On a crisp December morning, the new BMW Z4
draped in a gorgeous shade of orange in its ‘Design Pure Traction’ avatar stood
gleaming in the winter sun. The temperature in Lonavala was just right to enjoy
the drive in this car the best way it should be — with the top down. The Z4 has
been available in India for a while now, but when BMW upgraded its popular
convertible worldwide, the Bavarian carmaker decided to bring it to India as
well.
The
Z4 comes with a stiff setup, which aids in handling. That’s what cars like this
should offer
As part of its image makeover, the Z4 gets
a new face that’s reflected in the new set of headlights, blinkers and chrome
surrounds around it. Apart from that, the rest of the car remains the same as
far as design lines are concerned. The retractable hardtop that takes 19
seconds to fold in and out of the boot makes the Z4 quite suitable for the
extreme weather conditions in India. Once the roof is deployed it protects the
driver and the passenger from the vagaries of nature and when the weather
permits one can enjoy wind-in the-hair experience on open roads. On the
downside, when the boot is folded down, it eats up a considerable amount of
space in the boot. The other speciality of this variant is the two-tone
interior that looks flashy. However, all this flash will set you back $1,650
more than the standard car.
The
wheel rim is perhaps a little too thick, but its diameter and angle are just
about right
The Z4 continues to be powered by the big
3-litre twin-turbo straight six. It wakes up from slumber with a deep baritone
rumble. And, once you step on the accelerator, the acceleration is rapid. The
shifts on the seven-speed dual clutch gearbox are ultra quick and in no time
you are well past the 100kmph mark. BMW claims that the top whack of this
particular variant is 250kmph. The moment you push the throttle harder, the
downshifts are equally quick as the car gather pace at a rapid clip. And, if
you want to settle into a leisurely cruise, the box shifts seamlessly into
seventh.
The
twin-turbo straight six might lack the zing of a naturally-aspirated six, but
it is flexible
The Z4 is endowed with a stiff setup, which
ensures that it handles like a dream. This along with a well-weighted and
responsive steering meant tacking the winding roads in the hills of Lonavala
turned out to be a breeze. For a convertible, the Z4 offers a decent amount
ground clearance, which means with a little bit of care one can easily avoid
scraping the under body with a little bit of care while negotiating speed
breakers. But the stiff setup means every bump, crack and pebble on the road
can be felt inside the cabin.
