BMW Faqs

In 1996, when BMW first debuted the Z3 roadster, the only significant competition was from Mazda’s Miata. And in that single first year of the Z3, BMW managed to widen the roadster market  and take away nearly half of it from Mazda.
Yet, there was a problem with it. It was based on a pre-existing and inferior framework, at least by BMW standards, with a squirmy rear suspension that didn’t like to stay put.

The base Z3 could get downright scary during full-tilt driving. Only the hardtop M Coupe  although still capable of hair-raising antics was stiff enough to offer some semblance of those two most laudable of classic BMW traits. Despite the warts, BMW Z3 sales boomed on the strength of styling and the cachet of the BMW name. And the competition, only a half step behind, got ready to pounce on the resurgent roadster category.

Mercedes introduced its SLK in early 1997, and Porsche went more upmarket, with the Boxster, which also debuted that year. Audi was a bit late with its TT in 1998, and suddenly all this competition made it clear that BMW had a real fight on its hands.
The SLK was far more luxurious inside than the Z3 and the TT was (and still is) one of the most cleverly and attractively designed cars of the era, with a machine-age interior and curvy, retro exterior.

When the 2003 Z4, an entirely new car from the ground up, with every element, save the motors, rethought and redefined. We mean that, by the way. It’s not just a new skin on the outside (we’ll get to that skin in a little bit). The Z4 has a 100% stiffer body; sits on a wider, longer wheelbase with a larger cabin; and features a redesigned rear suspension for much better feedback and handling.

Total all that up and you have a far better-handling car, one that lives up to those two key BMW traits of predictability and improving the driver’s skills — then goes well beyond them. This is a fast, fun car, one that for between $33,795 and $40,945 can make you feel like a hero every time you drive it but won’t punish you even on very long drives, a real rarity in the sports car world.

In contrast to the traditional fit of the Z4, the “skin” of the car is anything but traditional. “We didn’t want a retro thing,” Warming says. “Traditionally,” the young Dane notes, “you take a surface and make it look like it’s wrapped around something,” like a tight outfit over a muscular body.

We think the new language works pretty well. The only area that doesn’t seem fully baked to us is the nose, where a wide, low air intake gives the Z4 a semi-frown. And although this car continues the long BMW tradition of round headlamps, it hides them behind clear lenses, so for all intents and purposes they are no longer a part of the design but an afterthought.

As spaceship cool as the Z4 is on the outside, the same ideas are echoed in the interior. Before we go any further, we have to say that this is really important and sports car manufacturers should know this. We think the Honda S2000 has performance limits, but its greater failing is that the cabin is no more special than that of a Civic.