2007 BMW Z4 M Coupé

Rather than a technical review and a boring and tedious feature list of the BMW Z4 - M Coupé which the net is already heavily polluted with, this review will be more about what this vehicle is like to live with and how I feel about it as a new owner. Being re-designed from the ground up rather than just a make-over of the old odd looking in my opinion Z3-M Coupé this vehicle carries huge potential for blistering performance, redesigned styling and improved handling over it's predecessor. It is a rare car and you don't see many on the roads. I have only seen two on the streets around Melbourne in the 4 months I have owned mine.

This is a driver's car through and through if ever there was one. It's a fling, a one-night stand or a filthily expensive unforgettable affair. This baby doesn't want anything to do with, or even any trace of, a long-term relationship. She could tear your heart apart and leave you broke in the blink of an eye and you would just have to pick yourself up again and get on with your life. If you are still lucky enough to be single and don't have a lady to answer to and insist on having a hardcore no nonsense BMW sports car with killer looks and performance to match, this is the machine for you. With the great Z4 platform to build upon, M division worked their magic by tweaking the chassis, drive train, brakes, motor, suspension and bodykit to a much higher level. Being this type of car the Z4-M was to have minimal electronically molestation that has been commonly known to destroy classic driving enjoyment rather than improve upon it.

BMW's M division pulled no punches when they let loose their design team to create an all new Z4-M Coupé rather then a redesign of the Z3. Following the tried and proven method of using a two door chassis with a low centre of gravity, classic bold body styling lines and coupled with awesome performance. The design of the Coupé resembles a close throw back to muscle cars styling lines from the late 60's and early 70's when viewed from certain angles. Germany's answer to the Corvette is alive and going strong. The convertible Z4-M of the same model is endowed with nowhere near the same sex appeal or laden with the volume of testosterone drenched muscular stature as the coupé version. The huge front air intake is followed by the bonnet's double ridge line, coupled with the central channeled roofline; it gives a menacing silhouette that I believe will be a genuine future classic. Not being one to change or upgrade my vehicles regularly I wanted something that would stand the test of time as one of the great sports cars. The BMW Z4-M Coupé is a ride for very special moments – when you wish to experience every inch of the road. Uncompromising, purist, and extremely powerful, I have found this machine offers an unparalleled experience of undiluted pants down fun both in everyday traffic and on the race track.

The latest generation E92 BMW M3 might be running the all new S65B40, 4.0 litre quad cam V8, but the legendary S54B32, 3.2 litre straight six lives on in possibly it's final holy incarnation powering the Z4-M. Having won the prestigious International Engine Of The Year Award in the 3 ~ 4 litre category for a world record 6 times, M's magic M3.2L straight six certainly needs no introduction. An amazing 252kW/343bhp from only 3.2 naturally aspirated litres in an engine this smooth and drivable is a remarkable engineering achievement. With 80% of the engines maximum torque of 365Nm being available from just 2,000rpm it is as easy to drive around town as it is on a race track.

It is amazing how much a wonderful chassis, brakes and suspension contribute to the total performance of a car in addition to the motor's power and torque outputs. A case in point is the TopGear race between the BMW Z4-M (3.2L/343bhp) v.s. Dodge Viper SRT10 (8.4L/510bhp). End result around their test circuit was EQUAL. You have to see this to believe it. An interesting test and well worth the watch on YouTube, click HERE if you can stomach cringing throughout Jerry Clarkson's amateurish presentation and tiring dialogue.

Getting down to business, the driving position once you have gotten into the cabin which takes a little effort at first if you are used to driving sedans or even 3 Series coupés is tight, but not uncomfortably so. However the added effort is rewarded as it's solely focused on the driver and their needs and feels like BMW built the car directly around the driver as there is not an inch to spare in terms of excess space. Quality of finish is no less than excellent as one would expect for a vehicle from BMW in this price range. The leather stitching, plastics, instrumentation and the driver's controls are all excellent. Sitting in and driving the Z4-MC is like entering another world and once familiar with the cars predictable handling it becomes an extension of your body, mind and soul. You don't have to make unnatural or exaggerated movements in order to accomplish your goals. Even when the going gets hot and heavy and your concentration is so intense you are unable to blink, the vehicle never adds to your stress levels but reacts with a sure footed and natural reflex action. When you are seated, the extremely long and attractive bonnet gives you an unobstructed view, even from the lowest seating position. The leather seats are immensely comfortable and are fully electronically adjustable into any configuration you could desire. They give the driver reliable feedback at all times which can make a bigger difference than you might first think in a performance car.

