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<td class="Caption">BMW revealed the concept Z4 at the Frankfurt show in September.</td>
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<h2 class="Headline">Z4 Promises Kept: Still want that Cayman S?</h2>
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<div class="Byline">GREG KABLE </div>
<div class="Date"><span class="FieldLabel">Published Date: [/quote]10/17/05</div>
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2007 BMW Z4 COUPE
ON SALE:
Summer
BASE PRICE:
$41,000
POWERTRAIN:
3.0-liter, 265-hp, 232-lb-ft I6; rwd, six-speed manual
CURB WEIGHT:
3240 lbs (est.)
0 TO 60 MPH:
5.5 seconds (mfr.)
Within seconds of BMW boss Helmut Panke removing the veil from the Z4 Coupe concept at the Frankfurt motor show last month, the swoopy two-door was swamped by those eager to get a closer look at Munich’s latest driving machine. The very next day a series of photographs revealing a prototype version of the new BMW landed in
AutoWeek
’s e-mail system. The lightly disguised test mule looked even more remarkable than the car we witnessed making its world debut less than 24 hours earlier.
Not because it was altered in any great way from the more fancily attired concept simultaneously basking in the limelight on BMW’s expansive show stand. No, it was more because the Z4 Coupe’s appearance guaranteed Panke’s self-proclaimed desire to place the new two-seater into production, not only in standard 3.0-liter 265-hp guise, but also with the BMW M division’s magnificent 3.2-liter 343-hp engine from the M3.
“This is not the last you’ll see of this car,” Panke had proclaimed. “The decision to build such an emotional two-seat sports coupe as a regular production model is almost too obvious.”
BMW said the appearance of the prototype so soon after the concept car was merely an unhappy coincidence. Not, as some suggested, part of a broader campaign aimed at stealing thunder from the similarly conceived Porsche Cayman, which was also making its first public appearance at Frankfurt. Whatever the case, any lingering doubts about the new car reaching production evaporated overnight.
BMW’s answer to the likes of the Cayman, Audi TT Coupe, Mercedes-Benz SLK and Nissan 350Z is based, as its name suggests, on the rear-drive Z4 Roadster, now in its third year of production. Despite relatively poor sales of its predecessor, the Z3 Coupe, BMW believes the market for two-seat coupes is on the rebound and is looking to the Z4 Coupe to add a further element of excitement to its lineup.
After being forced to defend many of BMW’s designs of late, Panke appeared relieved to find the Z4 Coupe garnering a warm reception at the Frankfurt show. Appearing far more cohesive than the old Z3 Coupe—a car BMW once claimed was styled in an old barn by a team of renegade engineers—the Z4 Coupe manages to add a heavily curved double-bubble roof, rear side windows, versatile liftback and 6 Series-style trunk lid to the familiar shape of the Z4 Roadster without appearing contrived or overwrought.
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<td class="smallinks3" bgcolor="#cccccc">BMWis well on its way to completing work on the production car (a test mule is pictured above)that makes its debut at Detroit's NAIAS in January.</td>
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A good deal of the bodywork, including its long sweeping hood, front fenders and frameless doors, is shared with the Z4 Roadster, alongside which the Coupe will be assembled at BMW’s Spartan-burg plant in South Carolina starting in mid-2006. Arguably more elegant than its open-top sibling, it measures 161.0 inches (4090 millimeters) long, 43.1 inches (1905 millimeters) wide and 51.2 inches (1300 millimeters) tall.
The eye-catching exterior, created under BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk, is evidence BMW’s controversial flame-surfacing design theme, which first aired on the X Coupe back in 2001, has now matured sufficiently to gain common acceptance. We’ll leave you to make up your own mind about styling.
Inside things are familiar. Or at least they will be to anyone who ever sat in the Z4 Roadster. The entire interior is adopted without significant change. And it’s a great place to be. BMW swathed the interior in an alluring combination of tan leather and brushed aluminum. Production versions will be more subdued.
