Test drive BMW Z4 E85 2002 - 2006 convertible

The last letter

In the Latin alphabet, the letter B is in second place. And to their brainchild, the youngest, they came up with a different name on BMW. The tribute of the tradition of relatives is Z4.
To become happy is simple. To do this, do not think about the quirks of the science of etymology. It is enough to break out of the dank Moscow south, under the warm sun. So that around is a continuous greenhouse of evergreen plants and mountain air, filled with mixed aromas of needles and orange trees. We take a girl, an open car and go thoughtlessly to ride in picturesque surroundings. Dream? No, work. Place of action - the south of Portugal, in passengers - a representative of a glossy magazine and a new two -seater relative BMW Z4.
Sexual question. I am sincerely grateful to BMW for getting a partner, and not a boring colleague, whose delight is caused only by the painfulness of the motor and gear rates in the gearbox. Only thanks to her oham and aham I was distracted from the thoughtful contemplation of the in-line six under the hood (actually nothing new) and deigned to closely examine the car and, with the view of the guru, to pay attention to the enthusiastic lady to some details. In particular, the fact that the new BMW style is clearly visible in the form of Z4 - if you look closely at the front of the car, it is executed in the style of the new seven. Only if the flagship of the lineup is associated with a whale, then Z4, perhaps, with a barracuda. A powerful flattened nose, harsh folds on the cheeks-wings and a narrow waist of the athlete in the doors area. Like a certain point in a new appearance-a repeater of turns, covered with a white and white emblem. And it seemed that nothing new in automobile design was already invented.
Rodster salon, oddly enough, is simple and concise. It does not resemble the cabin of a spaceship with an abundance of buttons, joysticks and colored displays. In order to get used to the driver’s place, only a few seconds are enough, and there are no needs for thick manuals. All the necessary buttons and switches are located exactly where you expect to see them, and the quality of performance and design cause sincere pleasure. It is nice to touch such things. Although deep down I hoped to see in the salon a branded backwear idrive.
   
Having succumbed to the persuasion of my companion, I choose the Z4 in the Comfort configuration - the panels in the cabin are trimmed with wood against more concise metal in Sport. As it turned out, the decision was Solomonov. A tougher suspension of sports cars, after four hours, shaken all the soul from our colleagues on not too smooth Portuguese roads.
IN THE BAG. First of all, we are throwing a soft roof. In cars offered to journalists for the first road test, this process is automated - it is enough to press the corresponding button on the central tunnel. In the future, a mechanical drive for the tent will be offered as an option, for certain money. Like a hard Hard-Top, painted in the color of the body.
While we were driving along the narrow paths from the hotel to the congress to the auto track, everything was very good. The oncoming breeze pleasantly chilled the heated faces and affectionately played with our hairstyles. But on the motorway, as soon as we scored 120 km/h, the situation has changed dramatically. The affectionate counter breeze turned into an annoying bully. Because of the whistle in my ears, I was not even immediately imbued with the complaints of my partner. By the time I managed to navigate and enrage to the recreation area, the companion had already completely lost her speech and only angrily shone with her eyes from under what was a hairstyle before. Yes, it was not without reason that we were given a baseball cap with the Z4 emblem before leaving.
I had to install the roof in place and continue the trip in more comfortable conditions. Although the salon has become noticeably more closely-after all, the soft roof in Z4 is provided as a temporary shelter from the weather. There is almost no space above the head. But it can be spoiled on the topic that BMW engineers did not react with due attention to turbulent flows that walk around the open salon at high speed.
LADIES' MAN. After some time, the lady calmed down, played up with navigation and the most powerful audio system (oh! And she plays louder, then quieter - depending on how you go!) And she plaintively asked for the wheel. I had to let it go.
In the first moments, I felt my hair growing. And not simple, but gray. The road was empty, and my partner, to put it mildly, was carried away. Having enjoyed a powerful, tuned pipe of the exhaust system, she decided to drive. Then the girl admitted that the feeling of a complete merger with the car was converted to her exploits. And this is despite the mechanical checkpoint, which is considered a non -female attribute.
I understand her - I myself really liked the process of driving this car. In a sporting short-flowing handle of the checkpoint, it moves surprisingly easily and clearly-you can work literally with one finger. And if you manage to hold the engine within 2.5-3 thousand revolutions, then Z4 instantly accelerates even in increased gears.
This made such an indelible impression on my colleague that she has gone to slip along the mountain road of kilometers so 100 on the fourth or fifth gear. Moreover, going into the short-line straight sections, it accelerated to 110--120 km/h and famously wrapped the steering wheel at the last moment-a couple of times the right wheels frantically clung to the very edge of the drainage ditch on the sidelines.
DON'T BE AFRAID! At first I was sincerely afraid, then calmed down. BMW engineers worked well with the suspension - the laurels of the main competitor, Porsche Boxster, did not give them rest. The car stands on the road as glued, and there is a feeling that he is traveling along the rails, and not along the road. The electronics also turned out to be the electronics - the DSC system intervened in the control process in time, when my partner enthusiastically pressed the gas pedal in steep turns, or vice versa - it slowed down at the most inappropriate moment, inadequately reacting to my frightened oh!.
A new steering wheel amplifier has also established itself. For the first time in the history of BMW, it is not hydraulic, but electric. The electric motor does not take the power from the engine and very accurately transfers the force on the steering wheel on the wheels. On cars in the Sport configuration, you can also change this force by pressing a button with an appropriate inscription located next to the gearbox lever. It not only changes the settings of the electronic gas pedal, but also makes the steering wheel more sharp.
Alas, in Portugal, we never had a chance to ride on Z4 Sport - the first serial cars were offered to the attention of journalists, moreover, intended exclusively for the American market. These were mainly Comfort and only with 3.0 liter engines. But this is the fixable case-the first Z4 is already on the way to Moscow, and among them there are not only 2.5-liter versions, but also the desired Sport equipment, as well as versions with a machine gun. It remains only to wait for the warm Portuguese weather.
Text and photo Nikolay Kachurin

Model/Modification BMW Z4 3.0i
Manufacturer/country Bayerische Motoren Werke AG/Germany
ENGINE
Type/number/location of gasoline cylinders/6/row
Working volume (cubic meter) 2979
Power, kW (L.S.) at about./Min. 170 (231) at 5900
Moment (Nm) at about./Min. 300 at 3500
TRANSMISSION
The rear drive
Mechanical gearbox 6-speed
Brakes, safety
Front/rear circular ventilated
ABS, assisting electronic systems 4-channel systems with DSC and DTC systems
Front and side airbags for the driver and passenger
Dimensions/mass
Length/width/height (mm) 4091/1781/1299
Wheel base mm)/clearance (mm) 2495/150
Tires/Disks 225/45 R17/8j X 17 Alloy
Mass weight/full (kg) 1365/1590
The volume of the fuel tank (L) 55
Maximum speed (km/h) 250
Acceleration to 100 km/h (c) 5.9
Fuel consumption (city/highway, l/100 km) 13.5/6.6
The price in Moscow from $ 52.2 thousand.

 

Source: "Autopilot"