Drove a Z4 today!

Originally Posted by Akmcmahon

Not sure if there are any BMW Z4 fans here, but I've always thought it was a sweet looking roadster. Having owned an M3 before, I expected similar smiles per mile in the Z4. Well, I have to say I'm quite surprised at how disappointed I am in the feel of the Z4. The steering feels loose and sloppy, almost no road feedback at all. The clutch is also very spongy and soft. Made finding the engagement point a little tough. Acceleration is solid and handling is decent. But all of these things felt pale in comparison to the 370z. I knew when I first drove the 370 that it just felt right. Handling, braking, acceleration, all feel more in sync with me than most cars I've driven. It's what impressed me so much about the Z. And just for reference, I've driven a lot of fun cars. I've owned an E46 M3, 97 Twin Turbo Supra (modded to single), Prowler, G35C, Evo 8, 68 Vette, Sky Redline, and several others not worth mentioning. I've driven an 07 SLK AMG, Z06, Grand Sport Vette (So close in performance to the Z06 it's hard to justify the cost difference), Lotus Exige, and a Viper. And I have to say I really like the way the Z drives over most of these. Of course there are things I miss about each, but up until my Z, the Supra was my favorite of the bunch. Might still be just because I invested so much into that car and it was so stupid fast. After some Z mods, we'll see how I feel.

Not meant to spam my past garage or anything, just thought some might like to know what a Z4 was like. It has just as bad if not worse blind spots. It has a bigger trunk. Gauges are a little hard to see as they are small. Interior really doesn't do anything for me. I thought the M3 design was far better. It has 2 cup holders, one on each side. Hehe, so you pretty much can't reach the passenger one if you needed to. It's by the door. It's still a fun little car that turns heads, but didn't feel nearly as fun to drive. The exhaust note is pretty nice though for stock. It's a bit deeper and louder than ours. That's about it. Just wanted to share.

Originally Posted by ImportConvert

I have always liked the Z4, but the Z4M was the last Z4 I ever lusted after. I always considered one, but by the time I could afford a car, they were all older than I felt comfortable buying, being $$$$$ to fix when out of warranty. I did have the joy of racing one years ago in my bone-stock WS.6, and I put the smack down on it from a freeway roll. It was funny. Anyway, I always wondered how they felt in the corners/what the weight dist. was on them?

Could it be the alignment and tires that sucked for you? That matters a lot to me. I have had cars that felt like crap until I changed tires and alignment, and vis-versa.

As to the GS and Z06, the performance is somewhat similar, in the same way the V6 and mustang GT perform similarly, but they felt TOTALLY different to me. I've driven both the Z06, ZR1, and GS on track, and the Z06 by far felt the most "race-car" like, while the ZR1 and GS felt like very similar cars, one just had a MUCH! larger performance envelope. I was glad I had bought the Z06, but I honestly think I would have kept it if I had gotten the MRC/Z07 package.

Originally Posted by Akmcmahon

Possible on the tires and alignment making some difference. But those wouldn't change the mushy steering and clutch feel. It felt like it was trying to cater too much to the business class and leaving it's sports car attitude in check. For me, I didn't feel too big of a difference between the GS and Z06 and I was driving both hard on the track back to back. Granted, I did slightly better times in the Z06 and it pulls ever so slightly on the GS. But for the fractional time differences, I'd rather save the $20Gs.