carcounsel.com |HID|

Even on the beautifully surfaced Andalusian roads where I drove it, the ride quality was firm, almost to the point of discomfort…There’s something not quite right with the steering, either. The adoption of hydraulic power assistance has restored some real meat to the feel of helm, which is welcome after the peculiarly artificial feel of the standard Z4 - but if you’re expecting Porsche levels of communication, you’re going to be disappointed. Having that heavy engine over the front wheels has not just added to the Z4’s weight, it also appears to have injected a small but significant degree of numbness to the wheel…

but

the fact that the Boxster S is a demonstrably more capable car than the Z4M does not entirely undermine the BMW’s appeal. On the contrary: the Z4M may not be as technically accomplished as the Boxster, but this does not mean that, in the right environment, it is not capable of being a whole lot more fun… for those who like their driving pleasures rough and ready, rather than silky smooth, the Z4M has a mighty appeal. Most important of all, to me at least, it is a proper, unreconstructed M-car. In an era when BMW is using the M badge to ever less noble ends, that is hugely reassuring.

source: 4Car’s Andrew Frankel

(Sadly the M version is saddled with a cast-iron engine while the non-M version is marred by its run-flat tires and electric steering).

This entry was posted on Monday, February 20th, 2006 at 5:04 pm and is filed under BMW.