Every year my wife and I participate in BMW’s Drive for the Cure. I can’t say enough good things about the event. You get to choose a BMW to drive, then you drive it around for a few miles, and BMW gives a dollar to the Susan Komen breast cancer fund for every mile you drive…brilliant. How many times does someone give money to a charity in exchange for driving a car, let alone a brand new BMW?
Last year we drove two cars, the Z4 and the 650. At my height I can forget about driving the Z4, so my wife drove that, I drove the 650, convertible. Now I am going to be honest, I love BMWs, I have appreciated them for a very long time, so I expect them to be great cars, especially the 650 since it is their largest coupe.
When I first got into the car I was impressed with the space, my 6’5” frame fit quite well in it. All the materials of the cabin are top notch, nothing cheap in this car. BMW has a proximity key in this car, meaning that you do not have any key to turn, you just have to have the key in your pocket when you get into the car then you can push the start button. The driving position is great, it is easy to get comfortable making this a true GT car.
The first thing that struck me about this car is how smooth it is. The transmission glides from gear to gear without any issue. It is so smooth in fact you wonder if there really a 4.8 litre V8 under the hood. The exhaust note is present, but not overbearing, you can hear the stereo without any problem even with the top down. The suspension and seats keep you in place and hide any bumps you might encounter. Overall this is a luxurious GT car.
Acceleration in this car is solid, 0-60 happens in just over five seconds, but you wouldn’t know it, it seems so effortless for this car. To make this car feel like a true ultimate driving machine you need to take time and disable the traction control and set the transmission to sport mode, this allows the beast to come out a little. The car feels large, though nimble. At no time did I ever feel like it was a beast out of control, it always felt solid and steady. But be warned, this car has a ton of power and although the computer keeps you on the road most of the time, it is possible to hit the accelerator right when the transmission downshifts in a corner, causing the car to buck like a wild horse and give you quite a fright. If you own this car I would suggest a trip to BMW's Performance Driving School in South Carolina, for $650 you can learn the limits of your car and avoid putting it in a ditch.
Overall though, I could not help but think that as good as this car is, I could not think of a reason to by this car over a 3-series coupe. Both cars have comfortable interiors, both go 0-60 in five seconds, both have enough room for two large adults with a backseat that can accommodate kids and baggage. The only advantage the 650 has was that it was larger, used more gas, and costs more. Other than that I could think of no reason to buy a 650 over a 335 convertible. When it comes to driving experience I actually prefer the 335, it has more feel in the steering wheel, and being smaller it feels easier to fling around corners. Maybe there is someone out there that just MUST have a bigger car, perhaps they are a very large person. However, I would suggest that rather than spend the extra cash on a 650, why not go on a diet and buy a 3-series convertible instead?
Z4
Now comes the Z4, which in many ways was the polar opposite of the 650. With a 36” inseam I struggle to reach the brake pedal, but my 5’4” wife fit perfectly. This car is slightly larger than a Miata, so it feels less like a go-kart and more like a proper automobile.
The Z4 feels like a true roadster when you sit in it. Everything is within reach of the driver, which not all cars this small can claim the same. (Go sit in a Lotus Elise and have a laugh at how bad the ergonomics are, you would think that in a car so small it would be impossible to put anything out of reach but look at the stereo, although it doesn’t matter in that car they are still a blast.) The engine in the Z4 sounds great, it sounds like it is happiest when it is above 4000 rpms. Despite being a convertible body flex is kept to a minimum. Everything is solid in this car, and as a passenger I was very comfortable, I could easily sit as a passenger for hours in this car.
The day my wife and I were in this car was a gorgeous day in Austin. My wife drove the car with spirit. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the traction control light coming on many occasions, preventing us from ending up in a ditch. As technology has taken over cars it becomes increasingly possible for anybody to drive like a maniac without ever losing control. Not all traction/stability control systems are made equal. If you drive the old Mercedes E55 you will see what I mean, the traction control in the Benz takes all the fun out of driving such a fast car. (Luckily you can turn off the traction control.) BMW has found the perfect balance of safety and control.
As a passenger I can’t remember ever having as much fun in a car as I did in the Z4. The 650 was a great car, it was calm, poised and collected, like that kind of guy a woman looks to settle down with and marry. The Z4 on the other hand was fun and aggressive, like that guy a girl dates knowing full well she is never going to marry him, but was attracted to the more exciting and consequently unpredictable aspects of his personality. You can put a car seat in the 650, you can drive your elderly grandmother around in the 650 and you can fit curtain rods in the trunk of the 650, while all these things are near impossible in the Z4 that is precisely why it is more fun.
Many people say they prefer the looks of the Z4 to the Z3, although I am not one of them. The Z3 was actually an attempt by BMW to invoke the gorgeous design of the classic BMW 507, the only problem is that only 252 units of the 507 were ever built, and it is estimated that only 202 are still around today; thus hardly anyone has ever seen a 507 so the average person does not pick up on the retro design cues of the Z3, which is a shame really. The current designer at BMW is an American named Chris Bangle, and he has a design concept called “flame surfacing” that is found throughout the BMW line of cars now. I personally did not like the new BMW look at first, but I have found it to be an acquired taste and as time goes buy I enjoy the theme more and more.
