OUR CARS
managed to snatch the
Z4’s keys for a (mostly)
sunny weekend at last
month’s Goodwood
Festival of Speed. My thinking was
that if I was going to be stuck in
the festival’s usual morning traffic
queues, I’d rather be doing so with
the roof down and limitless amounts
of vitamin D coursing through me.
As it turned out, I managed to
dodge the worst of the snarl-ups so
could enjoy the twistier route down
and then back from the West Sussex
event. In theory, then, this should
have been a report where I revel in
the latest Z4’s new-found lightness
and agility, its rear-wheel-drive
balance and its sports car qualities
that make the mechanically similar
Toyota Supra such a riot.
Instead, I found myself more
satisfied with the refinement and
comfort it offers. Whether that’s a
good thing is up for debate, but to me,
I
A trip to Goodwood highlights the Z4’s strengths
BMW Z4
it is the Z4’s stand-out quality.
Much of the route from West
Berkshire to Goodwood is fast dual
carriageway. But the Z4’s design
(along with a wind deflector as part
of the Comfort Plus package) seems
to deflect wind rather well with the
windows up, meaning you no longer
have to pretend to enjoy long roof-
down motorway journeys that seem
like a good idea at first.
Listening to music at such speeds
is no hardship, either, thanks to the
Harman Kardon audio. The US firm
tells us the main focus when tuning
the system was how it performs
with the roof down and its ability to
remain clear and crisp even at highvolumes ref lects that.
Ju s t a s i mpr e s si v e i s t he r o of-up
serenity. It’s not a Rolls-Royce, but
it insulates you from passing trucks
and city chaos pretty effectively for a
r oa d s t e r. T he dow n side of t h i s i s t h at
a rattle seems to have appeared in
either the door or bottom edge of the
roof mechanism and the absence of
road din is exacerbating it somewhat.
It’s unfortunate, because the rest
of the Z4 seems built to last. The
interior is a little more minimalist
and driver-focused than the
company’s larger models but is
no less plush, comfortable and
tech-laden. My 6ft 2in frame is
often a bit much for some two-
seat roadsters. But there’s ample
head and, particularly, leg room
for me to stretch out and, unlike
in a Mazda MX-5, settle down for
whatever the A3 and M3 could
throw at me. A couple of large
weekend bags will sit with spaceto spare in the boot, too.
The weekend behind the wheel
also uncovered the merits of our
sDrive 30i’s four-cylinder engine.
A detuned version of the unit found
in the new BMW M135i, it so far
seems to provide the perfect middle
ground between performance,
real-world efficiency and cost.
A more hurried jaunt down to
Goodwood saw mpg in the mid-30s,
but that was coaxed up to and
beyond 40 on the more leisurely,
roof-down cruise back.
I bemoan the loss of more
mainstream six-pot engine options
as much as anyone, but in a car as
nimble as the Z4, the lighter front
end is welcome – and the four-
pot doesn’t sound too bad when
extended. A comparison between
this and the full-fat M40i model
would still be welcome, though, to
see if its engine character wins out.
LAWRENCE ALLAN
Ample space for a 6ft 2in driver here
RATTLY DOOR
Clunking sound in the door has
been noticed by some but not all
who’ve driven it. We suspect it’s a
quirk of an early production car.
CRUISING COMFORT
Excellent wind deflection means
high speeds with the roof down are
still comfortable and the interior is
roomy and the seats well shaped.
LOATHE IT
LOVE IT
MILEAGE 3699
WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT
The sporting appeal of BMW’s roadster
has diminished over generations.
We want to find out if it’s back
OWN ONE? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE
BMW Z4 SDRIVE30i M SPORT
Price £41,450 Price as tested £46,900 Faults
Intermittent door rattle Expenses None
Economy 35.6mpg. Last seen 24.7.1 9
TEST DATA
Range Rover Velar
MILEAGE 16,411 LAST SEEN 7.8.19
As I mentioned last time, the Land
Rover Experience off-road centres
try to act as guides to your car
and its features in general. There,
instructor Will McKean showed me
how to pre-select reverse (or drive
again) on the rotary controller even
when you’re moving forwards. It’s
so handy when you have to perform
a quick reverse into a driveway off a
busy road, as I do. MT
Kia e-Niro
MILEAGE 9005 LAST SEEN 24.7.19
Semi-seizure the other day as I
jumped in, drove a few hundred
metres down the road and looked at
the range again to discover about
5% had vanished. Regen problem?
Lead foot? Nope, I’d switched the
air-con on. It drains ‘fuel’ whatever
the propulsion system, of course,
but in an EV, the cost of staying cool
has never been more transparent. JH
Peugeot 5 08
MILEAGE 5112 LAST SEEN 31.7.19
Do you have a favourite view of your
car, an angle that sums up best why
it presses your buttons? On the 508,
the raking fastback line from the roof,
down the rear screen to the short
bootlid, for me, is the car’s strong
point. Given how sharp design is vital
to Peugeot’s new-generation appeal,
it won’t be a coincidence that the GT
logo sits on a signature feature. DS
OOUURR C CAARRSS
14 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 69