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The new BMW Z4 Roadster and Z4 M Roadster
Munich - Nothing drives
like a BMW 'M' car and no other roadster drives like a Z4. BMW's
latest two-seat sportscar offers exhilarating performance and unparalleled
point-to-point speed. Backed up by a stimulating aural sound-track,
purity of design and a development process led by enthusiasts, the
Z4 M Roadster signifies the best of BMW. The arrival of BMW's most
powerful production compact roadster with its supreme on-road capability
promises to make it one of the most desirable sports cars of 2006.
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BMW has also
moved the benchmark for two-seat open-top sports on with
the addition of a revised non-M Z4, featuring new front
and rear design, improved specification and new powerplants.
Customers in the market for two-seat open-top motoring can
now choose from ten Z4 models priced from £22,945 to £42,750
and with power outputs ranging from 150hp to 343hp.
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Product highlights:
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New Sport models
introduced
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World's fastest
fully electrically-operated soft-top
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2.5-litre and 3.0-litre
cars powered by the world's lightest six-cylinder petrol engine
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343hp 3.2-litre
M Roadster engine, five-time International Engine of the Year
awards category winner
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Dynamic Stability
Control+ fitted on Z4 for first time
Engine:
The Z4 is powered by
some of the smoothest, most refined engines currently available.
The line-up offers five powerplants starting with a 150hp 2.0-litre
four-cylinder petrol engine and rising to a 343hp 3.2-litre straight-six
ensuring a spread of performance to suit all tastes. All engines
offer VANOS variable valve timing technology with VALVETRONIC variable
valve opening technology featuring on all 'standard' cars (except
the Z4 M Roadster).
Using the 3.2-litre
engine that has won category honours five times in a row at the
Engine of the Year awards, the all-new BMW Z4 M Roadster is the
new flagship model of the range. With 63hp more than a Porsche Boxster
S, on-road performance is breathtaking. Capable of a zero to 62mph
time of just 5.0 seconds, the Z4 M Roadster goes on to an electronically-limited155mph.
But it is not just
the BMW Z4 M Roadster powerplant that has a story to tell. Featuring
the world's lightest production six-cylinder engine made of aluminium
and magnesium, the BMW Z4 3.0si uses VANOS and VALVETRONIC variable
valve technology to help it achieve 265hp and 315Nm of torque -
figures which also better the output of a Porsche Boxster. On the
road this results in a zero to 62mph time of 5.7 seconds and an
electronically limited top speed of 155mph.
The Z4 2.5si and Z4
2.5i Roadsters offer two outputs from the same six-cylinder engine.
The 2.5si delivers 218hp and 250Nm of torque and records a zero
to 62mph time of 6.5 seconds before going on to a top speed of 149mph.
Meanwhile, the Z4 2.5i with its 177hp and 230Nm engine achieves
a zero to 62mph acceleration time of 7.1 seconds and a top speed
of 142mph.
Representing the entry
point to BMW Z4 ownership, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol model
is powered by an engine built at BMW's Hams Hall production facility
in the Midlands. Using both VANOS and VALVETRONIC technology to
develop 150hp and a peak torque of 200Nm, the car is capable of
a zero to 62mph time of 8.2 seconds and a top speed of 137mph.
Market and Marketing:
Research into Z4 owners
shows the car is enjoyed as more of a performance roadster than
the Z3 it replaced. BMW's own customer research, based on buyers
of the original Z4, has shown that the two main purchasing drivers
were style and on-road performance.
To underscore the more
masculine nature of the Z4, men account for more than two thirds
of buyers, while the biggest age group of Z4 owners falls into the
30-39-year-old category. The average annual income of a Z4 owner's
household is £72,000.
Sport models are also
available for the first time on a Z4 and feature 18-inch M Double
spoke or optional 18-inch composite alloy wheels, M Sports seats,
Active Sports part leather/cloth upholstery seats (leather upholstery
for 3.0si models), three-spoke M leather steering wheel and M Sports
Suspension.
Design:
Photos: BMW
The Z4 follows the
classic design traits displayed by much-loved BMW roadsters of the
past such as the 328, 507, Z1, Z3 and Z8. With its rear-wheel-drive,
50:50 weight distribution, long bonnet and a driver seated towards
the rear of the car, the new Z4 is every inch a typical BMW roadster.
Subtle differences
make the new Z4 stand out from the car it replaces. A revised front
spoiler and air intake enhance its distinctive look while also improving
the car's aerodynamic efficiency. The front bumper replicates the
sharp Z motifs found on the side profile of the car. The headlights
have been redesigned and now include corona light rings as standard
when cars are specified with Xenon lamps.
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