjust at will. Also, the stereo comes with a DSP processor so you can play around with the different sound profiles. The best feature of the stereo to me is the fact that adjusting the bass or treble follows the source of the music! So, it remembers your setting for FM, AM, CD, etc! Also, the manual states that I can connect an MP3 to it, but it doesn't go into any details.

The trunk is surprisingly good for this car. But hey! They got rid of the spare tire! The car comes with run-flats. I'm not too fond of this. But hey, "BMW Roadside Assistance" better not be an oxymoron or there'll be hell to pay. Since there's no spare tire, there's also no jack.

The cup holders were designed pretty well. It adjusts to the size of drink you have. It's better than the design in my M3. However, I doubt that you'll be putting a Big Gulp on it. It's also a pain to get in and out of the car if the cup holders are deployed.

I originally did not want the power top since the manual top was soooo easy to operate from the driver's seat. I found that I can just reach my arm back and pull the top closed. But since I ordered the beige top, the power top was required. So now, it takes about 10 seconds for the whole thing to close. It adds more cool factor to the car and people always gawk at you when it's going up or going down. If the beige top didn't require the power top, would I buy the power top option again? Nope, the less motors = the less things to go wrong. The car is still pretty cool even without the power top.

Did I say I liked the handling of the car? The steering is pretty tight even more so with the "sport" button on. The difference is there, but it may be negligible for most folks. I think I like the Z4's steering feel better than my M3 - and DEFINITELY better than the new M3. Aside from straight line performance, the new M3 sucks. Yeah, say what you like. It will not out-handle the previous M3 and, especially not, the first generation M3. Don't even think of sending me hate mails on this until you've driven the 1st and 2nd generation M3's for a good amount of time.

The 3 stage heated seats are a must. You'll be driving this car even when the outside temperature is about 50 degrees. Also, I opted to go with the standard, non-automatic AC. Those climate control systems never did work well for me. I always end up turning the temp manually up or down anyway. So, why pay extra for it?

I also went with the manual seats. The power seat option is great. It even provides you with a 3-person memory. But I'm a guy on the go. I like to put stuff behind the seat and I just can't wait for the motor to wind the seat up or down. I like instant gratification. I like to move the seat up, down, forwards, backwards, recline, etc. on whim.

WHAT ELSE DID I SHOP FOR?
My big debate was whether I get the M3 convertible (also known as "the pig" at 3800 lbs) or the Z4 3.0. I chose the Z4 for the handling and over all fun factor. Plus, the rear seats of the M3 convertible were really uncomfortable. The rear passengers almost feel like they're leaning forward when sitting back there. The M3 convertible was no where near as nimble as the Z4.

I also entertained the thought of buying a Porsche Boxster S. However, a lot of owners I know had a lot of reliability issues with it. I’ve found that Porsche owners tend to be less critical of their cars. I get responses like, “Well, it’s a high-performance car. It will tend to need a lot of maintenance.” Yeah, right. To me, buy a Porsche if you have more money than brains…

I had to take the Boxster S on an extend test drive three times. I just couldn’t believe myself when I thought the car to be slow. Yes, for you Porsche fanatics out there, I did rev the engine to the higher RPMs. The car didn’t feel like it had enough torque. I loved the styling, but I didn’t like the fact that I could only see the engine from crawling underneath the car. And finally, by the time I tallied up the options that I had wanted, the price tag skyrocketed to $62k (they were willing to give it to me for $58k). Porsche nickel and dimed you for every little thing that should have come with the car in the first place. For example, they charged $730 for footwell lighting (lights that turn on near your feet when you open the door) and $150 for vanity mirrors on the sun visors. It almost became a matter of principle that I shouldn’t buy the Porsche. Sorry, I still have more brains than money...