The small chunky M leather steering wheel with perfect grip, in turn, features a strong rim profile and thumb contours for secure grip and precise handling with controls mounted for audio system and telephone operation. I totally love the feel of this wheel in my hands; it matches the character and style of the vehicle perfectly. This model comes fully loaded in Australia with nothing additionally to choose off the option list. This depending on your view point makes a nice change from the normal BMW option list that is as long as your arm, with everything costing extra.

Another highlight of the M models is the variable engine speed pre-warning field in the rev counter, the yellow pre-warning and red warning field limiting the engine speed allowed in each case as a function of current engine oil temperature. So with the temperature of the engine oil increasing, the engine is able to rev faster and move up to a higher speed range. Again, this is another good idea from M to protect that beautiful straight six engine from inexperienced test pilots who haven't got too many clues. Personally I have always preferred to watch the oil temperature gauge closely as a sign of life before I get stuck into fully exploiting the 8,000rpm cutout.

BMW have thankfully decided in their infinite wisdom to leave the choice of gearbox simple and uncomplicated. A traditional slick 6 speed manual is what has been decided by the powers that be to be perfect for this wild creation and I couldn't agree more. No electronic intervention in the form of SMG/M-DCT or slush box to get in the way of this back to basics pure sports car. The clutch pressure is light for me but I am used to driving some very heavy clutched gearboxes.

The luggage storage space can best be described in one word as 'minimal'. I have never wanted to carry around more when using this car. If I did, I would have chosen the wrong car to drive that day. The Z4-MC makes no excesses or apologies for that, and you can get away with cramming in enough stuff to thoroughly enjoy a dirty weekend or similar. Like JJ Cale says, "Traveling light is the only way to fly". Ninety nine percent of the time my car keys, MasterCard and sunglasses are all I need to pack before I hit the road in this car. Life can be as simple as you want to make it or as difficult as you allow it to be.

The suspensions ride comfort over anything other than paper flat blacktop is jarringly hard but I'm not complaining. The harder the better I say. It is a very stiff and rigid ride that's for sure, which transmits every imperfection in the road's surface back to the driver loud and clearly. The chassis has very little body role through hard cornering and is very predictable in its dampening and rebound settings. You get 50:50 axle weight distribution, a low centre of gravity, low weight chassis and rear-wheel-drive which spells 'fast’ in no shades of grey around any track.

It took me considerable time to get used to driving this machine on its edge. Similarly when learning to assert one's progressive behavioral control over a woman for your advantage. To get the most out of the situation you should treat her with caution until you have found her limits and know how far you can push things before she turns and bites back. Then with practice and a dogmatic persistence you will soon be able to take it all the way and exploit every benefit with the upmost of confidence. So to with the Z4-MC, there is a fine line between bring the back around too far in a power slide and drifting like a king. With practice the car's directional behavior can easily be controlled with opposite steering lock to a point where this is a non issue and you can precisely balance the cornering angle and/or speed of rotation of the slide according to the available grip and your throttle application. The M Differential is a wonderful thing indeed allowing for super human efforts to be performed in less than ideal conditions.

M division has adopted a zero tolerance for this performance package rather than to allow detracting compromises to exist in an effort to gain wider general acceptance to please the bean counters at BMW H.Q.. That will thrill some but will annoy many others. Do they care? The answer to that question is sitting right outside in my garage. We should all have the good manners and sense or respect to stand-up and admire BMW's pure and uncompromising dedication to an utterly extravagant and overwhelmingly hardcore indulgence in a world that is growing more and more mundane and impersonal with each and every spirit sapping day.

Being in the Hi-Fi industry the sound system would have to be of a high standard to keep my satisfaction intact. The Z4-MC comes with BWM's high-end Professional System that uses ten speakers including two subwoofers combined with the most advanced THX Certified ® Carver technology able to generate enormous sound pressure by combining the volume of the right and left subwoofers and a ten channel 430W amplifier. All functions are displayed upon the Professional Sat Navigation system's LCD, which comprises of a 16:9 color monitor adjustable or folding in entirely either electrically or by hand. I'm still trying to understand all the input modes and functions at this time of writing. Coupled with Bluetooth and Digital TV the in car electronics are everything I could ask for and more.

