BMW Z4 Roadster sDrive 23i road test
Written By Lee Sibbald Published On: Jun 11 2009
BMW’s Z4 continues the German carmaker’s tradition for long-nosed, rear-drive roadsters, a tradition that evokes the classic 507 from the 1950s, revived more recently with the Z1, Z3 and Z8. The Z4 carries on from where the previous iteration, launched in 2003, left off, but with one major difference. This time around, there won’t be separate roadster and coupe versions, just a single variant with a two-piece, electro-hydraulically operated retractable hard-top roof that can be raised or lowered in 20 seconds, which, not only covers both bases, but also takes the Mercedes-Benz SLK head-on.
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We drove the base sDrive 23i model powered by a 2.5-litre engine producing 204bhp, which allows it to achieve the 0-62mph sprint in a time of 6.6 seconds, before heading on to a top speed of 151mph. The 0-62mph time puts it in the same territory as the Mercedes-Benz SLK (the 280 gets there in 6.3 seconds, while the 200 Kompressor is a second slower) and Audi TT coupe (also 6.6 seconds; the roadster is 0.1 secs slower). It’s certainly not lightning fast, but it pulls well right through the rev range up to 7,000rpm and offers enough thrills to satisfy buyers who are looking for a sporty roadster as opposed to a focused performance car. Indeed, the Z4 sDrive23i offers a good compromise between sportiness and sensible motoring, capable as it is of fuel economy of 33.2mpg on the combined cycle and CO2 emissions of 199g/km.
Read the full BMW Z4 Roadster road test
RoadTestReports.co.uk provides road tests reports written by members of the Guild of Motoring Writers. These reports are complemented by car reviews submitted by the members of the public who drive the vehicles day in day out.
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