BMW Z4 in the test: morning exercise device

The first impression: With the departure of the retractable, hard roof and the comeback of the textile hood, the Z4 looks immediately after racy roadster. And the new, slightly crisp proportions are not bad for him either.

That's what the manufacturer says: For Jos van As, who manages the driving dynamics development at BMW, the new Z4 is a car for early risers. If the last generation of the Roadster was so well-coordinated and comfortable that it was rather used for the coffee ride on Sunday afternoon, you should now set the alarm clock and start early in the morning when the streets are empty. The new direction of the car also changes the positioning in the competitive environment. Instead of Mercedes SLC or Audi TT aims the Z4 now rather on the Porsche 718 Boxster.

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THE MIRROR

We noticed that: The new Z4 is a car that turns on right away. You just sit just above the road, and the cockpit looks close and inclined to the driver. While one involuntarily assumed a casual posture in the previous model, one moves almost automatically into Hab-Eight position in the new car, grabs the steering wheel with both hands and looks ahead in concentration.

Especially when you sit in the M40i, with which the BMW managers want to make clear right from the start where the journey is going. After all, this top version of the Z4 is the only one with a straight six-cylinder engine. It attracts with 340 hp and even more with 500 Nm of torque. Of course you can also move the car relaxed and bubbly with him on a Sunday afternoon on the boulevard - there is the "comfort" position on the driving experience switch. The driver can also sweep over the highway in "Sport" mode.

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The Z4 passionately scratches the corners, thanks to a new suspension with a wider track and shorter wheelbase, thanks to less weight and because the transmission intelligently addresses the rear wheels. In this way, the limits of driving physics can be bravely explored. The steering works precisely, the accelerator pedal animates. So the driver cuts across the street and approaches the destination euphoria. This brings back memories of times when roadsters were still radical cars and not - like the Z4 lastly - marketing-driven lifestyle bluffs, more suitable for strolling than for speeding.

No difference to the predecessor, however, is felt in the roof - despite the other technology. Although it actually looks like a classic roadster hat because of its fabric cover, it folds up quickly and needs much less space than a hardtop, which is why the trunk now holds half the daily life of 281 liters. In addition, the new hood contributes a great deal to the fact that the Z4 was despite the new format by 50 pounds lighter. Despite the textile cover, it does not inflate, does not flutter and rustle and protects just as well from sound and wind as a hardtop - because it's basically a massive roof with overcoat, so wide are the bows of the construction.

Take a look inside the BMW Z4 - with our 360 degree photo:

You have to know that: The Z4, which has grown in length and width, will start punctually at the beginning of the new open-air season next March - and of course there is not only the M40i, which costs 60,950 euros. The model range starts at 40,950 euros for the Z4 20i, which drives a 197-hp 2.0-liter engine. In between ranked from 48,950 euros of the 30i, in which the identical four-cylinder engine comes to 258 hp.

Incidentally, the Z4 is not alone at the start. In order to be able to market the Roadster in a shrinking market economically viable, BMW has but the Japanese brand Toyota brought on board. According to the specifications from Tokyo, therefore, a coupe was developed in Munich, which runs together with the Z4 at Magna in Graz by the band and next year as Toyota Supra successor compete.

We will not forget that: how different the length of ten seconds that the roof needs to open or close. On the one hand, this seems pretty fast, especially in comparison with the previous model and its solid folding roof. But the more the highway lures, the longer the ten seconds drag, in which one must not exceed 50 km - because the roof automatic works only at a lower speed. Then every moment becomes a torment - what did you finally get up so early for?

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