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Originally Posted by Perfectlap
SOmetime you need to drive a tin can with now power, handling or steering to fully appreciate what Stuggart has engineered.
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OR a Z4. A buddy just bought one, and convinced me to take a test drive. Took out a 2005 Z4 3.0 w/ 6-speed. My thoughts:
Sounds dead. Same dull drone through the entire RPM range. They took the "if it's loud, it'll sound sporty" approach. The opposite is our Boxsters, where there's a nice high whine at low RPM that slowly changes into an all-out growl under WOT at about 3-4krpm on up.
Road feel sucks. In my Box, I feel like I'm driving a go-cart. In the Z4 I felt like I was driving a loud Buick. Even though it handles well, it had that disconnected feeling.
STEERING!!!! Can't stress this enough. I can dart in and out of traffic, handle crazy twisty roads, etc, etc. In the Z4, it felt like a truck. I felt like I was out of control. The car had a mind of it's own and felt skittish.
Seating position. I'm a small dude (5'10, 150lbs), and the Box fits me like a glove. Even at 5'10, I felt like I was looking over the windshield in the Z4. This is in addition to the fact that I could NOT find a comfy seating position and the lack of bolster on the seat allowed me to go flying all over the seat every time I hit a curve.
Verdict: BMW did a great job at making a roadster that even Mazda and Toyota would laugh at, despite costing twice as much as a Miata or MR2 Spyder.