Long-Term Update: 2003 BMW Z4 2.5 SMG

I was a bit worried. As the magazine's most enthusiastic fan of our long-term Z4, I've frequently had to explain (read: defend) the SMG to the unbelieving. I told all who would listen that the SMG was a very good transmission; you just needed to learn the shift points and pay attention to them.

Then I drove the Maserati Coupe Vintage and the Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale, both with the F1-style paddle shifters. Wow, if what I felt after driving these cars wasn't love, it certainly was a case of serious lust. Granted, one should never compare papayas to pineapples, but I couldn't help but wonder how the Z4 would feel after driving these two amazing vehicles.

Fortunately. my worries were unfounded. Part of the reason is that the Z4 is a completely different animal from the Maserati and Ferrari--you simply can't compare them. But the main reason for loving the Z4 just as much after as before is that it's a great car in its own right.

Wait a minute...a Z4 2.5 is as fun to drive as a Ferrari or Maserati? Well, yes, albeit it's a qualified yes. The Ferrari was incredible, but it was also brutal. It's something to drive every now and then, say when you're feeling exceptionally feisty. The Maserati was extremely well mannered but was also a little too high profile. I didn't fancy having every zipped-out Honda/Acura head I passed by attempt to outpower and outmanuever me. The Z4, on the other hand, is a car I'd be willing to drive day in and day out. The 184-bhp inline six (with 175 lb-ft of torque) provides plenty of low-end grunt and power to keep me out of harm's way. Don't get me wrong, I'm as up on horsepower as the next speed junky, but with the Z4 I'm not constantly stressing over the possibility of getting arrested for dramatically exceeding the speed limit (an emotional state I've experienced several times in Porsche Turbos and any V12).

I know that the SMG's detractors are many,but I thoroughly enjoy using the gearbox. I don't use manual/normal mode or either of the automatic modes; I find them either too slow or too jerky. The manual/sport mode, however, is just right. True, you have to constantly pay attention; shifting before and after the shiftpoints makes for a less-than-smooth transition. But once you find your "shift zone," the gearchanges flow from one to other with flawless precision. Being able to shift via the paddles on the steering wheel or with the center console's gearshift lever gives the SMG a much appreciated versatility. That it also matches revs on downshifts (and causes the engine to make reciprocal vroom-vroom noises) just adds to the yippee! factor.

The ride quality on our Z4 is a tad stiff, especially when thumping over SoCal's ubiquitous freeway expansion joints. I've gotten used to it (having a Porsche C4S in our long-term fleet with a similarly stiff ride helps), but given my druthers, I'd opt out of the sport package with its sport suspension setup. I'd keep the Dynamic Drive Control but lose the stiffer springs and stiffer tuned shocks. I've driven a Z4 sans Sports Package and found the ride to be more compliant yet still firm enough for high-speed canyon runs. The Z4's chassis is tight enough to handle whatever curves are throw its way.

One thing I'd like to see is the addition of a multiple-disc CD changer in the dash. The in-dash player is a great step forward for BMW, which still insists on installing cassette players in some of its models (really, people, no one uses those things anymore), but a six-disc changer would be even better for those long commutes. The storage unit between the backrests of the seats is very awkward to reach while driving, forcing you to 1) listen to the same CD over and over again; 2) keep your CDs on the seat next to you and hope they stay put; or 3) practice your backward-arm-bending yoga move to reach the stored CDs when you can't take listening to said same CD anymore.

That the CD changer/storage bin conundrum is my only whine (and a minor one at that) after driving the Z4 for nearly 9 months says something about this car--and my love for it. I look forward to getting back into it at every chance. Whenever Editor Brown asks what I want to drive, my most likely answer is, "The Z4, of course." I request it so often that I've started to consider it "my car" (just as Ed. Brown considers the C4S his). I've had a longstanding weakness for roadsters, and our long-term Z4 reinforces it. The question now is, what am I going to do when ec has to give it back? How does one mend a broken heart?