BMW Z4 m40i review, sorta. (Or, drive a mile in another mans shoes)

[GrindIntoSecond]

“We’ll, I need to ask you for something but I would give away the surprise.” Said my wife on the phone.

In short the only way to add another driver to a Turo car rental is for them to open an account. So the surprise was blown. In my Colorado town there is a listed selection of cars and amongst the plastic saturated sea of Tesla’s is a white 2020 BMW Z4.

“It’s a pretty car,” says my wife.

I agreed. It does look very good.

In my what the heck moment, I opened an account and rented the car. I Added a little bit of extra insurance amongst Turo’s own warnings that my insurance may not cover it. An accurate assumption given earlier talk on Opposite-Lock about Turo troubles. So at about lunchtime, it was delivered.

First Impeessions:
Well, it’s small and low. My daily driver is a ‘mid-mileage, some would say 160k Is low’ Tacoma. This has no space inside. I could at least adjust the side bolsters out to fit my 6-3 not slender body, and then, it was snug. Otherwise I didn’t feel cramped. There was a place for my phone and extra space surrounding the cup holders; enough for a wallet. It was quickly apparent BMW wants your pockets empty or you won’t be comfortable. Speaking of empty pockets, I looked on the internet and the Z4 used prices are $65k !!!

!!!

Driving impressions:
I have to actuate a snake head shaped lever to highlight D. Take my foot off the brake, and a weird sensation occurs. The brakes hold you till the loud pedal is pressed. Then the brakes release making your start more sudden when you just wanted to roll into it. This was frequent.

The car is a solid flexless ingot. It maneuvers easy and quickly becomes a point and squirt instrument. It rides nice, very nice, and reminds me of my firm Mazda 3 sport in that sense, but without the quality plastic chintz and occasional buzz. It’s just solid firm and that’s it. Unless one selects the sport-plus mode.

Sport plus mode:
Shift points raise, and the poser exhaust crackle is introduced. Apparently the car thinks I need a minor anti-lag system in a slow neighborhood. Any slight acceleration, or even just resting a foot on the pedal and release yields a subtle few pops on that overrun diving into the corner from 20mph to 18mph. But did I like it? At first I was a giddy kid. But it wore off quickly and I was aware that the feeling and look I had toward fake exhaust burbles and bangs in slow areas in the past was what many gave me now.
‘Jealous?!?’
Nope.

Actually driving driving:
This car has more power than anyone needs, and then add more. Take a real performance car and add, I dunno, silly string? The sheer madness of acceleration is breathtaking. Eying the speed gives alarm because I realized that yes it’s fast but even a careful and skillful performance driver can easily find themselves way too fast for what’s ahead before they realize it.
0-60 in 4.5 seconds and it’s not slacking off any time soon. Had I to estimate the next level, 60-95 is a 2 second experience and unexpected. Especially at night.

A friend told me…

At one point The dashboard info graphic said I had used 380 pounds of torque when I didn’t even use full pedal. I believe it, and the specs say the torque hits 370 pounds at a tire destroying (but nanny traction limited) 1600rpm. (what the eff?) The nanny controls are numerous and invasive without the driver knowing to keep them on the road and straight. Save for the lane assist. Unless I use a turn signal, the autocorrect is very forceful, definitely NOT a suggestion.

The settings for these features are buried in a tab in a tab on the center monitor. It’s reasonably intuitive. I had neither the time nor desire to fiddle and learn. I just drove the car with it’s annoying nanny. Better than being sideways at 400hp.

("nice fiat!")

Which reminds me. The Ferrari F40 has only 80 more horsepower and nowhere near this kind of torque.

Conclusion:
I’m 48 now. I believe this car is targeted at me, or a professional me who would rather spend money leasing something like this instead of buying a fun dedicated third car. Either that or I may not have room in my uptown condo garage for fun extra toys. Or I may be a gadget guy who needs techy excess.

Regardless of what this car is for I have several conclusions from my 12 hour experience.
-the car is stupid fast and in a manor that decreases the enjoyment. It not only hits 60 in 4.5 seconds but obviously will hit it’s 155mph limiter like a wall. Unlimited it would exceed 180. Using full throttle and finally hearing the amazing exhaust note is now such a brief experience, it’s over right as it began. Even going to 80 on an interstate is over in 5.5 so how is that fully enjoyable? What is the point of giving it so much power that the onboard tech has to limit it everywhere below 60 to keep the driver safe?
-the seats are sporty and firm yet well made. The whole interior is. But after only 87 miles and half of it or more at 60-80 on highways, I’m pretty sure it is a fatiguing road trip car. 500 miles will not be that fun to get out of, tired and beat by the general Noise-Vibration-Harshness. If this were not a convertible, It would still exhibit this.
-The M package just makes it an excess flex piece. You aren’t that much faster but the extra NVH and sport takes more away than it adds. However is it worth it to roll along crackling past at 25mph to dinner or the business lunch?
-The nose drops away at such an angle I can’t tell where it is. I almost put it against the parking garage wall at dinner. Driving in traffic is unnerving because checking blind spots is impossible over the shoulder. One has to lean forward a lot to turn and look.

I would not buy it. It’s as if BMW did a huge power swap into a Miata and made it really nice to boot but hasn’t done anything to differentiate it from a regular Beeamer sedan. It is subtle but also not noticeable unless you saw the badges. Sports cars are nice and fun. I like them. But this one is both too much of enough under the hood and not enough elsewhere.

