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2003 BMW Z4 2.5i (M5)

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Ratings	( Maximum score is 100 )

Overall:	( 100 )
Comfort:	( 100 )
Performance:	( 100 )
Quality:	( 100 )
Appearance:	( 100 )


Comments
Favorite feature:	Everything
Least favorite feature:	Nothing
Advice to buyer:	Get the Sports package/Power Roof
Detailed review:	The genius of a sports car, a roadster with a point… The car is a mark of perfect Germanic workmanship. From the creative flowing exterior to the beautiful singsong of the inline six. It’s the 2.5 litre motor that takes my breath away. The combination of this oversquare engine and the amazingly in-sync 5-speed tranny, means it will keep pumping 184 hp @ 6k rpm, at redline from the cast-iron sleeved, aluminum block, awesome in-line 6 with the formula 1 whine exhaust note without a whimper all day long. It’s that strong, it’s that good. It has got that correct amount of torque that is as linear as it can get (181 lb/ft @ 3500 rpm). The gearing has been spaced out perfectly, meaning un-necessary downshifting is not required yet the torque delivery always seems to be there where and when needed. This engine and tranny has made it since the past decade, proven over and over again. There must be something magical about the 2.5 number. Remember the E30 M3 2.5 ltr. inline 4. The handling, the balance, the steering and its response, the tautness of the chassis, the car in its entirety is perfectly in line with the inline 6. It’s harmonious, it’s a symphony. Let’s discuss what BMW’s are known and desired for, the handling. It seems it has inherited the best of breed characteristics. The Zed 4 brings the classic multi-link rear setup of the 3’er. Throw in lightweight unsprung parts, like aluminum control arms (front and rear.) Lightweight springs, shocks and struts and what do we get…read on… Coupled with the sports mode (exponential throttle response and tighter steering), the stock sports suspension is perhaps the best out there. The car is perfectly neutral and stay it does balanced this way thru those twists, turns and corners. The wheelbase is correct, the strut, the shocks and springs have been tuned so well, it gives minimal body roll, transmits an exact amount of road feel, dampens the shocks, rebounds over the bumps just that much as it is deemed necessary. Nothing more nothing less. The interior is not spartan, yet is not cluttered with a pell-mell of a bazaar of switches and knobs and vents and what nots. Choose your options smartly, for Wisdom being a better part of valor, the standard amenities have been wisely offered. Enough information from the standard OBC, the 10-speaker sound system, in-dash cd, micro-filtered ventilation system, sporty, curve hugging std leatherette seats (seriously, save a cow, get the leatherette, it’s grippy, looks awesome, feels very Zedsome). For me what the Zed has and offers is just right and enough without anything getting in the way of enjoying this car. Inside this roadster has got SPACE. From the drivers seat to the corner of the passenger A-pillar, you will literally feel acres of Zedness. I don’t know how it is done, but it must be a marvel that it looks so concise from the outside (with the top up)yet so un-claustrophobic within. This generosity of space starts right from the engine hood, through the cabin, to the trunk. Dimensional mathematics has indeed been well applied here. The Zed4 is a metaphor of what a roadster should be. For the nonZederrs, it’s a metaphorical innuendo, one that leaves an impression not like chalk but a lasting one. The question for the nonZederrs is “what do they do now”
Also considered:	N/A
Vehicle purchased:	2003 BMW Z4


About This Reviewer...
Name:	Sean Gohain
Location:	Pleasanton, California
Other vehicles owned:	1997 BMW 328 2002 BMW 325
Review submitted:	August 07, 2003

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