Although it may not have its predecessor's ability to drop your jaw or that car's Marmite 'love it or hate it' appeal, the latest BMW Z4 Coupe is nevertheless an arresting sight. It's the old school recipe of long bonnet and a squat cabin that hunches on its haunches which gives the Z4 Coupe the almost caricature visual effect of all its power being stored up like an Acme bottle rocket from a Road Runner cartoon. It just invites you to jump in and light the blue touch paper.

When the Z3-based M coupe was first unveiled in 1998, it came as a bit of a shock to the system, especially as BMW seemed to be moving towards more civilised and, some might say, sanitised cars. Its development history is interesting. A team of hardcore driving enthusiasts at BMW's Research and Development Centre felt that the M roadster wasn't extreme enough for their liking. Working after hours, they stripped the wings off a Z3 roadster and sculpted a coupe body. It's tempting to imagine that they neglected to adequately ventilate the studio and lost all power of reason due to the aerosol effects of the sculpting foam, but that's not the case. The design they came up with was shocking, challenging and quite unlike anything BMW had ever produced. It's also likely to become a modern BMW classic the like of which we haven't seen since the original E30 series M3.

Fast forward eight years and BMW have reprised the theme, albeit with a little more restraint. The Z4 Coupe is, unlike its predecessor, available in this country in non-M guises as well as the range-topping tarmac stripper from Garching. This range of cars couldn't have come at a better time for BMW, facing as it does the rejuvenated Audi TT as well as the car that has had its way as the driver's choice in this division for a couple of years now, the Nissan 350Z. Add to that mix the Porsche Cayman and the Alfa Brera and you have quite a varied array of diverting attractions if you've got £30,000+ to spend on a sexy-looking coupe.

"If you measure cars by the size of the grin they paint on your face, the Z4 Coupe represents excellent value"

The 3.0-litre si model looks set to be the big seller in this country and it's available in either SE form, priced at £32,100, or Sport trim at £33,625. The differences between the two are largely made up of M Sport suspension and seats as well as eighteen rather than seventeen inch wheels for the more expensive model. Everything about the 3.0 Z4 Coupe is built from solid foundations. Instead of trying to make a compromised platform work, BMW has got the basics right. The rest is easy. Pop the bonnet and you'll notice that the in-line mounted straight-six engine is set well back behind the line of the front axle for excellent weight distribution and keen turn-in. A six-speed manual gearbox drives the rear wheels with 261bhp of punch being directed aft.

Although the recipe is traditional, the Z4 Coupe is anything but a thud and blunder bruiser. Take the 3.0-litre engine as an example. With Valvetronic throttle-less induction, infinitely variable cam timing, a triple position air intake and a highly efficient electric water pump, this is a technological standout. Any engine that can develop this sort of power yet return a combined fuel figure of 31.7mpg has to be something rather special. Part of the answer lies in the BMW's light weight. At 1,395kg, the 3.0-litre car is refreshingly flab free, making the 1,545kg Nissan 350Z appear positively obese. This means that, despite packing less power than the Japanese car, the BMW is quicker to 60mph - reaching the benchmark in 5.4 seconds before surging on to an electronically-limited 155mph. Emissions are pegged at an almost unbelievable 213g/km. To put that figure into perspective, it's about the same as a 2.0-litre Hyundai Coupe.

Need to go even faster? You'll need the Z4 M Coupe, the most focused car in BMW's entire line up. Here you get 338bhp to play with. The top speed is still limited to 155mph but you'll zip to 60mph in 4.7 seconds and you'll need to find £42,245 for the privilege. Most would finger this car as an M Roadster with a punchier chassis thanks to the metal roof. While it's true that the Coupe is twice as torsionally stiff as the Roadster, there's more to its dynamic repertoire than mere rigidity. BMW has quietly changed almost everything that could be changed with the suspension including stiffer springs, revalved shock absorbers and meatier anti roll bars. The steering rack is quicker and the differential has been altered to sharpen up the Coupe's reflexes still further.

The reasons for this aren't hard to fathom. The M Coupe appeals to an even more hardcore market who will want to drive it on a race track to get the most out of it and will also delight in testing its trick M-diff to the max with some serious tyre-smoking sideways antics. This is not the car for the neat and tidy, technically perfect driver. If you're a purist, buy a Porsche Cayman. Adrenaline junkies will prefer the muscular BMW and will put up with its disastrous range, dinky boot capacity and fidgety ride. A set of R-specification sticky tyres would make this thing a devastating trackday weapon.

There's a small but enthusiastic audience for cars like the BMW Z4 Coupe in this country and it's easy to see BMW selling every example they can ship here. Although Porsche's Cayman is probably the better all-round car, the BMW offers a bigger buzz and as such will have the more macho reputation and, arguably, even greater kudos amongst hardcore petrolheads.

TOP 4 Z4 DEALS

The results below show the top Z4 deals on buyacar

	BMW Z4 3.0si SE 2dr Auto Coupe
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £2,120	Price £31,510
	BMW Z4 3.0si Sport 2dr Coupe
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £2,120	Price £31,510
	BMW Z4 3.0si SE 2dr Coupe
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £1,982	Price £30,123
	BMW Z4 3.0si Sport 2dr Auto Coupe
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £2,269	Price £32,996