2005 BMW Z4 Review (continued)
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Driving Impressions

The Z4 is a sensuous sports car, not a visceral one. It strokes you, responds to you. After five minutes on the open road, we knew it would be difficult to write this review without using the word smooth" about 20 times. It's the ultimate smooth sports car. The 24-valve inline six-cylinder engine is bliss, crooning its way into your heart, and the five-speed gearbox is virtually idiot-proof, or maybe that should be jerk-proof, because that's what it never does. Meanwhile, the handling and brakes are typically (if not universally) BMW: almost flawless. At least for what the 2.5i is. It's not a racer's sports car.

But you can still race up to the brink of 30-mph turns at 80 mph, stand on the brakes and bang two downshifts from fourth to second gear, and feel like Juan Pablo Montoya. You do not blow those downshifts, because the gearbox, clutch, and heel-and-toe action is so smooth. No lurching, no snatching. The Z4 can make a great driver out of mediocre one.

The vented disc brakes, with ABS, front-rear proportioning and electronic brake assist, are typically BMW-brilliant, although we managed to get them to smell hot during one intense long downhill curving stretch; but they only smelled, they didn't fade. And unlike Mercedes' electronic brake-assist program, we didn't feel any interference despite our aggressive use.

BMW chassis engineers have made a real effort to get the Z4 to handle better than the Z3 it has replaced, especially in getting the rear end to stay stuck to the road, and they have succeeded. The Z4 grips in the corners like the Z3 never did. And even with the optional run-flat 17-inch tires, which have stiff sidewalls, it isn't twitchy over high-speed choppy undulating pavement.

The 2.5-liter engine makes a modest 184 horsepower, but it's good horsepower, ample as well as sweet. It's definitely not slow, and it sounds surprisingly great, with a built-in back-pressure deep burble at low rpm. It's got variable valve timing to make the most of its 175 pound-feet of torque, and redlines at a gentle 6500 rpm, with horsepower peaking at 6000. BMW's rev limiter is also the most sophisticated in the business, gently taking the power away when you hit it.

If you need more performance, the 3.0-liter delivers 225 horsepower, 214 pound-feet, and has a six-speed gearbox. BMW's acceleration claims are 0 to 60 in 7.1 seconds for the 2.5i, and in 5.9 seconds for the 3.0i, which is a big difference.

Changing gears with the manual was so easy and satisfying that we can't imagine wanting an automatic transmission, but the five-speed Steptronic with manual control is a good option. As for the high-tech Sequential Manual Gearbox, this is a gearbox for racers. We've tested an M3 with that gearbox, and found it interesting, aggressive, and fun but imperfect. We've also sampled one on a 6 Series coupe and didn't like it in that car. Make sure your fully try one out before opting for the SMG."