My New Car : BMW Z4 Coupe - Mini Review

neilw said:
It' probably worth waiting for one with the upgraded system to come up for sale then? Having said that I expect its betterthan the standard system in my Polo. I need to have a listen I think.
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I wouldn't hold out for a car with the uprated system. If you find the right car (mechanically, colour, spec etc) go for it. There is a site which sells uprated speakers/audio kit specifically for BMW's. I believe the kit for the Z4 is in the region of £250.
 
daveydave said:
Nope it is the same on the roadster, coupe and M derivatives. It increases the amount of throttle at any given point on the pedal compared to when sport mode is disengaged.

What you will probably find, is that because you are hurtling along faster, your steering inputs yield a bigger response. Giving the impression something has changed in the steering department, but I can assure you the steering is completely unaffected.

Edit - Foot out of mouth! It appears the electric steering non-M's do see a change in the steering. Sorry chaps!
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Ahh, yours is an M, that explains it! The M doesn't have the electric assisted steering and uses the normal hydraulic power steering instead. I was confused for a minute there :p
 
neilw said:
It' probably worth waiting for one with the upgraded system to come up for sale then? Having said that I expect its betterthan the standard system in my Polo. I need to have a listen I think.
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The upgraded system on my Z4 was a massive improvement. I'd be sceptical about any £250 aftermarket system performing as well. Although if you get the hi-fi option I'd look for one with the flip up nav screen as well for the equalisation (plus of course ipod with intravee) functionality.
 
daveydave said:
Edit - Foot out of mouth! It appears the electric steering non-M's do see a change in the steering. Sorry chaps!
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Ah that is good to know. I was beginning to think there may have been something wrong with my car :p

daveydave said:
I wouldn't hold out for a car with the uprated system. If you find the right car (mechanically, colour, spec etc) go for it. There is a site which sells uprated speakers/audio kit specifically for BMW's. I believe the kit for the Z4 is in the region of £250.
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The stock system isn't that bad tbh. However I will echo what daveydave said and get a nice one, not one just because it has one item of spec that you may want.

Daveydave, Do you have a like to the site you mentioned?
 
Look lovely :)

This would be the natural upgrade from my Z3, but I don't think the standard Z4 is that much of an upgrade. Mine reaches 62 in 6s and handles really well, whilst being comfortable. I really need to get and drive one like yours, but it might make my Z3 seem **** :o
 
Had a little play in one of these today, albeit an auto.

It's exactly what I thought it'd be: A bigger, more refined and perhaps more grown-up version of what I've got.
Tell you what though - the rear visibility (or lack thereof) is shocking.

Fantastic car, very controllable slides (even with the dealer in the passenger seat).
I think I'll have to have an Z4 M next though. The Z4 3.0si isn't enough of an upgrade to justify the cost to change (~10k)
 
Looks very well in that colour.

Shame they put that stubby aerial on should have put a shark fin on the roof.
 
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Congratulations on what is a fantastic choice of car. The Si engine is super sweet in the Z4. The handling with that magnesium alloy engine is sublime . They sound great also, especially with a few miles under its belt (20-30k). The runflats can sometimes be annoying though.

Someone else in this thread mentioned the poor rear visibility. I've read that comment a few times in mag or press articles but I tend to disagree. Yes the rear screen can show a low-ish view of the road behind especially if the driver is tall but the shape of the car and the design of the side mirrors mean that if you position the side mirrors correctly they are awesome, you can see cars right up behind you via the side mirrors and the internal rear view mirror just completes the rear view combined image. So in my opinion the rear visibility is great also.I own one and when I had an X1 recently to borrow, I preferred the Z4 for parking and the all round visibility is better due to the bodywork kind of being shrink wrapped around the cosy (but not too tight) cabin and the great side mirrors.

May BMW engineers/designers continue with their interesting side projects long into the future :).
Z4 Coupe may hold it's value well if keeping long term.
Enjoy!
 
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