Usable. Perhaps I’m not a part of the mainstream demographics. I want to hear the fun sounds more often without needing a track day to do it. I want a luxury interior that doesn’t leave me annoyed after a long drive. This is a GT sports car missing the GT and overexposing the sport. I’m not interested in showing off what I got. And that’s what this car wants me to do, sort of.

[HoustonRunner]

@grindintosecond I could see myself buying a 2.3 or 2.8 Z3 once crazy pandemic prices wear off. I think it would be fun to zip around town in, but I agree that 400hp in a car that size is not really usable.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@grindintosecond Interesting take. So it's too much sport and not enough GT but it still tries to be a GT? Sounds like that formula without the invasive nannies would be a great way to have fun up until you wrap around a tree.

Did you use the convertible part of it? Curious about that.

[GrindIntoSecond]

@whoistheleader said in BMW Z4 m40i review, sorta. (Or, drive a mile in another mans shoes):

@grindintosecond Interesting take. So it's too much sport and not enough GT but it still tries to be a GT? Sounds like that formula without the invasive nannies would be a great way to have fun up until you wrap around a tree.

Did you use the convertible part of it? Curious about that.

Yeah without the M40i package it would be a better GT.
I used the convertible bit, but it was a high of 58 and breezy and partly cloudy. But yeah I drove a bit with it down and its a seamless powered event up to 30 mph. A non-M convertible version would be much much better, even if it still has excess power.
It's more than mortals can use. True track professionals can reign it in but the regular public has nowhere near the talent on the order required without bi-monthly visits to track days for proficiency maintenance.

[davesaddiction]

@grindintosecond

This is good wife-ing.

I kinda wish we'd gotten a more-fun Turo rental for our trip to NM, but our super early departure would've made it problematic, I'm sure, so we went with a way-too-expensive Corolla from Budget.

Looking forward to the new car, used car, and rental markets to get back to normal...

[MUSASHI66]

@grindintosecond Nice move by your lady! She should talk to my wife :). There is a Porsche 991.2 GT3-RS Weissach for only $1800 for a day with a $2500 deposit for rent in Denver

I got all excited when I found a manual, convertible, V10 Audi R8, and then I read "Drive the car in automatic or use the paddle shifters and enjoy manual." Ugh.

Anyway, I think I would feel the same way. I am learning that my desires and likes don't necessary translate into real life when it comes to my car choices. I know that I am not a low, small, sporty 2 seater car kind of a guy, which sucks considering how many of those I like. I think M2 is about as small as I could tolerate, and it is probably too fast.

[davesaddiction]

@musashi66

Such a shame that the next 2-series won't be able to be had with 3 pedals (unless you spring for the M).

[MUSASHI66]

@davesaddiction It really is. That purple one with gold wheels looked amazing. I think the current M240i is more than plenty of a car for me.

[davesaddiction]

@musashi66

An M2C is still on my "list" for when I don't have to shuttle kids around anymore.

I love my SS, but my next car will definitely be smaller & lighter.

My old M3 was carrying roughly 8 lbs per hp.

I think 3500 lbs and 400 hp sounds just right.

Or 3000 and 350... or 2500 and 300...

[MUSASHI66]

@davesaddiction There is one on Turo in Denver for $400 per day. Bit excessive, but oh so tempting.

[davesaddiction]

@musashi66

Man, that might be worth it for one full day of pure driving bliss in the mountains.

Unlimited mileage?

[MUSASHI66]

@davesaddiction Nah, 200 miles. I guess it might be enough for a day of fun.

[davesaddiction]

@musashi66

I think I'd need at least 6 hours drive time for that $$$.

[Highlander]

@grindintosecond It makes me wonder if the 4-cy toyota supra is more of the right choice for a car like this. As much as I like stupid power, your observation that there is a thing as too much power is very valad. I like putting the gas pedal on the floor and reving out 1-3rd and not ending up in jail because I was doing 125 in 3rd.

[CobraJoe]

@grindintosecond said in BMW Z4 m40i review, sorta. (Or, drive a mile in another mans shoes):

I want to hear the fun sounds more often without needing a track day to do it.

This is exactly why I got the 5.7 Hemi instead of the 6.4.

Not that my current best of 5.4s to 60 is giving me that much more time to enjoy it, but I can go full throttle without losing traction in the first 3 gears.

[pyroholtz]

@grindintosecond said in BMW Z4 m40i review, sorta. (Or, drive a mile in another mans shoes):

Driving impressions:
I have to actuate a snake head shaped lever to highlight D. Take my foot off the brake, and a weird sensation occurs. The brakes hold you till the loud pedal is pressed. Then the brakes release making your start more sudden when you just wanted to roll into it. This was frequent.

You might have had the vehicle in the 'auto-h' mode, which is auto-hold of the handbrake. This function allows the driver to come to a stop and remove their foot from the brake pedal. The vehicle will hold the brake until the accelerator is depressed. I believe this mode is persistent between ignition on-off cycles, so the previous driver might have used it and it was left on. Or, z4s could be weird but my bimmer certainly doesn't do what you're describing, upon selected drive with the slushbox, unless I use this mode.

[beefchips]

@grindintosecond hmm, interesting. I see a some of your thoughts also apply to my '06 Z4M. One thing I will say though is that the power on that one is juuuust right. 330hp and 260tq is fun to flog in corners all day and you likely won't end up in a ditch. Likely but not guaranteed