As with its predecessor, BMW intends to put real shove behind this car. The concept car runs the new magnesium-block 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine already found in a number of different models in the German carmaker’s lineup. With a gutsy 265 hp, it kicks out 34 hp more than the older aluminum-block 3.0-liter used in the Z4 Roadster. Torque also swells by 11 lb-ft to a new peak of 232 lb-ft on a band of revs stretching from 2500 rpm to 4000 rpm.
It’s enough, according to BMW, to get the Z4 Coupe to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.7 seconds. That’s 0.2 second inside the time of its open-air sibling and, notably, some 0.5 second faster than the all-wheel-drive TT Coupe 3.2 quattro against which the new BMW will inevitably be compared. With its fixed roof providing added downforce and improved aerodynamic properties, top speed is limited to 155 mph.
To create real appeal, though, the Z4 Coupe needs an engine that will propel it beyond the grasp of the Cayman S. To this end BMW plans to introduce a successor to the rapid but notoriously slow-selling Z3-based M Coupe. Set to get an airing in early 2007, with North American sales likely to get under way later that year, the upcoming Z4 M Coupe is earmarked to receive a lightly reworked version of the current M3’s 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine mated to BMW’s latest seven-speed M-sequential gearbox.
With 343 hp, it promises the sort of performance that will give the new Porsche a real run for its money. Nothing is official just yet, but a 0-to-62-mph time of around 5.0 seconds appears well within reach.
Underpinning the Z4 Coupe is a lightly reworked version of the Z4 Roadster’s aluminum-intensive rear-wheel-drive chassis. Sharing elements with the superceded E46 3 Series, it uses a combination of MacPherson struts up front and a trapezoidal-shaped multilink arrangement at the rear. These will be reworked with firmer springs and dampers as well as larger-diameter antiroll bars.
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<td class="smallinks3" bgcolor="#cccccc">The M version of the Z4 is not due until early 2007, but our spies already caught it testing at the Nürburgring. Note the quad exhaust outlets and tall front air dam (top) distinguishing the M. (Top photo by Hans G. Lehmann/Hidden Image, above by KGP Photography)</td>
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Steering is via an electrically assisted system, as opposed to the hydraulic setup used on most other BMW models. Though the addition of the fixed roof adds weight, BMW claims the gain will be minimal, meaning it will likely come in around 3240 pounds in standard guise.
The closed body brings greater rigidity than the roadster sibling’s open shell, so the Z4 Coupe promises to ride more serenely than the Z4 Roadster over broken and patchworked sections of road. Less flex should also ensure heightened handling.
We say should, because a lot of question marks still hang over this new BMW... questions we, for one, are itching to find answers to in less than a year’s time. Until then, we will have to console ourselves with the news BMW has decided to take the Z4 Coupe into production at all.
Predictably, BMW won’t talk pricing just yet, but if the Z4 Coupe is targeted against the TT, SLK and 350Z, it will have to be pitched in the lower-$40,000 range for the standard 3.0-liter model. Much more, and it might just find itself priced out of contention. The range-topping 3.2-liter Z4 M Coupe, on the other hand, is likely to be positioned closer to the $58,900 Cayman S.
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Availabe at:
http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=103328
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Edited by - mpollard on 01/26/2006 5:44:46 PM
Sort of sad that the BMW engine is 200cc smaller, yet will have 50hp more...
...it's always a BMW no matter which is sad.
Dean
Remember peak HP isn't everything, HP over what rev range plus torque over what rev range is more important, also don't forget the car's weight. I'm sure Porsche could get 50 more HP out of the Cayman if they wanted to as 20-30hp are easily available with mild tweaks.
Porsche has never engaged in the horsepower race with other manufacturers and I doubt they will do so now. I had a couple of BMWs and was a BMWCCA member for 7 years. The Roundel had several articles over the years comparing a BMW M3 to a 911 and once even to a Ferrari. Like every fan magazine they found a way to rate their own the best pick for any one of a number of 'objective' reasons. I laugh when the 911 folks talk about M3 and Cayman comparisons, not realizing that the BMW folks think their car is in the same class with the 911!! The M3 gets more bloated with each iteration despite the increase in HP. The previous and currentM3 lendthemselvesto a lot of aftermarket mods to the chasis and brakes that really do make an improvement, but the Porsche does the same thing pretty much 'out of the box'.The new BMWs, at least to my eye, are really awful to look at which is too bad.
