BMW BLOG

Ever since its official launch earlier this year at Detroit Motor Show, the BMW Z4 has been put through numerous comparisons by auto journalists across the globe. From the Z4 vs. Audi, to the Z4 vs. Mercedes SLK or Porsche Boxter, the comparisons focused on performance, design and handling, and in most of them, the new roadster came ahead.

Benny, the editor over at our BimmerToday.de sister blog, decided to step out of the boundaries and try something different: BMW Z4 vs. Porsche Cayman S. To some roadsters purists, this might seem a bit unorthodox since the Cayman S has been said to be king in its own market, but let’s take a look and see if the new BMW Z4 lived up to our expectations:

“Despite the Porsche leaving the sportier impression, the adaptive M-suspension seems to be more refined. The possibility to switch modes is extremely nice in everyday driving and due to the ergonomically positioning of the buttons, you can really switch between the drive modes every minute.

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Our sister blog, BimmerToday.de brings us a great video of the BMW Z4 sDrive35i model tested by them in Germany.

Some bits of this review will be also posted by us, along with a comparison against the Porsche Cayman S. Before we jump into the four minutes video, here is a short history on the new Z4 sDrive35i.

The new roadster outputs 300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque at 3,200 rpm. With a manual transmission, the new Z4 goes from still to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, just .1 second slower than the old Z4 M. The sDrive35i weighs around 3,400 lbs. The new Z4 was designed by Juliane Blasi and Nadya Arnaout.

Z4 SDrive35i from www.mt-video.de.vu on Vimeo.

The famous german tuner AC Schnizter announces the world premiere of their own version of the new BMW Z4 Roadster. The first teaser photos were released back in May, but today, we have a full photo gallery along with all the technical specifications.

Starting with the engine, AC Schnitzer removes the speed limited and the 3.0 liter twin-turbo engine achieves now 177 mph (286 km/h). The open-top roadster from BMW accelerates from a standing start to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 4.9 seconds. Power has been raised from the standard 306 horsepower to 360. At the same time, maximum torque achieved by the AC Schnizter Z4 is 383 lb-ft (520 Nm), a significant increased when compared to the standard (295 lb-ft) 400 Nm.

AC Schnizter upgrades the suspension variant in the Z4 with a new spring kit.

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Our friend Jonathan Spira over at ExecutiveRoadWarrior is currently enjoying an exciting trip into the Austrian Land and to make this trip even more interesting, he decided to experience the famous austrian vineyards behind the wheel of a new BMW Z4 sDrive23i.

Here is a short summary on the austrian vineyards: “While Austria is synonymous to many for music and culture, its wines don’t have the renown that those of other European countries have.  Austria has, however, 51,213 hectares of vineyards, mostly in the eastern part of the country.

I’m visiting  the province of Niederösterreich (Lower Austria), which has over 31,000 hectares of vineyards, to be followed by a visit to Vienna (over 600 hectares but it’s the only capital city in the world to have its own wine region) and then I will visit the Burgenland, which has over 15,000 hectares.”

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The previous generation BMW Z4 is still a head-turner. The E85 platform has been and still is considered by BMW enthusiasts one of the most fun rides to own. While the discussion focus has been lately on the new, redesigned E89 Z4 Roadster, there are bimmer fans out there craving for an older Z4.

Manhart Racing, a German company known for “pumping up” the power in cars by replacing the original engine with a more powerful one, decided to give a present to the Z4 fans. Taking a stock Z4, Manhart managed to turn it into a powerful Z4 M featuring a V10 powerplant.

The 5.0 liter V10 engine from the M5 produces 550 horsepower and takes the tuned up Z4 M from 0 to 60 mph in JUST 3.9 seconds.

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We have just learned that BMW issued a recall of some 2009 BMW Z4 models, both variants: sDrive35i and sDrive30i. The recall notice doesn’t specify how many vehicles have been recalled, but it mentions the reason: a defective crimp connected in a belt tensioner wiring plug.

