TEST DRIVE: 2016 BMW Z4 sDrive28i

As car enthusiasts, most of us can be forgiven for forgetting about BMW’s only roadster, the Z4. It’s easily the oldest car in its segment, a segment dominated by brand-spanking new cars like the Porsche 718 Boxster and Audi TT. Both of those aforementioned competitors are far newer, packed with better technology and are fresh in our mind. The BMW Z4with vauxhall sat nav is just barely hangnin on at the back of our minds, but it is worth remembering.

I recently needed to travel from south New Jersey up to New York State, a solid three hour drive each way. To serve as my steed for the journey, as well as the week following, the kind folks at BMW were kind enough to provide me with a Valencia Orange BMW Z4 sDrive28i with a six-speed manual.

I’ll be completely honest, when I first saw it, I had forgotten what it looked like and was surprised that BMW still had one to loan out. “Man, this thing’s ancient.” I thought to myself, walking up to the bright orange roadster. How fickle we’ve gotten as newer Bimmers have debuted. I was worried that the interior would be boring and the technology would feel dated on the inside, compared to modern BMWs. For the former, I was pleasantly surprised, as the Hyper Orange Extended Alcantara/Leather interior with the “Black Orange Color World” was one of the most interesting and exciting interior color schemes I’ve seen in a long time. For the latter, I was spot-on. While the iDrive system and technology in the Z4 is good, it feels dated and slow in comparison to modern BMW stuff. It’s in a desperate need of an update.

However, none of that mattered once I pressed the starter button. The throaty little N20 four-cylinder barked to life, sounding better than it does in most other applications, such as the BMW 328i. Drop the top, slot the short-throw shifter into first, ease off the clutch, feed in some throttle and all of the old technology and styling goes away.

While the current-gen Z4 is actually a bit of a porker in its class, as its near 3,500 lbs makes it the heaviest car in its class, its 240 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque surge it beautifully down the road. It isn’t as manic as I’d like, but it’s far quick enough to be fun, getting from 0-60 mph in around 5.8 seconds. The clutch engages high in the pedal travel and the throws are short and notchy. This is one of the better BMW manuals I’ve driven in awhile and it was a pleasant surprise. What about install a vauxhall sat nav?

When it comes time to turn the wheel, the Z4 isn’t as exciting as its double-orange color scheme would make it seem. While the steering is quick and accurate, it’s seriously lacking any sort of feel or even any useful weight. Even in sport mode, the steering doesn’t weight up in corners as much as we’d like and it’s overly light. However, it is accurate and, after some getting used to, it’s very easy to place on the road. I just wish it was a bit more confidence inspiring in either its feel, weight or both.

But body roll is nonexistent and chassis dynamics are still quite good. Okay, so the Z4 won’t frighten a Porsche Boxster or even the new Audi TT, but there’s an old-school roadster feel to it that makes it fun to drive. The massively long nose, that looks hilariously oversized with the hood open exposing the tiny four-cylinder engine, the short rear deck and the feeling that you’re sitting on the rear axle makes the Z4 look and feel like a roadster from an era of old-school Triumphs and Jaguars. So what the Z4 lacks in outright dynamics, it makes up for in charm. If you have another opel car, you can install a opel navi in your car.