Review of the new BMW Z4 sDrive 3.0i

With sleek looks, rapid performance and a well-integrated folding hard-top roof, the BMW sDrive30i has lots to recommend it. The straight-six engine is a BMW classic and invites drivers towards the redline in every gear. On the road, it's typical BMW with great body control and a ride that's on the firm side. This won't be the roadster for everyone but its particular make-up is nothing if not impressive.

As the self-appointed brains behind the 'ultimate driving machine', BMW really should have a decent roadster on its books. No, scrub that. It should have a brilliant one. Recent attempts in this area have been promising while falling short of perfection, so is the current Z4 made of the right stuff? With the marque's free-revving 3.0-litre straight six engine installed, it must have a chance of greatness. All it needs is a good road and a sunny day, or a non-rainy one at least.

The folding hard-top roof isn't the best friend of the compact sportscar and has claimed its fair share of casualties in the past but if anyone can engineer it successfully, you'd bank on BMW. You'd also put a pretty penny on the 3.0-litre engine in the Z4 sDrive30i coming up with the goods. It's the mid range unit sitting below the twin-turbocharged mayhem of the sDrive35i and above the comparatively sensible 2.5-litre unit in the sDrive23i but versions of it have cropped up in numerous other BMW products with some degree of drama invariably on the agenda.

The 3.0-litre engine in the sDrive30i has 258bhp, enough to get the 1,745kg Z4 to 62mph in 5.8s. It will hit BMW's 155mph speed limiter as well. It says something for the capability we've come to expect from modern performance cars that this doesn't sound massively quick but out on the road the Z4 sDrive30i owner should find it perfectly exhilarating. The engine lacks the fearsome low-down kick of the turbocharged sDrive35i and with peak power arriving at 6,600rpm, the gears need to be held until the engine sings to access the best performance. The power delivery is billiard table smooth and the sound of the revs piling in is an infectious mechanical scream. One trip to the red line is unlikely to be enough for anyone.

"The sound of the revs piling in is an infectious mechanical scream."

The Z4 sits its drives right back in the tail of the car almost on top of the rear axle. It puts you in the closest proximity to the exhausts as they let rip and stretches a long expanse of bonnet out in front. This doesn't help the feeling of connection that's essential between driver and roadster, with the wheel feeling like it's a long way from where the steering forces are acting on the road but the slightly numb helm is the only real cause for complaint. The Z4 corners perfectly flat and changes direction rapidly. The gearbox is tactile, if a fraction rubbery, and the control weights are as well-judged as BMW's form guide leads you to expect. The ride is firm and gets firmer with the Adaptive M Suspension set to Sport or Sport+ modes but low speed comfort isn't too bad for a car with the Z4's performance potential.

The Z4's roof will get almost as much attention as the contents of its engine bay because, following the lead of the BMW 3-Series Convertible, it's made out of metal. BMW has set out to disprove the school of thought that says folding hard-top roofs are a bad idea in focused sports cars, with a light weight electro-hydraulic arrangement that can be raised or lowered in 20 seconds. The need to make space to stow a great slab of ironwork to keep the rain out can deal a fatal blow to the styling of a convertible, particularly a compact two-seater like the Z4, but BMW's designers appear to have avoided this. The tell-tale distended rear end isn't in evidence and roof up or roof down, the Z4 looks taught and well-proportioned. The bulging rear haunches hint at the car's potency while the subtle cutaways down the flanks make it a sleeker proposition than its angular predecessor. At the front, the wide grille and stretched headlamps also help make this the most conventionally attractive Z4 yet.

The car is bigger than the model it replaced which helped it manage the inclusion of a folding metal roof so seamlessly. At 4,239mm, the length is up 148mm and the 1,790mm width is a 9mm increase. This has yielded more space inside as well as the extra capacity out back to drop that roof into. Headroom with the canopy raised is 44mm better than in the old Z4, there's 43mm more elbow room and shoulder room is enhanced by 20mm. The boot is a useful 310 litres with the roof up but shrinks to 180 litres when it's folded. This is supplemented by a 15.5-litre interior storage area behind the seats. An optional hatch between the seats will allow longer items to be poked through into the cabin if necessary.

The middle child in the Z4 range, the sDrive30i is in danger of being overlooked but it's well worthy of its place in the range and the wider marketplace. The six-speed manual gearbox comes as standard but BMW is expecting strong demand for the six-speed Sport Automatic 'box that's also available with this engine. It features steering wheel paddle shifters just like the twin-clutch seven-speed 'box that's offered with the more powerful engine. M Sport versions are also available with enhanced styling and extra equipment.

The infamous iDrive control system is found on the Z4 for the first time but in its latest guise, it's massively more user-friendly than when it first appeared all those years ago on the 7-Series. Back then, the process of changing radio station would have reduced a Krypton Factor finalist to a blubbering wreck. Now the iDrive joystick is supplemented by buttons to give fast access to the key functions. The more advanced features offered include a 12 gigabyte music storage system and BMW's Professional Multimedia Navigation technology.

This Z4 is over 250kg heavier than the previous model but it could have been worse. This is a larger car and one with a folding metal roof but in the name of efficiency as well as driving dynamics, BMW has shaved off as much weight as possible. Key features are a front subframe and suspension made primarily from aluminium but small weight reductions have been made throughout. It all helps the Z4 to economy and emissions figures that are very strong for a 260bhp roadster. Combined economy is measured at 33mpg in the manual car and emissions are 199g/km. Both figures are identical to the less powerful sDrive23i model. BMW's EfficientDynamics programme also helps with these efficiency gains. It includes Brake Energy Regeneration, low rolling resistance tyres, light weight design and optimal gear shift indicator lights.

With the latest Z4, BMW set out to build the truly great roadster that everyone knows it has in it. Whether that feat has been achieved kind of depends on what your definition of a truly great roadster is. BMW's effort certainly has a unique feel amongst its contemporaries and is beautifully engineered throughout. The normally-aspirated engine in the sDrive30i also has a lot to be said for it and there can be few better companions at this price given the right road and the right weather.

The Z4 is a great looking car and it manages to integrate a folding hard-top roof with little discernable impact on that styling or its driving dynamics. That's quite an achievement in itself. In sDrive30i form, it has a great engine too, charismatic and rev-hungry with and infectious exhaust rasp. The merits of the driving experience are less clear cut but if it's excitement you crave, there will be little cause for complaint with this roadster.

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