Open top motoring with new BMW Z4

We Brits love open top motoring, despite the fact that as its seldom we get a prolonged period of weather that enables us to expose ourselves to the elements.

But the downside of all these fabric roofs is that they act as a welcome mat for opportunistic car theives and general ne’er-do-wells – especially if you have to park on public roads.

Which is one of the reasons BMW decided to bring out a tin top version of their acclaimed roadster, to enable us to enjoy the joys of open-top motoring with the peace of mind that the car will still be there, roof intact, when we return with the shopping and what a beautiful job they have done with that roof too.

With a flich of a button on the central console – or it can be operated from the keyring – the two piece roof softly and quietly lifts up and folds in on itself until it disappears into the boot, leaving no traces of its former self. Truly a work of art.

This new version of the Z4 comes with a load of new stuff as well as the retractable roof, and BMW have made things even better.

One of the reasons for the appeal of a sports car is the look of the thing, and the Roadster certainly looks the part.

With its trademark elongated bonnet, muscular curves and low profile, the Z4 is a great looking car, roof up or down. It retains that classic sports car look with a modern edge.

And that roof has not only improved the security but the ride too. Things are impressively quiet with the roof in place, with wind and road noise severely dampened. Even with the roof down things are quieter than you’d expect, and wind is deflected even further by the optional deflector.

The BMW Z4 comes in three engine sizes the 2.5 litre entry level S-drive 23i and the 3-litre 3.0 and the top of the range 35i. Each one has a six-speed gearbox as standard, but there are automatic options available. I drove the entry level 23i but even the least powerful of the range delivers a punch

The engine has a glorious sports car noise to it, with a muted, high pirched roar.

With 0-62 figures of 6.6 seconds, the Z4’s performance matches its looks and sound. Although a little reluctant at lower revs, the Z4 comes into its own at high revs and dropping down a gear sends the car surging forward.

The two more powerful engines deliver even better acceleration figures, with the turbocharged unit clocking up a blistering 5.2 seconds. If you’re going to be driving a sports car its unlikely that you’ll be doing the school run on a regular basis in it, which is just as well because a drawback with this two seater means that urban driving is not as comfortable as open road.

The gearing is such that you need to shift through the lower gears at a fairly rapid rate – first has an incredibly short range and this means that continuous low-speed driving could be a little wearing.

The clutch is on the fierce side too and needs a decnet shove down so things can be a little jerky. The Z4 really feels at its happiest at higher speeds.

With power comes the need for control and BMW’s engineers have come up trumps with the way the Roadster handles. Theres a huge amount of grip while cornering and the low-slung shape of the car ensures that theres minimal body roll. It sticks to the tarmac.

The ride is comfortable and despite the sporty suspension it handles bumps and potholes well. You’d have no problem travelling long distances.

inside the cabin things are as you would epect from a BMW. The previous Z4 got a bit of stick for lacking the finesse of its BMW stablemates but designers have put this right. Theres a classic look to the dashboard, with soft plastic and a traditional circular gauages.

All the dials are sensibly laid out and there’s a general feel of quality. Everything switches on and off effortlessly – the wipers are one touch and noiseless.

There’s a lot of legroom for front passengers and surprising amount of headroom with the metal roof up, thanks to tthe very low driving position, and the seats are comfortable and easy to adjust, although surprisingly only the more expensive models have electronic adjustment.

The boot is understandably small, and with the roof down even smaller, but you’re unlikely to be transporting kitchen sinks if you own a two-seater. BMW have positioned the Z4 as an affordable roadster but even so its not cheap! especially as you’d probably want ot include as many of the optional extras. It works out about the same as a Mercedes SLK and Audi TT Roadster, but far less that a Porsche Boxtster. Its fuel consumption figures are not that great – at 33 mpg it comes in slightly behind the TT and the SLK, but BMW’s reliabiliy record and reputation ensures that the second hand market is going to be strong.

As well as that tin roof, theres the usual BMW amount of safety features like airbags, traction control, corner brake control and hill start assistant as standard, and there is a load of equipment inside like good CD radio, on board computer and air con.

This new Roadster has struck a happy medium between a performance sports car and a comfortable tourer that can go long distances.

BMW Z4 sdrive 23i
Engine: 2.5 litre petrol
0-62: 6.6seconds
Top Speed: 151mph
combined mpg: 33.2mpg
OTR Price: £28,645