So true, plus Porsche don't make a 911 1.6i model unlike BMW.
I recently looked at a BMW M3 CSL , a great secondhand buy. Spoke to a few none petrol heads about it and the reaction was shock, ' you want to change a 911 for a BMW 3 series?'
First of all there is no way I would part with $58K for any Z4......no matter what it had under the hood.....for me it just doesn't do it in the looks department, the Cayman is so much better and made me
want
to spend the money on it.
Second, if you follow any BMW boards that are worth anything you will quickly find that when most have a chance to drive a Porsche and compare it to the past and present 'M' models most of them look at the Porsche as a seriousupgrade. There are so manycurrent M3owners that will drop their car in a heartbeat for a Cayman, 997, Boxster S, or even a nice 996........and the M3is an awesomecar in its own right.
The current M3 engine is nice and Iconsider it to be one of the best engines made today......but everytime I have driven a current M3 (quite a few times) it has left me a little flat.....as K-man S said peak HP isn't everyting and I find the balance of power and torque in a Porsche engine to be a much better fit for the type of driving I do. The M3 will move if you rev the heck out of it again and again, but the engine sound is not to my liking and the exhaust sound is even worse IMO.
The Caymans 3.4L could easily produce more HP with some work from the factory.......but in true Porsche fashion you will only see it in small increments over time.
Edited by - Atlas_Croc on 10/13/2005 12:28:26 PM
It's how the
total
package performs that's important. The new <u>Road and Track</u> reports real-life 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, considerably faster than Porsche's quotes. Is a Z4 derivative liely to do better than that???
Complete Text available online:
http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=103328
I wasn't implying that I favored the BMW over the Cayman, just that the 3.4 in the Cayman could/should make alot more than 300hp, if Porsche wasn't so concerned about encroaching upon the 997's place in the model heirarchy...
Unlikely I'll ever buy another BMW - the quality has dropped off! I had a z4 3.0 and while the engine was fairly sweet I ended up hating the cheap interior (plastic everywhere), poor switch gear and rattles. The door sounded so poor when slammed shut. No offense to the American's but it's just not well built. Hence the switch to Porsche - and I know they're not all made in Germany, but the quality is undeniable,
a coupe z4 looks hidious, it looks like the front and rear could be from 2 different cars, doesn't really flow for me.... it only looks proportional when the top is down on the roadster, but even then it's still an ugly car, I never cared for the styling of the z3/z4... even if it had 500 hp and cost only 30,000, I would never even consider buying one...
the cayman has the total package, performance and looks....
Personally I've seen enough Bangle creations to last a lifetime. I keep reminding myself that there is fashion and then there is style.
Something that looks 'fresh' has a tendancy to go stale (anyone remember those way kewl Japanese dahsboards in the mid-'80s ; -).
Hey I found some stuff on this already:
I'm not sure why you think the M3 keeps up with the Carrera. Are you saying drag racing straight line performance or something else? I could see where in a drag race they would be close, but get them on the track and it isn't close given equivalent drivers. The M3 simply cannot carry the speed through the twisties that the 911 can, nay the M3 can't keep up with a Boxster S in the twisties either.
I concur that an M coupe should be faster on a track than the M3 because it should be lighter weight and it should handle better if the suspension is up to snuff, whether or not it will outhandle a Cayman S/Boxster S remains to be seen. The Z4 does not out-handle a Boxster S (986 or 987 variety) on the track. I'm not saying the Z4 is a bad car, but it isn't on par with the Boxster.
Pick up the March 2005 Road & Track - Best All Around Sports Car
The S2000, Z4 and SLK 350 have the softest suspensions
Out of 9 contenders the Z4 finished 7th (only the SLK350 and 350Z were worse)
Car weighs 3110lbs vs. Boxster S 2945
They do say that if BMW had an M version of the Z4 it likely would have finished higher, of course BMW would have to take some of the softness out of the suspension, there is too much body roll.
