BMW Z4 bows in
1 The New BMW Z4......2 2 Specifics......8 3 Production of the New
BMW Z4......12 4 Specifications......16 5 Exterior and Interior
Dimensions......17 6 Output and Torque Diagrams......19 The New BMW
Z4. The BMW Z4 certainly means business: This is exactly what a BMW
roadster must look like, this is exactly how it must drive. The Z4 is a
breathtaking experience on the road appealing to all your senses as a
purist automobile for the connoisseur. It not only represents one side
of BMW's new design language, but also sets new roadster standards in
many areas: Self-confident, powerful, sporting and aesthetic, the Z4
offers extremely precise and safe handling ensuring driving pleasure of
the most supreme calibre beyond comparison in the market. BMW?s new
two-seater is making its debut as the Z4 3.0i with a 170 kW powerful
straight-six and as the Z4 2.5i featuring a 141 kW straight-six.
Design: unique proportions in an interplay of different shapes. Through
its proportions alone, the Z4 is a truly remarkable car: The long,
sleek and stretched-out engine compartment, the snug cockpit wrapped
around the driver and passenger, and the short, muscular rear end -
there is hardly any other roadster these days with comparable
dimensions. A wheelbase measuring 2,495 millimetres and overall width
of 1,781 millimetres set a new standard in this class, while the
overall length of 4,091 millimetres is both sporting and compact. The
result is a genuine athlete resting firmly on the road with short
overhangs front and rear - without a single gram of fat! The Z4 has two
waistlines. The lower waistline extends from the engine compartment lid
across the door, first moving down and then up again towards the rear.
This creates an impression of powerful self-confidence and at the same
time is reminiscent of the classic, door-less roadster of the past,
giving this two-seater its unmistakable character. The upper waistline,
by contrast, extends in a powerful arch from the beginning of the
compartment lid all the way to the rear. And the door line extending
upwards to the rear at a slight angle is equally exciting and
fascinating in its look. This design is truly special: Particularly
striking features are the surfaces, edges, rounded corners and drawn-in
areas - clearly visible and interacting among themselves, creating a
rapid interplay of concave and convex design. The result is exceptional
lines, shadows and reflections, again emphasizing the particular
proportions of the BMW Z4. The interior: tailor-made for a sporting
experience. Getting into the Z4, you will realise right away that this
two-seater is a truly modern roadster: The two doors extending far to
the back, as well as the low entry cut-outs, do not require the driver
or passenger to undergo any kind of contortion to climb aboard. And
once you are in your seat, you will enjoy your ideal roadster position,
sitting down very low and far to the rear, behind the car's centre of
gravity and point of rotation. This ensures direct perception of all
vehicle movements and, particularly in tight bends, makes for a very
special experience on the road. The seats themselves are both
comfortable and ergonomic in design. Offering very good side support,
they can be set to many different positions, the extremely wide range
of adjustments together with significant headroom allowing even very
tall and short drivers to find their ideal seating position. For
further convenience, the steering column may be adjusted for both reach
and angle, whilst the height-adjustable headrests feature a new kind of
absorption foam significantly reducing the risk of injury particularly
in a collision from behind. The exterior design of the BMW Z4 continues
throughout the interior of the car, the driver enjoying classic
roadster design of the highest standard: straightforward, clear, modern
and elegant, just right for driving with the roof down. The instrument
panel is curved towards the inside, the centre console is shaped like
a letter T facing towards the instrument panel. The speedometer and rev
counter are the dominating instruments on the dashboard. Paying homage
to classic roadsters of yesteryear, the tube-like instrument covers
prevent any reflection of the instruments in the windscreen. The
on-board computer LCD display is integrated in the speedometer; the
fuel gauge and water temperature gauge are in the rev counter. The gear
indicator (on models with automatic transmission) and the telltales are
arranged between the two instruments, the heating and air conditioning
are controlled by rotary knobs in the instrument panel above the centre
console. One level higher up you will then find the controls for the
radio or, respectively, the HiFi system. The Z4 offers its passengers
lots of convenient space: a glove compartment, two built-in pockets in
the doors, and a box with a capacity of approximately ten litres in the
rear bulkhead between the seats. The cover on top is locked together
with the central locking; the opening mechanism is hydraulically
dampened. A small storage box beneath the handbrake lever is very
convenient for coins required when parking or other small odds and
ends. And last but certainly not least, two cupholders are available as
