500 mile review (almost 2 weeks)

[Z4-Archon]

Hi all,

Well, I have had my Z4 for almost 2 weeks now and can make a few comments about it. Feel free to ask anything you like. I had a 2008 135i previous to the Z4, so that is my reference.

Exterior: The look of the exterior really sold me on the car. I think it is the most beautiful car made today, at least that I can afford Everything just looks right. A friend of mine said it looked like a Datsun 240z, which I had to laugh at. I guess it is a good thing that I like the 240z.

Interior: The interior is well thought out and made of nice quality materials. The buttons all have a soft touch feel. I like the layout of the AC controls.

Engine: Same as the 135i, but not as free revving yet. This is really more a factor of the number of miles on the car. The 135i felt the same when I first had it. Very smooth and runs great, as expected.

Transmission: The 7 speed DCT is different to drive with, I am still getting used to it. In normal drive mode it shifts smoothly. In sport and sport+ it shifts faster with sport+ shifting even more quickly. Sometimes if I let off the throttle quickly there is a bit of drive-train lash.

Brakes: Several of the reviews that I have read said that the brakes are as good as the ones on the 135i. They really don't feel as good to me. The pedal on the Z4 takes a lot more effort to get the same amount of braking. I don't know if it will stop in the same distance or not, but it just doesn't feel like it.

Handling: The Z4 doesn't feel as well composed while driving, but going around corners it feels great. I think I have figured out why it doesn't feel as great just driving around. In the 135 you are sitting close to the center of gravity, and you are pretty much on the short axis of it. In the Z4 you are sitting behind the to the left of the center of gravity. So, when you go over bumps you feel it a lot more. I did get the M adaptive suspension, and you really notice it with the different settings. In normal mode large bumps that only hit one side seem to make the car almost wallow, but in the tighter suspension modes it behaves more like a sports car. Around a few 90 degree corners that I am really familiar with the Z4 handles them as well as the 135 did if not better, same on some sweeping on ramps. I do think the lower center of gravity helps with the cornering. Overall I would say the jury is still out on this, I have to try more situations and places where I can push it a bit more.

Wheels: The 19" wheels are great, they look great. I would only recommend them with the M adaptive suspension.

Comfort access: I only used it twice to lower and raise the top while out of the car, so I don't think it is that handy for the top. I do like having it to eliminate using the fob for everything else though. It is a bit expensive for what it does.

Premium sound: I really like this option, the stock stereo is okay with the top up but weak with the top down. With the premium package the sound is great with clear treble and crisp bass. I really don't care for the 6 disc DVD changer that came with it. I don't see ever having a need for it. So, if you can order the parts separately I would recommend the HiFi sound upgrade and skip the DVD changer.

iDrive/navigation: I didn't have iDrive in the 135i and I really liked the new version that I played with in a 7 series. If you like tech toys, you will like this. I would have been happy getting this without navigation, i can't say that I go anywhere that I can find or figure out how to get back home from. I am sure it will come in handy sometime, but navigation rarely seems worth the money. The other iDrive features, especially the music collection, are worth it though. I really like having the 6 shortcut keys to switch between whatever screen that I want. There are some screens you can't put on as a shortcut, but most you can. The large screen is nice for browsing telephone contacts or music, I doubt I will ever watch a movie while parked with it though...not sure why they have that feature. With the screen up high on the dash and the controller in the center console it is easy to use and doesn't take your eyes far off the road. One thing I haven't figured out yet is how to get the music collection to stay in random mode between drives. Every time I get in the car I have to turn random back on. Anyone know? I am also looking into how to create playlists, the manual doesn't say what format the .m3u (assuming that is what it is looking for) file should be in.

iPod connectivity: I had this on my previous car and got a lot of use out of it. It would charge my iPhone and I would play my music off the phone all the time. With the new iDrive and the onboard music collection it isn't nearly as important to have. Last week I also got the new iPhone 3gs, which won't charge on the y-cable like my old one would. This makes the connectivity almost worthless. Hopefully a new cable and/or firmwares (car or phone) will make this work again.

Misc: While cleaning the car I found that the wheel wells on the rear of the car are made of some woven like material. I guess it is to deaden sound from the wheels. Unlike a lot of the reviews I have seen I like the short little antenna, looks roadser-ish The BMW rondel on the trunk serving as the latch is a nice touch as well.

Overall: The Z4 is a great car, with the adaptive suspension it can drive around like a cruiser most of the time in normal mode and like a sports car in sport or sport+ mode. Everything interior wise is a step up from my 135i.

[Alext]

Is it worth trading up to a 135i to a Z4...this is what I am thinking of doing.

[clwwong]

Nice review! thanks!
A question about the M suspension, why you would only recommend 19" wheel with this option?
Have you opt the sport seat? What do you think?

[JeF4y]

Nice review! Question for you.. Where did they stuff the CD/DVD changer? I thought that this got deleted when you ordered the iDrive package, but apparently not. So just wondering what spot I will lose to it.

[Z4-Archon]

Replies in order:

For me it was worth trading from a 135i to the Z4. Honestly it was mostly a cosmetic change for me, I really love the way the Z4 looks. If you intend on driving with the top up most of the time and don't care too much for the looks it probably isn't worth it as the 135i is a little more comfortable and quieter on the road. I don't miss the back seats on the 135 at all, I tried to never use them and when I did have someone sitting back there it wasn't much fun moving the front seats forward to make room.

