Over 7,5 billion people live on Earth. And all of them are beautiful, in their own way. They fall in love and they are loved. They are unique. Some of them may be ugly from your point of view, some of them might be stunning and take your breath away. It’s all about taste.
Since every rule has its exception, it will always exist some kind of beauty about everybody agrees on, worldwide. For instance, take the BMW Z4 Roadster. Words are really not enough to describe the beauty of this car. I can easily name it a fashion icon of the automotive industry. How could you not fall in love with its stunning design? It’s atemporal. Outstanding.
I drove the BMW Z4 Roadster for a few days. As you already know, there are many cars I find breathtaking but this is the first one I almost cried after I took it back to Bilia-Emond Luxembourg. I felt like I left the love of my life behind. I know, I’m such a drama queen.
Many of you know I’m not a morning person but it was worth waking up early on a Friday to pick up the BMW Z4 Roadster. As per usual, I went together with my little girl. She grew up developing a huge interest in cars (is it my fault, maybe?) and half of our living room is now officially parking for toy cars.
Every time I pick up a new car for a driving test she is absolutely delighted and she might throw a tantrum if I don’t allow her to be the first to inspect the car (yes, terrible twos, you figured it out). I must admit I didn’t know you can install a child car seat in a vehicle that only has two places, I thought it was not allowed.
But actually, you can do it and it’s perfectly legal. The passengers’ seat of the BMW Z4, is equipped with ISOFIX so nothing stays between you, your child and an adventure in this cabriolet 🙂 But don’t forget to deactivate the passengers’ airbag, it’s a must!
One of my biggest fears about traveling in a two-seater with my child was that she was going to unbuckle the seat belt and jump on the steering wheel while pressing with her little toes all the buttons from the dashboard. I know, maybe I should begin to write baby superhero comics. But she was SO fascinated and just stood there, analyzing the central console and the LCD until eventually, she fell asleep. Which is a surprise, because normally she’s not the happiest kid while we’re driving in a car. So…now I’m thinking that the answer to a common question we find on the internet: What should I do if my toddler refuses to sit in his car seat? would be: buy a 2 seater.
After I managed to convince my daughter that her place is not behind the steering wheel I finally found myself on the driver’s seat. And the first feeling I had was that I literally sank in it. I wonder how racing pilots must feel. Bittersweet sensation. I had the impression that my visibility was poor: the hood was too long, the chair was too low. Yes, there are some buttons you can use to adjust the seat and after I tried all sort of combinations that felt unnatural for my height and driving preferences (I don’t like to be to close to the steering wheel and touch the rooftop with my head when I drive – yes, I saw many people that do this – so I decided to accept and embrace the common driving position for sports cars and I was surprised by how fast I got used to it. I think about 2 minutes. And there was no way back. Honestly, when I climbed in my personal car I felt like I was driving a bus.
After I got used to the driving position, the first thing I did was to test the.. .driving modes! You can choose from three options: Eco, Normal and Sport. The difference between the Normal and Sport ones is huge and absolutely delicious. If you love adrenaline, this is a thing you’ll enjoy about this car. When you switch from Eco to Normal mode there’s no quite difference, maybe only at the gas station! But I personally wouldn’t buy this car if I were obsessed with fuel consumption. Not because the numbers are not good(6.1-6.0 l/100km) but because…
This is one of those cars that you want to slow down just to accelerate it again. I know, it might sound crazy, but the feeling you get behind the wheel while the engine is screaming pleasure worths every single liter of gasoline spent!
I love to listen to music while I’m driving and I always thought that it’s one of the best road partners. But this car is the only one that made me turn off the radio (despite its Harman/Kardon Surround system. For those of you who don’t know, I’m a huge fan) because the songs actually bothered me from hearing the sound of the engine.
What can I say, it’s one of the best rock and roll songs I’ve ever heard.
You know I don’t usually write technical details in my articles but this time I feel the need to do it. Is this a sign that my passion for cars develops?
So, if you’re interested, this is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing an output of 190kW/258hp which enables it to complete the 0 to 100km/h sprint in 5.4 seconds. The model I drove was the BMW Z4 sDrive30i. The engine comes with a gasoline particle filter to further reduce emissions (for the sDRIVE30i we have 139g/km), being compliant with the Euro 6d-TEMP emissions standard.
I can’t believe I just wrote this but I’m happy I did it:) I’m officially a more dedicated automotive blogger.
What about safety?
You already know that this chapter is always present in my articles and my attention is always focused on the things that help your driving be safer and easier. The BMW Z4 sDrive30i comes with a standard package that includes Collision Warning, Pedestrian Warning with City Braking function and Lane Departure Warning system. The options you can choose from to augment your driver assistance package include Active Cruise Control with Stop&Go function, distance information, the Lane Change Warning system, Rear Collision Prevention and Cross-Traffic Alert plus the Speed Limit Info System with No Passing Info display. And the cherry on the cake is the Head-up Display – which is for the first time present in a Roadster.
The Park Assist Pilot works perfectly.
I must admit, though, that at the beginning I didn’t know how to activate it so I slid and scroll on the LCD display in neverending search. That was not the right place to find the information I was looking for but instead, I discovered some delightful explanatory videos for using different options that this car offers.
Do you know how people tend to complicate things when actually the simpler is the better? I never thought to search an activation button for the Park Assist Pilot on the central console. Well, it was there. I think it’s very comfortable to make use of this option when you can activate it so effortlessly.
This BMW Z4 is the first roadster I ever drove.
I always thought that if you drive in a convertible (rooftop off, obviously) you will catch a cold. Well, my theory was broken into pieces. You basically don’t feel that you’re exposed and that you need a helmet to protect yourself from the wind. The only thing you’ll feel is envy. Yes, people will envy you for driving such an awesome roadster. And you will proudly smile, you’ll do that involuntary. It happened to me.
The soft-top is electrically operated and can be opened or closed in 10 seconds when traveling at up to 50km/h, by pushing a button strategically placed on the central console. The fact that this car is convertible is a WOW factor for kids. They find it amazing. I mean, I guess so. My toddler surely did.
Bottom line, regarding driving, this car is a delicious definition of the right balance between security, sportiness and ride comfort.
The interior of this car is luxurious.
The ambiance is relaxed although there are details that remind me of the fact that I’m in a sports car, such as the integral head restrains of the car seats. You already know I’m not a fan of many little buttons and this car didn’t disappoint me. The most important buttons are there and end of story. Love it! Now I can focus on the driving experience:)
The storage space is concentrated between the two seats, under the center armrest cover. At the push of a button, it folds in two sections with a longitudinal split, for a wow effect. It’s the first time I saw that.
There is also a space under the dashboard, where you can charge your phone through the induction technology.
One of the first questions when I saw this car, was: “So, where am I going to throw my bag?“. The passengers’ seat wasn’t an option so I discovered a space behind the car seats. At a first glance, you might think that is not so big but honestly, sometimes it was hard to find my bag (and it’s not a clutch nor a medium sized one) so yeah, there is plenty of space there.
Speaking about storage spaces, I want to mention the boot has a very nice volume, 281L, which remains the same whether the soft-top is open or closed.
Another thing I like about this car is that the seatbelt is attached to a hook placed on the car seat. Cheers to a no torsion-dystonia life!
Please, somebody, stop me. Because I feel I can’t finish this article, I have the impression that I didn’t write enough although I’m sure that by now you are already convinced to take this BMW Z4 for a ride.
I hope you will feel as energized as I felt during the weekend I had it for the drive test and that you decide to spend an adventure of a lifetime behind the wheel of this stunning car!
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