an option, folding out beneath the side ventilation nozzles in the
einstrument panel and readily adjusting to cups or cans varying in
size. To ensure optimum use of the luggage compartment with the roof
closed, the BMW Z4 comes with a variable roof storage compartment. Like
on the 3 Series convertible, the roof compartment made of a special
synthetic material can be disconnected and folded up like a box -
again, a unique feature in this class increasing luggage compartment
capacity in this case from 240 to 260 litres (which is enough space for
two golf bags or four crates of bottles). To prevent damage to the roof
or the luggage, a safety switch on the electrohydraulic roof stops the
roof cover from being opened when the roof box is folded up. The roof
has a special folding mechanism. The Z4 is the first open-air BMW to
feature a folding roof with a special folding mechanism. This folding
mechanism takes up very little space and allows the frontmost part of
the roof to extend like a cover over the soft top, merging flush with
the body of the car. As a result, the Z4 requires neither a tonneau
cover nor a roof lid. The rear window, finally, is made of scratch-proof
mineral glass and comes with electric heating. Naturally, the roof is
fully automated. All you do is press a button and the entire process of
opening the roof is completed electromechanically within less than ten
seconds; an electrohydraulic mechanism folding up and placing the roof
in position. Obviously, the operation is exactly the other way round
when closing the roof. Both interior noise and climate comfort have
been enhanced to an even higher standard in a specific process of
optimisation and through the use of an additional inner lining within
the soft top. A wind deflector system helps to keep out draughts. It is
made up of two windows fitted in position within the two rollbars and a
net between the rollbars held in position by a frame. Whenever the net
is not in use, it fits into a special holder in the luggage
compartment. At a later stage, a hardtop will be available as an option.
A special feature of this firm roof is the spoiler with air flowing
through at the rear, increasing downforces and thus improving the car's
driving characteristics yet again. The drivetrain: prize-winning
six-cylinders. The Z4 is entering the market with prize-winning power
units, BMW's straight-six once again winning the highest awards this
year in international engine contests. Appropriately, this two-seater
comes with the two top-of-the-range engines, the 2.5-litre developing
maximum output of 141 kW at 6,000 rpm and the 3.0-litre offering
maximum output of 170 kW at 5,900 rpm. On the road this means
performance justifying the term sports car in every respect:
Acceleration from 0 to100 km/h comes in 7.0 and 5.9 seconds
respectively, top speed is rated at 220 km/h and 250 km/h. The Power
Button: DDC Dynamic Drive Control. The BMW Z4 comes with a very special
button for the particularly dedicated driver, giving the engine even
more 'kick' at the command of the driver: DDC Dynamic Drive Control
calls up maximum engine power even earlier than usual in the Sports
mode, engine management following an even more dynamic and sporting gas
pedal control line. To reflect this enhanced response of the engine, the
steering also becomes even more direct and sporting, speed-related servo
assistance (Servotronic function) offered by the Electric Power Steering
(EPS) following an even more sporting and dynamic control map. And if
the car is fitted with SMG or automatic transmission as an option, DDC
revs up the gears even higher and makes the gearshift even faster.
New: EPS Electric Power Steering. The Z4 is the first BMW with electric
instead of hydraulic power steering. With the steering being controlled
by software, EPS offers a much higher standard of flexibility in its
steering characteristics and ensures optimum harmony of the steering
damper effect and feedback to the driver. Contrary to conventional
hydraulic steering, EPS has the further advantage of not requiring any
energy when driving straight ahead without any movement of the steering
wheel. In practice, this saves up to one litre on every 400 kilometres
as compared with conventional hydraulic steering. Five- and six-gear
manual gearbox featured as standard. SMG or automatic transmission as
an option. The Z4 2.5i comes as standard with a five-speed manual
gearbox, the Z4 3.0i features six-speed manual transmission. Both
engines are available as an option with six-speed SMG. Featuring
shift-by-wire technology, SMG allows the driver to shift gears either
with the conventional shift lever or by means of two paddles on the
steering wheel, enabling him to concentrate full on the actual process
of motoring. SMG appeals in particular to the sporting and ambitious
driver, allowing him to shift gears in just 0.15 seconds and conducting
the operation time and again with utmost precision, since the driver is
not required to press or release the clutch. The suspension: handling
at its best. The superior dynamics, agility and sportiness of the Z4 are
also the result of the very stiff bodyshell and the supreme suspension.
