BMW Z4 M40iEngine 2998cc, in-line 6-cyl, turbo-petrol Transmission 8-speed auto Power 335bhp @ 5000-6500rpm To r q u e 500Nm @ 1600-4500rpm
Weight 1535kg 0-100kmph 4.5sec (claimed) Top speed 250kmph (limited) Price `78.9 lakh (ex-showroom)I chose my route with three factors in mind — maximum
flyovers, maximum underpasses and minimum speed-
breakers. Flyovers really let you rip it — there’s less chances
of pedestrians and stray animals, and they don’t spring up
too many surprises. Just watch out for expansion joints that
have sunk in — they can be real nasty on a stiff sports car
like this one. Why I picked tunnels is pretty darn obvious —
roof down, and a bellowing straight-six? No brainer. And
speed-breakers, they just destroy the rhythm you’ve built
up since the last one. That said, the Z4 genuinely surprised
me with how useable it was over the few days I had it, with
the chin not scraping anywhere I took it.
The only thing the city lacked, was a good set of corners. I
know a couple of nice ones — this one downhill left-hander
which was like first half of the corkscrew at Laguna Seca.
There is also this chicane that you could thread the car
through provided the road was empty. I did attack a stray
roundabout too but going pedal to the metal at a junction
in a city is plain moronic, even at an ungodly hour like this.
The Z4 can certainly corner. Out in the hills the previous
morning, the Z4 felt so dialled in. The nose is stretched
out far in front of you, but turn the wheel and it darts in
properly quick. The M40i gets an electronically controlled
rear-differential, so when you’re gassing it out of corners,
you can feels the wheels clawing at the ground harder and
harder. Convertibles do compromise on torsional rigidity
of the chassis, but this Z4 has an advantage over the old
one. This one gets a fabric roof instead of a folding hardtop,
reducing weight and lowering the centre of gravity. I
haven’t driven the previous generation Z4 so I can’t say how
far they’ve moved ahead with this one, but in isolation, it is
a proper corner-carver.
As dawn approached, I knew it was time to get back to the
shelter of my parking lot. The city was beginning to wake up.
I pushed the button on the centre console to put the Z4 into
Comfort mode, and it transformed into a whole new beast.
No crackling exhaust, no surging forward at the lightest
touch of the accelerator. Now I was just cruising along
with the engine burbling at a steady 3000rpm, wondering
how such an otherwise sedate machine could be up to the
debauchery it was all through the night. This particular Z4,
the M40i, has a split personality. It can do the showy bits
— the cruising along, the flexing and the showing off. But
if you really want to, it will put those muscles to good use.
Whatever it is you want the Z4 for, if you’re living in a city
like mine, you’re going to have to do it with the roof up. Or
wait until darkness falls. I highly recommend the latter. LBMW Z4 M40ILeft: The speedo and tacho needle oppose each other. Left, below:
The straight-six engine is a riot