One-Year Test Update: 2004 BMW Z4
2004 BMW Z4
By Brian Vance
Photography by the author
As the months roll on, most staffers have gone from loathing to accepting to admiring our One-Year Test Z4's complex shape and detailing. The same can't be said for the sequential manual gearbox. Comments like "What a difference one wrongly checked box makes on the order sheet" and "It feels like a middle-school science project" fill the logbook. Editorial Assistant Brian Vance reports the Bimmer wasn't happy driving uphill in stop-and-go traffic. After a spell, the car began lurching, as the clutch pack was slipping (and smelling). A warning beep sounded from the dash--curiously with no accompanying idiot light--so Vance parked it for a cooldown. After a few hours, the problem disappeared. If only the Z4 were equipped with the M3's wonderfully adjustable SMG. Otherwise, the Zed's chassis and suspension are unflappable, the 3.0-liter's song is sweet, and the interior has proven comfortable for long drives. It's a great ride--once in high gear.
FROM THE LOGBOOK
"Did BMW design chief Chris Bangle also design the transmission software? This version of the SMG has neither the convenience of an automatic nor the control of a manual."--Chris Walton
| 2004 BMW Z4 |
| Base price | $40,250 |
| Price as tested | $48,995 |
| Vehicle layout | Front engine, rwd, 2-door, 2-pass |
| Engine | 3.0L I-6, DOHC, 4 valves/cyl |
| Hp @ rpm 300 | 225 @ 5900 |
| Torque @ rpm | 314 @ 3500 |
| Transmission | 6-speed sequential manual |
| 0-60 mph, sec | 7.2 |
| EPA mpg | 20/29 |
| Total mileage | 8442 |
| Average test mpg | 21.8 |
| Problem areas | Burning clutch (SMG) |
| Non-warr cost | $0 |