Whilst the latter has been carried over in its basic configuration from
the 3 Series, the suspension has been modified in its set-up, focusing
on even more dynamic handling than, say, the suspension of the 3 Series
coupé. As the starting point, the perfect balance of weight on
the two axles provides all the ingredients for harmonious behaviour on
the road. A further factor is rear-wheel drive offering decisive
benefits particularly in a sports car; for example by keeping the
steering absolutely free of drive forces, ensuring superb steering
precision and providing absolutely clear feedback. DSC with DTC: even
safer driving pleasure all the way to the limit. The BMW Z4 comes as
standard with DSC (Dynamic Stability Control), even though the
suspension of this outstanding roadster offers safety reserves so
sufficient that this safety system is only required in really dangerous
situations and not as some kind of enhancement for the suspension. A
further important point is that the new DTC (Dynamic Traction Control)
allows the driver of the Z4 to adjust DSC even more individually to his
personal dynamic driving requirements: At the touch of a button, DTC
provides an increase in slip on the rear wheels geared to actual
driving conditions. Fitted with DTC, the Z4 offers the same agility as
a sports car featuring a 'classic' limited-slip differential, without
forfeiting the usual DSC functions under extreme conditions. The
bodyshell: extra-strong and extra-light all in one. The Z4 was designed
from the outset as a genuine roadster. And this you will feel from the
start, torsional stiffness of 14,500 Nm/degree exceeding the torsional
stiffness of the former Z3 (5,600 Nm/degree) more than twice. Never
before has a convertible or roadster offered torsional stiffness of this
standard brilliantly solving the conflict of interests between
saloon-like smoothness and vibration control, on the one hand, and a
dynamic, sporting suspension set-up, on the other. Passive safety:
interacting protection systems. Quite literally, the backbone for the
high standard of passive safety offered to the driver and passenger is
the extremely stable body structure using high-strength steel wherever
appropriate. The A-pillars form a rollbar at the front supplemented by
two steel rollbars behind the seats. The driver and passenger are
protect-ed in the Z4 by four airbags fitted as standard. The airbags
are masterminded by the new Advanced Safety Electronics (ASE)
incorporating lightwave conductors for the first time and allowing BMW
to once again set the standard in safety technology. No more dangerous
stops: runflat tyres featured as standard. The Z4 is fitted as standard
with runflat tyres avoiding the risk of forcing the driver to stop
somewhere on the road: Even after a puncture, the driver is generally
able to proceed to a service station without having to stop his car at
a dangerous spot on the road and change the wheel. A further advantage
is that all control systems remain fully functional even in the case of
a breakdown. These runflat tyres are monitored by an air pressure
warning system featured as standard, quickly recognising changes in air
pressure in one or several tyres by checking out the speed of rotation
and giving the driver an optical warning. Optional extras: From
bi-xenon headlights all the way to the navigation system. The BMW Z4 is
available with a whole range of optional extras. Examples are bi-xenon
headlights (standard on the 3.0-litre, optional on the 2.5) as well as
ISOFIX fastening points for child seats, with the seats themselves being
available as accessories. The top-end HiFi audio system (standard on the
Z4 3.0 and optional on the Z4 2.5) even introduces carver technology
into the automobile, a special technical system generating extremely
high sound pressure from the volume available. The big advantage of
carver technology is that it uses the existing, combined volume of the
right- and left-hand sub-woofers to generate an extremely high level of
sound pressure. This is made possible by combining a woofer with a
powerful terminal stage featuring not only the requisite output of 30V
but also an appropriate signal processor in order to protect the
loudspeaker from destroying itself. The layout of the system is the
same as with the well known HiFi loudspeaker units, but with a digital
10-channel audio amplifier inco rporating a sound processor and 100 W
output on the sub-woofers in the rear bulkhead. Total wattage of the
whole system is 430 W. The optional navigation system integrated in the
instrument panel uses DVD data for the first time in a BMW, this very
dense memory system allowing a longer geographic range (a memory with
sufficient density for enormous geographic coverage - the whole of
Europe fits on one single DVD). The Professional navigation system
comes additionally with a retracting colour monitor excellent to read
thanks to the latest display technology. Both navigation systems may be
combined with a firmly installed telephone also available as an option.
Bluetooth cellphone preparation is naturally also available as an
optional extra.
