One of the first lessons I learned as an automotive journalist is that it takes time to appreciate the little things in a car new to my experience. Perhaps it's just human instinct that makes me notice, at first, every little detail that I dislike, and it's only after a couple of days that I begin to notice the positive elements.
In the case of the Z4, there was plenty for me to dislike, from the moment the sketches were released and prototype built. This was the first of Chris Bangle's new vision for the current generation of the ultimate driving machine, and I hated it.
This move to aggressive body styling made me suspicious that BMW's vaunted "driving experience" would be subsumed by inordinate attention to styling. The boldness of the lines demands that more attention be paid to each individual element rather than enjoying the union of shapes that constitutes a car's visual personality. The notion of trying to define a car's impact through looks before performance was a disappointing departure from the BMW that I thought I knew.
So naturally, when handed the keys for the first time, I huffed and puffed my way into the driver's seat, making a point to nit-pick all the features that I hated--and then, without warning, I promptly fell in love.
There are two distinct elements to BMW's new cars: the mechanical, which I thought I loved, and the aesthetic, which I rather abhorred. The Z4 represents a significant reversal of this opinion; I just didn't realize it until 2 days later.
BMW's familiar 2.5L dohc straight six performed as expected, with a linear power delivery and sufficient torque at low engine speeds, though the sheer sportiness of the car's persona demands a larger engine with more grunt at the top end. The real deficiency seems to be in the six-speed SMG transmission and its delayed and rough shifts, in every mode. Granted that few people shift with the throttle left wide open, the sensation of keeping your foot on the gas and having the computer backing off the spark, momentarily shutting the electronic throttle, and then shifting the transmission feels alien to the expected sports car shifting. The time delay between the command input and the physical shift, and then the gradual re-engagement of the powertrain, can be moderately buffered with a gradual lift of the throttle immediately prior to the upshift, but, when driving hard, the momentary pause of the shift at wide-open throttle creates havoc with weight transfer and conservation of vehicle inertia through a corner.
Fortunately, downshifts are much faster, with perfectly matched throttle blips worthy of a true manual transmission. Only when downshifting into first at part throttle does the SMG system get confused and stall its power delivery for almost a second. I suspect that the lag in the shifts is a matter of calibration compromises to accommodate all types of drivers. This could be tuned out of the newer SMG vehicles, and, in fact, a 330Ci SMG currently in our hands is far more smooth in its shifts than our Z4.
Chassis refinement and strength is excellent for a convertible, especially considering the vast open space under the hood. With the Sport package, the rigidly stiff suspension and body are at the limits of comfort for normal road driving, just the way it should be. Before one even notices the strange characteristics of the SMG, what jumps out first is how well balanced is the handling, how precise is the steering, how controlled is body roll and yaw. This is truly a luxury roadster that puts the driver in close touch with the road. The controls' surfaces, placement and feel are near perfect, with just the right amount of resistance and feedback.
My opinion of the styling now? A total reversal from my initial impression. In pictures, the Z4 seemed more a jumble of eye-catching features grafted together onto a shell instead of an integrated shape with flowing features chiseled out of it. What's almost impossible to discern from the still shots is how all of the elements blend and the myriad facets work together in the dynamic light of the open road. From different angles, the hood and headlights seem to take on a different shape and merge in a different way. The same goes for the tail and the hidden shapes that run down the length of the vehicle, though I still cannot quite like the BMW emblem side blinker.
As for the interior, the deep scarlet seats seem to fit the passionate nature of the car. The long, angular features that stretch from the dash to the center console and to the doors ably continue the themes found throughout the car. The only gripe is how far forward the interior door handles are placed to make the sweeping lines continuous. Since the handle is so close to the hinge, an unnecessary amount of effort is required to open and close the door.
Now, when I get behind the wheel, I find that I am more concerned with how good the car looks with me in it (top down, of course), and more interested in cruising than carving up corners with the exhaust at full wail. The frustration with the SMG, and constant longing for a bigger engine and a proper transmission, has yet to abate.