Compared to its two closest competitors, the Boxster and the S2000, the Z4 has some advantages. It is almost $10,000 less than a Boxster and has more torque than the Honda. You really couldn’t go wrong with any of the three, but I know if my wife were to buy one she would go for the Z4 because she always dated boy scouts and eventually married one, so when she drives she looks for excitement.
Last year we drove two cars, the Z4 and the 650. At my height I can forget about driving the Z4, so my wife drove that, I drove the 650, convertible. Now I am going to be honest, I love BMWs, I have appreciated them for a very long time, so I expect them to be great cars, especially the 650 since it is their largest coupe.
When I first got into the car I was impressed with the space, my 6’5” frame fit quite well in it. All the materials of the cabin are top notch, nothing cheap in this car. BMW has a proximity key in this car, meaning that you do not have any key to turn, you just have to have the key in your pocket when you get into the car then you can push the start button. The driving position is great, it is easy to get comfortable making this a true GT car.
The first thing that struck me about this car is how smooth it is. The transmission glides from gear to gear without any issue. It is so smooth in fact you wonder if there really a 4.8 litre V8 under the hood. The exhaust note is present, but not overbearing, you can hear the stereo without any problem even with the top down. The suspension and seats keep you in place and hide any bumps you might encounter. Overall this is a luxurious GT car.
Acceleration in this car is solid, 0-60 happens in just over five seconds, but you wouldn’t know it, it seems so effortless for this car. To make this car feel like a true ultimate driving machine you need to take time and disable the traction control and set the transmission to sport mode, this allows the beast to come out a little. The car feels large, though nimble. At no time did I ever feel like it was a beast out of control, it always felt solid and steady. But be warned, this car has a ton of power and although the computer keeps you on the road most of the time, it is possible to hit the accelerator right when the transmission downshifts in a corner, causing the car to buck like a wild horse and give you quite a fright. If you own this car I would suggest a trip to BMW's Performance Driving School in South Carolina, for $650 you can learn the limits of your car and avoid putting it in a ditch.
Overall though, I could not help but think that as good as this car is, I could not think of a reason to by this car over a 3-series coupe. Both cars have comfortable interiors, both go 0-60 in five seconds, both have enough room for two large adults with a backseat that can accommodate kids and baggage. The only advantage the 650 has was that it was larger, used more gas, and costs more. Other than that I could think of no reason to buy a 650 over a 335 convertible. When it comes to driving experience I actually prefer the 335, it has more feel in the steering wheel, and being smaller it feels easier to fling around corners. Maybe there is someone out there that just MUST have a bigger car, perhaps they are a very large person. However, I would suggest that rather than spend the extra cash on a 650, why not go on a diet and buy a 3-series convertible instead?
Z4
Now comes the Z4, which in many ways was the polar opposite of the 650. With a 36” inseam I struggle to reach the brake pedal, but my 5’4” wife fit perfectly. This car is slightly larger than a Miata, so it feels less like a go-kart and more like a proper automobile.
The Z4 feels like a true roadster when you sit in it. Everything is within reach of the driver, which not all cars this small can claim the same. (Go sit in a Lotus Elise and have a laugh at how bad the ergonomics are, you would think that in a car so small it would be impossible to put anything out of reach but look at the stereo, although it doesn’t matter in that car they are still a blast.) The engine in the Z4 sounds great, it sounds like it is happiest when it is above 4000 rpms. Despite being a convertible body flex is kept to a minimum. Everything is solid in this car, and as a passenger I was very comfortable, I could easily sit as a passenger for hours in this car.
The day my wife and I were in this car was a gorgeous day in Austin. My wife drove the car with spirit. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the traction control light coming on many occasions, preventing us from ending up in a ditch. As technology has taken over cars it becomes increasingly possible for anybody to drive like a maniac without ever losing control. Not all traction/stability control systems are made equal. If you drive the old Mercedes E55 you will see what I mean, the traction control in the Benz takes all the fun out of driving such a fast car. (Luckily you can turn off the traction control.) BMW has found the perfect balance of safety and control.
As a passenger I can’t remember ever having as much fun in a car as I did in the Z4. The 650 was a great car, it was calm, poised and collected, like that kind of guy a woman looks to settle down with and marry. The Z4 on the other hand was fun and aggressive, like that guy a girl dates knowing full well she is never going to marry him, but was attracted to the more exciting and consequently unpredictable aspects of his personality. You can put a car seat in the 650, you can drive your elderly grandmother around in the 650 and you can fit curtain rods in the trunk of the 650, while all these things are near impossible in the Z4 that is precisely why it is more fun.
Many people say they prefer the looks of the Z4 to the Z3, although I am not one of them. The Z3 was actually an attempt by BMW to invoke the gorgeous design of the classic BMW 507, the only problem is that only 252 units of the 507 were ever built, and it is estimated that only 202 are still around today; thus hardly anyone has ever seen a 507 so the average person does not pick up on the retro design cues of the Z3, which is a shame really. The current designer at BMW is an American named Chris Bangle, and he has a design concept called “flame surfacing” that is found throughout the BMW line of cars now. I personally did not like the new BMW look at first, but I have found it to be an acquired taste and as time goes buy I enjoy the theme more and more.
Compared to its two closest competitors, the Boxster and the S2000, the Z4 has some advantages. It is almost $10,000 less than a Boxster and has more torque than the Honda. You really couldn’t go wrong with any of the three, but I know if my wife were to buy one she would go for the Z4 because she always dated boy scouts and eventually married one, so when she drives she looks for excitement.
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