The Boxster S posted a 73.9 mph record speed through the slalom, faster than a Ferrari Enzo. The Cayman S should be faster still.
You could put 5,000 HP in the Z4 and I don't think it will be a better all around sports car than either the Boxster S or the Cayman S, but hey that's just my opinion...
I can tell you that on Buttonwillow, a relatively short 1.6 mile course that the new Boxster S posted a time 3.5 seconds faster than the 3.0L Z4. 3-1/2 seconds is a LOT of time to make up, although buttonwillow has a huge straight that comprises almost 15 seconds of a total 67 second lap time or nearly 1/4 of the track is 'straight'. If an M version of a Z4 is going to be competitive with the Boxster S it would be here on that straight portion of the track.
In the R&T tests the Boxster S (987) took 14.75 seconds and reached a speed of 130.0 mph, the Z4 was 15.05 seconds and 123.4 mph. Ok so now the MZ4 proponents will scream 'given more HP I could be faster!'
Let's examine that claim. The Corvette ran the same section in 13.70 at 139.3mph and the Viper ran it at 13.75 at 142.0 mph. Let's assume that the MZ4 has Vette or Viper-like performance. Something I doubt, but for arguments sake, let's say it does. If the MZ4 can run that same stretch in 13.7 seconds and the Boxster S is 14.75 the MZ4 will gain 1 second on the Boxster S's time.
Remember the Z4 was 3.5 seconds behind, deduct 1 second and the MZ4 is still 2.5 seconds behind the Boxster S even with Vette/Viper like power on the straights. Even if I give the MZ4 another 1/2 second make up in section 2 and in section 7 of Buttonwillow (both reasonably straight and roughly the difference with the vette) that still leaves the MZ4 1.5 seconds behind the Boxster S.
As I said before, it will take more than HP to get the Z4 to outrun the Boxster S on the track. BTW, the Boxster S was only .9 seconds slower than the fastest car the Corvette, .7 seconds slower than the Viper and .5 seconds slower than the 997 S, all well within driver differences to make these cars competitive on the track. Time will tell whether or not BMW puts enough into the MZ4 to elevate it into this competitive company.
I like it, but don't think it will greater than the sum of it's parts, unlike the Cayman.
I had a Z4 3.0 with the sport package. Ithad a stiff suspension and was all over the road if the surface was anything but glass smooth. The 987 Boxster S puts it to shame. I have no interest in the Z4 coupe.[/quote]
BMW builds excellent cars, but this series has never had any sense of style. This latest version is the worst of the lot.
I think Ubermench said it all but for some reason I'm compelled to post here. If the Cayman is not attractive as I've seen in some recent magazine reviews, that Z4 Coupe should have a bag over its 'head'. -Pete
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Striking Back
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<td class="red_18_b">BMW's Z4 M Coupe takes swipe at Porsche Cayman S </td>
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<span class="storyByline">By
GREG KABLE
[/quote]
<em class="black_11">AutoWeek[/i] | <span class="updatedStamp">Published 01/25/06, 9:11 am et[/quote]
Photo Gallery
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That sound you hear is a collective groan of discontent from prospective Porsche Cayman S owners as they take their first glimpse at the shapely new BMW Z4 coupe – the latest entry into an increasingly crowded luxury two-seat coupe market that also includes the Audi TT, Mercedes-Benz SLK and Nissan 350Z.
Revealed here in production guise for the first time ahead of a planned North American introduction on May 26, the new two door was first revealed as a near-production concept at last September’s Frankfurt motor show where Helmut Panke, declared, “the decision to build such an emotional two-seat sports coupe as a regular model is almost too obvious.”
True to his word, the BMW chairman has delivered the new car with only minor stylistic changes and, in a sign of just how advanced its development was at the time the concept car was wheeled out, in the space of just four months. There’ll be two distinct versions initially: a standard 3.0-liter 265-hp Z4 coupe priced in the lower $40,000 range, and the performance-oriented 3.2-liter 343-hp Z4 M Coupe priced close the Cayman S at $58,900.