As for driver settings, for performance driving you would always want to turn DSC off as it shuts the good times down way too early in an effort to prevent any unforeseen mishaps from underperforming drivers. I can fully confirm in no uncertain terms that with this function disabled, the Z4-MC becomes a real weapon, capable of easy sub 5sec 0-100km times in the right hands. Every time you start the vehicle DSC is activated by default, at first this was annoying but I can understand why the factory hardwired this function. Yes, Auto DSC it is probably a good idea because of BMW's responsible corporate image having to cater for the biggest nuff nuff out there and with an abundance of power in a small light chassis this could easily be a recipe for disaster. There is also an electronically selectable Sport Mode to play with. Once activated it sharpens up the throttle response and makes the car feel much more responsive to the smallest of driver inputs. Nice.

The things I don't like are small and can be easily rectified with minor complications. Firstly, the stock tires while fairly decent as far as performance road tires go are not my preferred rubber. As soon as I got this car off the showroom floor I changed out the standard Continental Contact Sports (F225/45/18 - R255/40/18) for the largest Dunlop R Compound DZO2G race tires I could cram on (F245/40/18 - R265/35/18). Basically they are a reduced tread depth, stiff side walled, grooved racing slick that is road legal, just. This made the biggest difference to the handling, no surprise there. After you have driven on a race tire like this you would never want to use a hard as nails road tire again on a performance car. The difference is stupid. This is a weekend car for me and I do stuff all km's per year in it, so tread wear is a non issue.

My next complaint was with the painted alloy rims. I love the design pattern but why paint alloy rims in the first place? Yes, it's MUCH cheaper to manufacture than a polished show class mirror finish. Yes, they are easier to maintain. But they look boring and get stone chips easily. I have had mine acid dipped and hand polished. Be warned, it's not an easy or low cost exercise. But it looks way cool.

Brakes in both feel and stopping power are awesome and have been directly lifted from the M3 CSL parts bin. I have no complaints there except the stock BMW pads have the worst brake dust ever as many others here will attest to. They will be changing out to a carbon metallic pad soon.

The clutch like some other models is issued with the dreaded CDV (Clutch Delay Valve). Bad, Bad, Bad. The CDV is a one-way restrictor installed by the factory between the clutch slave cylinder and clutch master cylinder; it "delays" the engagement of the clutch. No matter how quickly you lift your foot off the clutch pedal, the clutch engages the flywheel at a constant (slow) rate. In theory, it can save the driveline from shock, were an inexperienced (or immature) driver to dump the clutch at high RPM. But in practice, all it does is prematurely wear out the clutch and turn experienced drivers into people who, despite 20 years of practice, cannot shift gears smoothly. During parallel parking maneuvers, the delay can be infuriating, causing constant clutch slippage. During hard acceleration, the large amount of clutch slippage can greatly shorten the life of your clutch. During normal, sedate driving, the shift from first into second gear is often jerky, leading passengers to question your skill. You can either delete the OEM item completely or replace it with a 'gutted' modified unit from Zeckhausen Racing to remove this irritation. Just did the CDV delete today and the difference is breathtaking. I'd sure like to find the fool in Deutschland who figured that the CDV was a good idea in a car like this and knee them square between the legs. End rant.

The servicing interval schedules that BMW are now setting for their new cars are in my opinion disturbing. They are getting to be far too long and far between. Being into mechanics and servicing my own race motorcycles/cars since a young teenager I would recommend that it is a cheap form of insurance against future premature depreciation, wear and/or damage problems to do it or get it done by someone more regularly than otherwise officially stated in the owner's manuals. In competitive motor racing classes routine maintenance and servicing is performed at the end of every race meeting without a second thought. In any performance street car, do it more often and you will see that the additional costs will pay for themselves in the long run if you intend to keep the car.

I use my Z4-MC as a weekend escape and a something I thoroughly look forward to jumping into and driving. I wouldn't swap this car for anything. Before buying this I did considerable research in similar vehicles in this price range. For what you pay for in this car, BMW gives you real value for money when you consider what else you could buy new for the same price. After looking at all the buying factors such as performance, build quality, design, handling, fitted options, braking and more the Z4-MC always came out on top. I have no regrets on this decision and to me it is well worth BMW's asking price.

Getting in it and heading out of Melbourne for an early morning breakfast down on the Great Ocean Road is a total driving 'experience' in every sense of the word. As an everyday proposition, I would be the first to raise the red flag. But that's not what this car was designed for. For its intended purpose it meets and exceeds all my desires. I salute M division for taking the courage to push the envelope with this vehicle in the face of the wide acceptance ratios most car companies are striving for. But when you think about it that's exactly what makes the Z4-MC so special.

See you on the streets!

by James Leahy