I think the best way to look at my comments on the wheels is that the 19" wheels would probably be too harsh without the adaptive suspension. I test drove a 35i with 18" rims without the adaptive suspension and it seemed more harsh than the 19" with. I did get the sports seats, but I had these in the 135i and I think they are exactly the same seat. I love the seat in both cars and would highly recommend them. I wish it was 11 way adjustable with the bottom seat bolsters being adjustable like the back ones are, but that is just nit picking. I have always loved the seats in BMWs and these are the best ones that I have sat in.

The DVD changer was put in the glove box, it pivots down if you hit the release. It makes the glove box too small to put the manuals in though.

[clwwong]

Thanks for your reply!! I think I need to see if I can change my order to sport seat.

[patrice03]

no rattles ?

[JeF4y]

Originally Posted by Z4-Archon

The DVD changer was put in the glove box, it pivots down if you hit the release. It makes the glove box too small to put the manuals in though.

Damn... That's what I was afraid of...

Thanks.

[DDS246]

Thank you for such a thorough review
Since this is the first BMW that I have ever driven, I can only say that it definitely out handles the SLK. I also think that the premium sound is a very worthy investment. Sounds much better, i think, than the MB, Lexus, and Acura. ipod interface is nicely done. also love the harddrive for the music uploading.

[new2the3]

Great review, can you comment more on the engine/exhaust sound differences between the 135i and Z4? Which do you like more?

[Z4-Archon]

Rattles: Yes, there are 2 minor rattles that are also intermittent, so that makes it hard to track them down. I really haven't bothered though as they are both minor. Both seem to be coming from the hinge on either side of the top. Given the sound I would guess that there is a cable or hose that is vibrating against a support of some type. I really hate rattles, but this hasn't bothered me enough yet. I might just get a little soft foam and wrap the cable that I see sitting in there.

Exhaust: I prefer the exhaust on the Z4, it is a bit louder and has a more metallic sound to it...raspier. I didn't drive the manual six speed, but with the DCT you get a blurp when it upshifts from time to time. It occurs more often the harder you have the go pedal pressed down. A minor thing, but fun.

[uslic001]

I have close to 600 miles on mine now. No rattles here. I am loving my new Z4.

[clydebmwz4]

which speaker upgrade do you recommend ? the upgrade with 250w or the 600w upgrade ? thanks

[patrice03]

the 250w is anyway very good, better than in series 3 . perhaps why is more expensive...

[Z4-Archon]

I don't remember their being a wattage rating on the stereo, but it sounds great with no distortion even at very high levels. It also has a lot of thump to it, so I would guess it is the 600w unit. There may be different options for various countries. Let me look online...it just says premium hi-fi, sorry I can't be more specific. There is a nice sub-woofer behind each seat though.

[GuyOh]

nice review, now lets see some pics!!!

[Z4-Archon]

Did you see the ones in my album in my profile?

[siscobmw]

really good review about the car, better than a lot of journalists!
I got premium hifi that is the 245w one, 11 speakers.with the car closed 11 speakers sound good , terribly good ...they are too much for this little interior,with top down...mmh.....you have really to raise volume definitely...but with the good output of those 11 speakers, you only need to press one button on the steering wheel.....

Francesco from italy
PS: Now I go to look at your profile, I want to see some pictures of your car....

[Z4-Archon]

A couple of more items:

Engine cooling: it seems to run a little cooler, the 135i would sit at 240 constantly, this one runs at 230 and that is in 102-108 degree temps this week. I am running a bit easier right now though...that could easily account for 10 degrees

iDrive display: In any sunlight (read the above about 102 degrees) it is still easy to read. This is much better than previous cars that I have owned. Also, it is very legible even with polarized sunglasses on. The 135 the display between the gauges was visable, but the one on the stereo (non-idrive) was not...so this was welcome.

[Z4 Beemer]

Originally Posted by Z4-Archon

Rattles: Yes, there are 2 minor rattles that are also intermittent, so that makes it hard to track them down. I really haven't bothered though as they are both minor. Both seem to be coming from the hinge on either side of the top. Given the sound I would guess that there is a cable or hose that is vibrating against a support of some type. I really hate rattles, but this hasn't bothered me enough yet. I might just get a little soft foam and wrap the cable that I see sitting in there.

I think I know exactly where you mean. I'll take a couple of pics later to show where I have managed to find the intermittent rattle, but I think its where two bits of interior trim join together, pretty much at the rear glass screen.

[Z4 Beemer]

See photo below for where I reckon the rattles are coming from. I think its likely to be the black bit of trim either vibrating against the glass, or the black bit rattling against the roof trim (the left and middle annotations on the photo). I had wondered about the other bit that I have highlighted (the large oval to the right of the photo), but I find that just moving the bits together causes everything to go quiet for a while... usually until I lower and raise the roof again... then they intermittently come back.

A small piece of foam or similar tucked in beside them should hopefully put an end to the rattles.

[patrice03]

will try and see tomorrow... thanks