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While the Z4 coupe’s predecessor, the Z3, didn’t sell in great numbers in the North American market, BMW is convinced the new car will make a much bigger impression on buyers. If styling is anything to go by, it may be right. The Z4 Coupe is far better looking than the car it replaces, displaying greater cohesiveness and overall integration. One could argue the appealing exterior, created under BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk is confirmation that the controversial flame surfacing design, first aired on the X Coupe back in 2001, has now matured sufficiently to gain common acceptance.
The front end is pure Z4 roadster, but changes kick in from the windshield back, where a curvaceous roofline featuring the same evocative double bubble treatment seen on the earlier concept car sweeps over the cabin, eventually forming part of a heavily raked rear window that covers the luggage compartment before meeting a short trunk lid with an integrated spoiler.
While the standard Z4 coupe runs the latest incarnation of BMW’s 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine producing 265-hp and 232-lb-ft of torque, it’s the Z4 M Coupe that’s already got tongues wagging, not to mention Porsche officials worried.
Powering BMW’s latest M car is the same highly strung 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine found in the M3. With 343 hp at 7900 rpm, it trumps the Cayman S 3.4-liter horizontally opposed six-cylinder powerplant to the tune of 48 hp. Its 269-lb-ft of torque at 4900 rpm is also 18-lb-ft more than Porsche’s entry level coupe can muster.
While the Z4 M Coupe holds the advantage in raw reserves, its 3124-lb curb weight is 176 lbs above that of the 2948-lb Cayman. Even so, the new BMW’s power-to-weight ratio is still 22-hp up on the highly lauded Porsche.
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Channeling drive to the rear wheels is a traditional double H-pattern six-speed manual gearbox and the same electronically controlled M-differential and 3.62:1 final drive used in the M3. This comes as somewhat of a surprise given BMW’s recent insistence at equipping all its latest M cars with a sequential unit, and in the case of the M5 and M6, a newly developed seven-speed gearbox. If whispers out of Munich hold true, however, the German carmaker will soon begin offering an even more efficient double-clutch arrangement that’s being developed in cooperation with long time partner Getrag.
BMW claims the Z4 M-coupe will sprint to 0-62 mph in 5.0 second, some 0.4-second quicker than the time Porsche quotes for the Cayman S.
Backing up the Z4 M Coupe’s heightened performance is a heavily reworked version of the standard Z4 Coupe’s rear-wheel drive chassis largely shared with the soon-to-be-launched Z4 M Roadster. Honed at the Nurburgring during a development program kicked off last fall, the front track is widened slightly to 58.5 inches, while the rear track is narrowed slightly to 59.6 inches, in a move BMW says is aimed at improving high speed stability.
Underpinning the new car is a MacPherson strut front suspension and trapezoidal shaped multi-link rear suspension that incorporates unique features such as forged aluminum track rods claimed to reduce unsprung masses along with reinforced mounts that, in combination with the closed body shell, are said to provide a level of torsional rigidity almost double that of the old Z3 M Coupe. It supports standard 18-inch wheels shod with 225/45 (front) and 255/40 (rear) profile run flat tires.
Other changes include a hydraulic steering rack in place of the standard Z4 Coupe’s electric arrangement, with the steering ratio dropping from 16.0:1 to a more direct 15.4:1 for sharper responses and added agility. The brakes are borrowed directly from the M3 CSL with 13.5-inch front and 12.9-inch rear discs.
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060125/FREE/60123008/1024
Bring it on! if i am groaning, it's because of the way the Z4 M Coupe looks and I well remember the Z3 M Coupe.
That sound you hear is a collective groan of discontent from prospective Porsche Cayman S owners as they take their first glimpse at the shapely new BMW Z4 coupe – the latest entry into an increasingly crowded luxury two-seat coupe market that also includes the Audi TT, Mercedes-Benz SLK and Nissan 350Z.
Edited by - mpollard on 01/26/2006 6:08:20 PM
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.
