New BMW Z4 – Macho Muscle Car – Designed by a Lady
If you take a look at the all-new 2009 BMW Z4, it is very likely that you will fall in love with it. The surprising thing about it is that the exterior design of this great new car is actually the brainchild of a lady. The two ladies, Juliane Blasi and Nadya Arnaout won the internal competition organised by BMW for the exterior and interior designs respectively. So who is it who says tat women don’t really know what men want?
The outgoing Z4 is a rag-top, and it is also available as a hardtop in Z4M guise. The new Z4 is a replacement for both these models, and comes as a hardtop convertible, i.e. it has an electrically retractable hardtop which allows you to go topless in 21 seconds or so. So if you had or have a previous model Z4, this is a good time to take a closer look at the new model, which, according to a spokesman in BMW, should be here in a couple of months.
The exterior and interior has been completely re-designed, and from where I stood admiring the car, it looks great. The Z4 DNA is unmistakable, but the lines are more masculine in character now, although both the exterior and the interior were designed by women. What is more impressive is the performance and the driving dynamics.
For starters, the Z4 which I was fortunate enough to get up close and personal with was the Z4 35i; fitted with a 3.0 litre straight six, it comes with twin turbochargers and an air-to-air intercooler, the very same engine that you find in the 335i and the X6.
Engine power is 306 horsepower, and 400Nm of torque is available from 1,300 rpm all the way through to 5,800 rpm. Drive is to the rear wheels through a standard six-speed automatic for all variants, but our car came with a 7-speed sports automatic with dual clutches. The dual clutch mechanism actually consists of a gearbox that engages two gears at one time, but one of the gears is left un-connected. This allows a smoother and faster up-shift, and reduces transmission slip. The result is very sporty shift characteristics. Should you feel less inclined to drive exuberantly, you can use the very same transmission as an automatic; you now get the best of two worlds.
On the road, the BMW Z4 does a very exhilarating zero to 100 km/h dash in only 5.1 seconds, and attains a top speed of 250 km/h top speed. The actual capability of this mean machine is actually much higher, but due to an understanding amongst the German manufacturers, the speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h. High precision injectors that inject fuel directly into the combustion chambers help to keep fuel consumption reasonable, not that anyone buying one of these beauties is ever going to be bothered by it. For the record, the claimed fuel consumption based on EU cycle is 9.0 litres per 100 kilometres.
Shifting gears is done automatically in ‘D’ mode, or through shift paddles located on the steering wheel. To use the shift paddles, all you have to do is flick on them whilst in ‘D’ (automatic) mode, and after a while, the drive mode reverts to ‘D’. Alternatively, you can push the gear lever to the left, and invoke ‘manual mode, and in this mode, the gearshift remains in manual mode. With seven speeds, the gears are very close together, and this allows one to tap the full potential of the engine.
The designers are very conscious that this is a very powerful car, and have put in three driving modes, which can be selected on-the-move simply by pushing down on a button. Standard mode is for ‘all users’ and the driving aids, especially the traction control come in very early. This mode is ideal for the not so ‘gungho’ of drivers, and keeps them out of trouble. As was explained by a senior member of the design team (yes, there are also men in the team, who concentrate on the finer points of driving and handling), the standard mode is to cater for those who are not used to driving fast. Mind you, the new Z4 is a lethal weapon in the hands of the wrong drivers; the response to throttle is very urgent, and speed builds up so fast that if you are not in control, it could get the better of you. In standard mode, great pains have been taken by the design team to make the driving aids come into play very early, so as to minimise the dangers. After all, they cannot guarantee that all drivers who buy this car are good drivers.
The Sports mode raises the gear change points up by 500 rpm in each gear, hardens the suspension, and reduces the throttle and gear change response time. This mode is good for drivers who have had a little bit of training in advanced driving skills; the traction controls system kicks in a little later, and allows a little ‘sideways’ driving.
Put it into Sports + mode, and the suspension settings go even harder, the gearshift points go up another 500 rpm, and the traction control is partially switched off. In this mode, the Z4 becomes a real driver’s car, and it was this mode that I found the car most enjoyable to drive around the mountain roads around the south of Spain.
Mid-range acceleration is awesome, and overtaking, insofar as speed build-up is concerned, is a cinch. The roads around the Spanish mountain area around Alicante, however, are narrow in some parts, and room to overtake was sometimes limited; but all you need is about 80 or so metres of space and if you are in the correct gear, you are through in no time. In fact, on some short but relatively straight stretches, it was possible to hit 200 km/h. The two turbochargers are attached to three cylinders each, effectively boosting 1,500 cc of engine each. Therefore, the designers were able to put in relatively small turbines, and minimise the lag. Standard boost pressure is 0.95 bar, but I am sure there is plenty of potential for tuners to up the power.
Handling is superb, with the tradition of BMW going for 50:50 front/rear weight distribution. For the Z4 35i variant, the front weight is about another 3 percent or so more, due to the heavier engine. The suspension is sprung to be on the on the comfortable side of firm in standard mode, progressively going harder as you move to sport and sport + mode. In Sport +, the Z4 is in its element, and I really enjoyed throwing it around the bends and taking lines around the corners where it was safe to do so.
The paddle shifts make driving the Z4 much like playing a racing game on PS3, and although I don’t really like the two-way paddles, they were still fun to use, with a little bit of adaptation on my part. The steering system is an electrical power system, but much credit must be given to the design team for dialling in a steering feel that is close to that of a hydraulic steering system. If they had not mentioned it, I probably would have missed the fact altogether.
The 306 horses under the hood is more than enough for just about any driver. I am sure somebody will come up with a kit that can boost the maximum power, but unless you want to go racing, the standard package should be more than enough. The brakes are humongous, and the Z4 had no problems with fade at all, even though we pushed it very hard. If you look very closely at the front discs, you will note that its construction is different; there is an aluminium hub in the centre, which is claimed to eradicate warping of the disc when hot.
The BMW Z4 is, in a nutshell, one of the cars that I don’t want just for a test drive. I want to own one someday. From what I hear, it will come to our shores sometime towards the middle of the year, but if you want one, I would suggest that you mosey over to BMW right now, and put your booking down now, as there will only be limited units available.
