First look of 2012 BMW Z4 sDrive28i

Feb 6
10:28

2012

Alissa

Alissa

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

2012 BMW Z4 sDrive28i is on the way. Yes, the Z4 is far more refined than the Miata, but it doesn't bring as big of a smile to my face as the little Mazda does.

mediaimage

I know BMWs are expensive because they are premium cars with premium equipment and lots of technology inside. But this car is far too expensive. How can a roadster that's no more fun than a Miata start at $49,525? That feels about $8,000 too expensive for a four-cylinder roadster in my book. Yes,First look of 2012 BMW Z4 sDrive28i Articles the Z4 is far more refined than the Miata, but it doesn't bring as big of a smile to my face as the little Mazda does.

If you're set on a premium roadster, be sure to check out an Audi TT before you sign up for the Z4. Although the Z looks a little more masculine, the Audi's simpler cloth top is a bit more appealing to me. Folding hardtops don't make much sense to me for roadsters because they complicate the simplest form of a sports car.

Having driven the top-dog, 335-hp Z4 sDrive35is earlier this summer, I honestly prefer this 240-hp sDrives28i. Though it sounds counterintuitive to say a slower car is more fun, it's really true for the Z4. On paper or a track, the 335-hp version is undoubtedly superior: more power, tighter handling, and lightning-fast gear changes. Yet out in the real world, the slower 240-hp Z4 is more engaging because it gives me more time to savor the power delivery, and a manual transmission actually lets me feel involved in sending the engine's thrust to the rear wheels.

In fact, the Z4 as a whole isn't really what I envision as a $58,875 roadster. It's a car that's good at many things, but brilliant at none, which is a problem since there are several brilliant alternatives. A Porsche Boxster is more engaging, a Mercedes-Benz SLK more comfortable. As Phil Floraday wisely notes, even a Miata hardtop is a better overall package - and I'm not even taking into account the enormous price difference.

It's unfortunate that BMW, like all automakers, has to cater to the majority of car buyers who don't really give a whoop about cars. Thanks to market pressures, this Z4 sDrive28i is the first of many BMWs to trade the silky in-line six-cylinder engine for a more efficient turbocharged four-cylinder. There's no question that the new N20 2.0-liter is a good engine and arguably a better engine than the one it replaces, at least in the objective sense. While it's down 15 hp on the old 3.0-liter, it gains 40 lb-ft of torque and fuel economy jumps to 22/34 mpg from 18/28 mpg.

Subjectively, though, the boosted four doesn't have the charm and character of the old straight six. I miss the unparalleled smoothness, the thrill of taking the engine to redline, and like David, I miss the sound. The straight six is at the heart of what makes a BMW a BMW and as the Munich automaker moves away from that specialness, it opens the door for Mercedes-Benz and Audi and Cadillac to woo some of the brand loyalists. For now, the Z4 35i still offers salvation with its turbocharged in-line-six, but one wonders how much longer that engine will be around.

Article "tagged" as:

Categories: