2007 BMW Z4 M Roadster vs 2006 Porsche Boxster S
 

Here's a great comparison of the 2007 BMW Z4 M Roadster vs 2006 Porsche Boxster S from Automobile Magazine if you haven't read it already.

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/convertibles/0605_2007_bmw_z4_2006_porsche_boxster_s/

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...porsche013.jpg

My neighboors Z4 in the backgroundv and 944 in my garage :cool: . Bad quality pic.

I'm sure the new Z4 M is a powerful little car and quicker but it is hard to beat the handling of a Boxster. I wonder if the BMW engineers have ever driven one? They might need to put their engine somewhere else.

FWIW, Top Gear did a comparison of the Boxster S and Z4M in the episode that aired in the UK on Sunday 28 May 2006.

I won't spoil their decision for those who prefer to watch the show, but the look on Richard Hammond's face the first time he tried to take a corner in the Z4M at the same pace as the Boxster S is priceless... :-)

I don't want to ruin the episode for anyone either, but there's more to the review than just that. ;)

I have no problem ruining it to discuss their comparative test drives.

True, the M roadster didn't handle like the boxster whatsoever and it did throw him for a loop, but he quickly realized the M car was a wonderful drifter that just needed more pedal around the corners to let the back end stay out there through the entire curve.

If you ask me, I'd rather have a sports car that doesn't require controlled drifting to get around a corner quickly! Boxsters STILL rule, even with a smaller powerplant.

One day, I believe that BMW will make a mid-engine convertible roadster and give the Boxster a real run for its money.

Won't happen at our price point. BMW are big into platform based engineering and it pays off handsomely for them (Z4, 3-series, and X3 share a platform, X5, previous generation 5-series and Z8 share a platform).

If they build a mid-engine car it wil require a new platform and the economics won't cover the development costs except if the car is priced in Ferrari territory - the M6 is already a six-figure car.

That's not to say that they couldn't, they just won't. Doesn't make any business sense to them.