Test drive BMW Z4 E85 2002 - 2006 convertible

Gray fever

With pleasure driving. The BMW slogan is very convenient, because it allows many interpretations. The pleasure of what? The word of the latest model Z4.
 
Traditionally, pleasure at the wheel understood the feeling of absolute unity with the car. But in recent years, the Bavarians, apparently, decided that in this they reached the top, and focused on other values \u200b\u200band then other BMWs appeared to the world: a combed third series and shocking and extremely luxurious seventh. The accents have shifted: pleasure at the wheel, paradoxically sounds, spread to passengers. At the same time, the mechanics of the cars overgrown with electronics, and modern systems of systems with the prefix anticipated the rights and ability to replace the driver in some ways. Safety behind the wheel is also very important.
 
New BMW Z4 product of a new era, open two years ago, an inimitable seven. The car looks incomparable any of the photos will be more eloquent than even the most poetic verbal description. One thing can be said: Z4 is unique at least by the fact that its name was reflected in the design of the body. See carefully: slash on the front wing, the lower substetric car on the sidewall and the hood line fold in the last letter of the English alphabet; And the triangle formed by the same inclined line, threshold and door, the imagination easily finishes in four.
 
The spirit of the seventh series also hoves in the cabin. The central panel addressed to the driver alone went into oblivion, and the interior is designed in the style of a hard German. Despite the apparent tightness, the utek's cockpit calmly accommodates people tall above the average. But if the passenger suits absolutely everything, then the driver will find something to complain about. In particular, there are problems with adjusting the back of the back with a seat completely moved back. And if you raise the chair higher, then a wide frame of the windshield is drawn in front of the eyes. The steering wheel is a work of avant -garde art, a mixture of primitivism with sophistication: two different -sized circles are connected by four metallized knitting needles.

  

And here are the main keys for the Rodster, responsible for the roof above the head. The mechanism of raising the top to Z4 is fully automated and does not require unnecessary actions. In addition, the folding roof turned out to be extremely agile, which in our conditions is an undoubted plus, especially during inter -store trips.
Naturally, we folded the roof. A trip to posture St. Petersburg put two ticks in the list of pleasures from driving a four. Firstly, the suspension of the car was surprisingly tolerant of all kinds of excesses: Rogster does not try to portray a laboratory to identify the shortcomings of an overly relief covering of St. Petersburg streets. The pendant is trifled by a bang calmly and soundlessly, and the larger nasty things are transmitted to the body with pretty smooth, but tangible shocks. Will the decent fluid by the absence of the main of the pleasures turn into sports by sports? This will turn out a little later, when we get to the racing track. In the meantime, it remains to enjoy what passes under the item, secondly by attention, which collapses on a person in Z4. Together with the rays of the sun and the air masses, cars fall into the cockpit and curious eyes of admiration, envy and misunderstanding.
 
We go, reveling in the public impressed. The car in the city feels at ease: compact dimensions, coupled with the energy charge under the hood, allow you to completely forget about the rear view mirrors. He drunk the piece of iron and they will not catch up with us! On the city stream, we are moving in the style of the snake exercise. To maneuver is simpler: the hood is like in the palm of your hand, a short tail from behind. Rightening between machines manages according to almost tactile sensations. For residents of the metropolis, the machine gun, of course, is a gift, however, when conducting especially aggressive shares of its rate of fire, there is not enough. We switch to sectral, that is, manual mode, good, there is one. Another thing!

  

The masters clearly worked on the setting of the voice of the car. On the idle Z4 is quite purred, but soon threatening intonations will appear in his voice. And what will begin if you do not skimp for momentum! The roar of a hungry predator will announce the district, having lost all living things at a distance of hundreds of meters.
 
The barrier of the racing ring falls behind us, and the case takes a truly serious turn. Where is it, that is the pleasure? The answer remained in hot black lanes on the asphalt of the highway. BMW is still fast and excitement. But only now he is forced to reveal his secrets. With each circle, the secret is becoming more and more obvious. You can immediately forget about the automatic box mode: the car simply does not go in it. But manual STEPTRONIC is not accustomed. The problem is not the speed of switching it just right, but an independent transition to the next transmission upon reaching maximum revolutions. Quite often, this happens in corners, which is not even fraught with a violation of the balance of the machine, but with a uncertain access to the line on the second or third engine, there is not enough thrust from below. You have to lower the box several times lower.
 
In the winding sections of the Z4 highway, he showed himself to be a real werewolf. The car’s chassis is configured in front of the drive: the discharge of gas causes screwing into the turn up to the development of drift, adding straightens the trajectory. Real insufficient rotation! It is hardly possible to achieve a drift even with the disconnected DSC system. Undoubtedly, this nature of the car increases the level of active security and inspires self -confidence not even a very experienced driver. But the experienced will have to adjust his technique. In any case, the stubborn use of purely rear -wheel drive skills will not be reduced.
 
The steering electrical power is also cunning here. The comfortable mode of his work, which did not cause difficulties in the city, on the highway seemed a misunderstanding. The reactions of the car are lightning -fast, and the feedback level is inadequate: the empty steering wheel makes me go almost to the touch. The creators of the machine themselves have the answer to criticism: the Sport button adds to the returning force of specifics, simultaneously changing the responsiveness of the accelerator drive. But this button is not magical, and does not remove all questions at once. At certain moments (for example, when stinging), the feeling of a car, although not for long, is violated.
 
Only an open car will provide a rare opportunity to touch the speed of the hand, feel the movement with the whole body. A trip to the family is primarily a walk, not a race. You can walk on Z4 at any speed and in any mood anyway, by the end of this walk, the speed will certainly increase, and the mood will rise. This is pleasure. BMW was right again.

  
The car is provided by the Eurosib Service.
During the test, the car is insured by LLC Nation Center.
  
Text: Kirill Brevdo, Leonid Klyuyev
Photo: Roman Ostanin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Source: Wheel magazine [No. 70/2003]