The defective connector may lead to increased electrical resistance of that connection which could cause the seat belt tensioner to fail deploying in a crash.

A similar recall was issued last month for some 2008 1 Series and 3 Series models. For more information on the recall and contact phone numbers, please see the text below:

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Jeremy Clarkson likes the new BMW Z4!!! Yes, a shocker to us as well, but we kinda got over that feeling when we read his first review last month on Times Online. As many Top Gear fans might have noticed over the years, Mr. Clarkson has not been a huge BMW fan, except the M3 and M3 Coupe, his reviews could be classified as…..bitter.

Even at the beginning of his new review, he makes it clear that he absolutely didn’t like the old Z4, a statement that many BMW fans would disagree with, but that’s another story…..

So what made him change his mind this time around? “The best thing about this car is how it feels to drive….” and to make us smile a bit, “it’s sorta Uma Thurmanish……PERFECT!”

But one of his closing statements really nails it and BMW can only be happy they managed to satisfy even one of their biggest critic: “And today I would buy a Z4 over a Mercedes SLK in a heart beat…..”

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The new BMW Z4 draws attention to itself not just on the road but also among internationally renowned design experts. Just a few weeks after its market launch, the Roadster has now received the International Design Excellence Award (IDEA) 2009 in the USA.

The award is presented annually by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), based in Duelles in the state of Virginia. The BMW Z4 received the bronze award, thus continuing the success story of BMW Group vehicles in this competition. Since 2000, nine vehicles of the brands BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad have been recognised for their outstanding design.

The new BMW Z4 impressed the jury with a design which unmistakably and authentically reflects the driving pleasure characteristic of the roadster. With its long bonnet, long wheelbase, large wheels and short overhangs, the two-seater possesses classic roadster proportions which are interpreted in a modern way with a styling which is characteristic of the brand.

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Our buddies over at Jalopnik prepared a cool surprise for all the BMW fans…..or even better said: for all the BMW roadster fans. One of their contributors that lives in Hungary put together a photoshoot session of the new 2009 BMW Z4 at the hungarian race track, Euro-Ring.

And not just any Z4, but our favorite painted one even: the Deep Sea Blue Z4. Ever since we have seen the first official BMW Z4 photos, the Deep Sea Blue was the color that we literally drooled after and made us instantly fall in love with the new Z4. Now add to this great combo, race track+Deep Sea Blue, the top model Z4 sDrive35i and we are stunned by it.

Equipped with a high-end camera and some amazing photo skills, Balasz Fenyo brings us some of the best photos we have seen in months….yes, we have said that before, but these new ones really take photography to a new level. Just take a look and see how the photographer was able to showcase all the body creases and flame surfacing found in the exterior design of this Z4.

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Herald Sun Australia reports that the new BMW Z4 campaign, “Expression of Joy” has been banned from the TV stations. The reason: [the ad] “would encourage car hoons to spin and burn their tyres.” The entity that forced the ban is the Advertising Standard Bureau, the Australian’s advertising watchdog.

Now those of us that live in the U.S. might find that quite ridiculous since we’re used to seeing a large variety of TV ads that are at least morally questionable, but truth is that even after watching the Z4 “Expression of Joy” clip, we can’t see eye-to-eye with them. True, there is some spinning in the commercial, but it all revolves around slow paced circles that have a single purpose: to paint the surface underneath in order to create the art work envisioned by the artist Robin Rhode and director Jake Scott.

The interesting part is that the campaign is being used across the globe and it has been successfully running in the U.S or UK for quite some time now.

So the question is: are those people really that conservative? “The board noted that the advertisement does depict in a number of places the driver intentionally allowing the wheels of the car to lose traction and perform . . . a four-wheel drift”. Come on….seriously? Lose traction….drifting….this commercial is all about art and there is obviously no intention to promote any street racing, Tokyo drifting or whatever they want to call it…

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