bren
01-08-2004, 09:36 PM
I took the E46 in for an annual oil service and for a clicking sound when lowering the windows (which I suspect to be the window regulators going bad.) Of course the windows were on their best behavior, and the dealer was "unable to duplicate the noise." :evil:
So anyway, the Z4......
The car was a 2.5, black/tan with a black top, non-Sport, and of course Steptronic. Unfortunately, I was only able to drive 20 some highway miles to and from work with no twisty stuff to really test it out. And, as some of you may have read elsewhere the heater was not working on my ride to work so I wasn’t able to pay as much attention to the driving dynamics as I would have liked; it’s hard to enjoy the drive when you are shivering and your fingertips are numb.
When I first got in the car I felt very claustrophobic. I realized pretty quickly that the issue wasn’t due to a lack of interior space, but the small(ish) window sizes. Outward visibility isn’t all that great. Between the small windows and the large blind-spots created by the convertible top there isn’t much room left to see out. I didn’t particularly like looking out over that enormous hood either; it was really imposing. I was able to get quite comfortable behind the wheel, flat, slippery, ‘ette seats not withstanding.
Performance of the 2.5L with Step is not especially breathtaking, but we all know that. The steering response, on the other hand, felt great. The car seemed much lighter and far more tossable than the E46, I’m sure the smaller overall dimensions of the Z4 were a large contributor to this. The suspension on the non-sp is rather firm, I am curious to see how it compares with the sport suspension. I took several on/off ramps at speed and cornering response is commendable with minimal body roll. I would really like to run one of these at an autox.
One thing that I totally disliked was the engine subwoofer/noisemaker thingy; it almost sounds like the muffler has a hole it in…very annoying. Overall the car wasn’t bad, definitely more fun than the 325i they usually hand out, if for no other reason than the fact that it is far from my daily driver, but nothing like the SMG M3 that I got a ride in upon my return to the dealer (no I didn’t get to drive it.) Now that was something!
So anyway, the Z4......
The car was a 2.5, black/tan with a black top, non-Sport, and of course Steptronic. Unfortunately, I was only able to drive 20 some highway miles to and from work with no twisty stuff to really test it out. And, as some of you may have read elsewhere the heater was not working on my ride to work so I wasn’t able to pay as much attention to the driving dynamics as I would have liked; it’s hard to enjoy the drive when you are shivering and your fingertips are numb.
When I first got in the car I felt very claustrophobic. I realized pretty quickly that the issue wasn’t due to a lack of interior space, but the small(ish) window sizes. Outward visibility isn’t all that great. Between the small windows and the large blind-spots created by the convertible top there isn’t much room left to see out. I didn’t particularly like looking out over that enormous hood either; it was really imposing. I was able to get quite comfortable behind the wheel, flat, slippery, ‘ette seats not withstanding.
Performance of the 2.5L with Step is not especially breathtaking, but we all know that. The steering response, on the other hand, felt great. The car seemed much lighter and far more tossable than the E46, I’m sure the smaller overall dimensions of the Z4 were a large contributor to this. The suspension on the non-sp is rather firm, I am curious to see how it compares with the sport suspension. I took several on/off ramps at speed and cornering response is commendable with minimal body roll. I would really like to run one of these at an autox.
One thing that I totally disliked was the engine subwoofer/noisemaker thingy; it almost sounds like the muffler has a hole it in…very annoying. Overall the car wasn’t bad, definitely more fun than the 325i they usually hand out, if for no other reason than the fact that it is far from my daily driver, but nothing like the SMG M3 that I got a ride in upon my return to the dealer (no I didn’t get to drive it.) Now that was something!