Car and Driver: 2009 Porsche Boxster S vs. BMW Z4 sDrive35i, Audi TTS, Chevrolet Corvette

Shortly afterAutobild compared some of the most popular roadsters out there, the Michigan based felows at Car and Driver took this challenge a bit further. While the BMW Z4 is clearly a competitor to the Porsche Boxter S or the Audi TTS, we find intriguing the fact that the Chevrolet Corvette gets “thrown” in this comparison as well.

Are you still debating which roadster to choose? Having a difficult time comparing all the specs? How about pricing with options? Well, C&D has done a great job analyzing these beautiful roadsters, so let’s see what they had to say.

The idea was to round up a group of 50-something-thousand-dollar roadsters, but like the TARP plan, we blew through that ceiling almost immediately. The most egregious example is the Boxster S, which Porsche sent loaded with almost $20,000 worth of options—including the automaker’s new $3420 PDK dual-clutch transmission—for an overindulged as-tested price of $76,625. For 2009, the Boxster S comes with a revised 3.4-liter flat-six engine and freshened front and rear styling. It’s mostly direct injection that boosts the output 15 horsepower, for a total of 310.

Our second-most-pricey car is the new BMW Z4. The 300-hp sDrive35i starts at a not unreasonable $52,475, but a Sport package (which includes an adjustable suspension), a premium stereo, and a navigation system catapulted the sticker price to $65,345.

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6 Responses to “Car and Driver: 2009 Porsche Boxster S vs. BMW Z4 sDrive35i, Audi TTS, Chevrolet Corvette”

DominicRen says:

June 2, 2009 at 10:13 am

I think the Z4 is the best looking one among them…….

Lance says:

June 2, 2009 at 12:27 pm

Definately the Z4 is the best looking

Auday says:

June 2, 2009 at 4:22 pm

“On curvier roads, the Z4 takes more effort to drive as quickly as the Audi and the Porsche but returns less enjoyment. This car’s electric parking brake shows BMW’s true intentions here. Our beloved “hand-brake revectoring” is simply not in the game plan. There’s plenty of luxury, but we found ourselves wishing for a little more sport.”

This tears my eyes.

boxster says:

June 2, 2009 at 10:15 pm

I agree, the Z4 is very nice looking. I’m a boxster owner, never even driven a bmw of any model. pleased that they put the boxster at the top, but what a price tag. ouch!

- Horatiu B. says:
  
  June 2, 2009 at 10:24 pm
  
  It would be great if you could drive the Z4 and tell us what you think, especially since you’ve never driven a BMW….your opinion will be quite valuable…I drove both brands, so it will be from a different angle
  
BMW LOVER says:

June 22, 2009 at 2:41 pm

the Z4 is the sexiest and it has a great agressive look