This review is for my 2004 Z4 2.5i BMW. It came equipped with the standard 5 speed manual transmission.
First question I sometimes get asked: why didn’t you pony up for more ponies and get the 3.0 liter instead? Well, frankly, it wasn’t worth it. There’s about a 7K difference, and after paying that, what do you get…about 40 horses. That’s just not worth it in my humble epinion.
And yes, there is an automatic, called SMG, but come one people…it’s a SPORTS car. Unless you’re lazy, or a female, don’t get the automatic. (ladies, I know I know…but I just went with a stereotype) Oh yeah, and you get to add about 1500.00 to the base price if you want the SMG. All right! Pay more money and get a car that’s less fun to drive…what?
This review will mostly compare the Z4, which I bought, and the Honda S2000, which I came close to buying.
Exterior:
Either you like it or you don’t. Obviously I liked it or I wouldn’t have bought one. I think the styling looks great and will continue to age well. Other cars I considered were the Porsche Boxster, Honda S2000, Nissan Z (drop top only), and Audi TT. The TT looks a bit too much like a VW bug for my tastes, and while the Nissan looks good in hardtop form, the Nissan’s lines just don’t look good in its convertible form. The S2000, looks good, but it’s always been sorta ho-hum in styling. It’s just not striking. It doesn’t look bad, but it isn’t as beautifully sculpted as the Z4 or the Boxster. The Boxster looks great, and its shape hasn’t changed much, and this is probably why I think the Boxster is beginning to look a bit dated.
Interior:
This is where I thought the Z4 won hands down. The Boxster’s interior looks cheap…and of course it’s anything but. I don’t like the S2000’s or Nissan’s interior. Both seemed to use cheaper looking plastics. As for the TT, it looks great (as do all Audi interiors) but I still liked the brushed aluminum of the Z4 better. Yes, all of these cars were small on the inside, but I felt really cramped in the S2000, more so than the others. The seats on the Z4 were a bit better as well. BMW offers an optional “sport seat” which provides more lateral support mainly. But the only model at the dealership came w/ red sport seats. Red leather? Unless I decide to change careers and become a porn star, I think I’ll pass on the red leather. Both seats are fully automatic and the driver has a 3-position memory. Try getting that in the S2000. Another little luxury goodie I enjoy in the BMW is that I can lower the top and the windows from the outside. You simply put the key in the door and unlock and then hold the key in the unlock position. Presto…the top and windows come down. This is only available with the electronic powered top of course. And to tell you the truth, I have yet to see a manually operated top at my local BMW dealership. But with the power assisted top being so smooth and quick, I don’t see why anyone would want the manual. Don’t worry, it’s idiot proof, if you hit the open or close button while moving nothing will happen. The convertible top is well lined, fully automatic and has a heated glass backlight. On some Boxster years the rear window was plastic! Plastic? In a 50k car?
Trunkspace is actually pretty decent for a 2 seat convertible. Partly because there is no spare. Thus, run-flut tires are standard as is antilock 4-wheel disc brakes, and an antiskid system.
Performance:
The 2.5 liter, inline six, is rated at 184 hp, 175 lb. ft. of torque.
On the track the S2000 would probably have the best lap times (well, actually a Boxster S probably would, but I didn’t test drive that). But in the real world, the ride is just too firm in the S2000. I could tell my kidneys couldn’t take the s2000 as a daily driver. The Z4’s ride was a good balance of a firm ride but without being too harsh. I did NOT get the optional sport package, which has a firmer ride mostly due to the larger wheels. I have the standard 16 inch wheels, which offer plenty of grip and just a bit more cushion than the sportier 17 inch variety (18 inch wheels are offered on the 3.0 Z4). So while a S2000 may have a better 0-60 time, I’ll be more comfortable arriving just a tick later. The chassis is stiff, weight balance is 50/50, suspension and steering beautifully dialed in Also, the Z4’s power comes in no matter where your are in the RPM range. To really get the most out of the S2000 you have to “drive it like you stole it” and keep those RPMs above 5k. This is not good on the ears either. The Z4 also is included with a dynamic driving control system. The S2000 does not come w/ any sophisticated driving controls that are designed to keep the driver out of trouble. But if you’d rather do without such driving aids, you can turn the system off with a touch of a button.
Made in the USA:
German engineering…the American Way! Like the outgoing Z3, the Z4 is built in South Carolina..
Changes for 2004:
Optional hard top (way too expensive IMHO)
Stereo controls on the steering wheel.
Standard automatic headlights. You just put it in auto mode and the lights come on and off w/ the onset/offset of day light.
Other options:
a power-operated top (had to get that), bi-HID i.e. Xenon headlights (yep, checked that as well), seat heaters (yep), , automatic climate control (nah), a DVD-based navigation system (nah) and wood interior trim (nah, the aluminum looked sportier).
Dealer-installed items include a hardtop, a wind deflector, a CD changer, Sirius Satellite Radio and an alarm system.
Buy Certified!!!!
I bought my Z4 used but certified. It has the rest of the factory warranty and when it runs out the extended warranty kicks in for up to 100K miles!!!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 29000.00
Condition: Used Model Year: 2004
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.