Road test - BMW Z4 sDrive 23i

Author: Ian Strachan

The excellent two-seater BMW Z4 has a tin top for the first time. The successful roadster has been given a two-piece electro-hydraulic hard top which can be raised or lowered in just 20 seconds.

And very nice it looks too. For my money the hard top looks more stylish than the soft top.

I test drove the Z4 powered by the 2.5 litre (the car's designation is 23i, which is very confusing) lightweight engine which pumps out 204 horse power. There's also a 3.0 258hp version and a superfast 3.5 litre 306 version.

Even with the smaller engine this car can propel you from 0-60 in not much more than six and a half face-tingling seconds and, should you be in a position to use it, has a top speed of 151 mph.

But it doesn't feel as quick as the figures suggest. It is well behaved and composed. The six cylinder engine is smooth and refined. It has a pleasantly gutsy sound to it but there's nothing raucous about its performance, married to a slick-changing six speed manual gearbox. Despite its power it still returns a very respectable 33.2 mpg in mixed driving.

The new Z4 is slightly longer than its predecessor, with greater headroom. Like most two-seaters, storage space is limited - a full-width storange area behind the front seats, with a stowage net is about all you get inside the car.

The folding roof obviously compromises boot space, but this is a wide car so you can still get a large suitcase or a set of golf clubs in, even allowing for the space needed for the retracted tin top.

The Z4 is well specified, with very comfortable sports seats, a good sound system and distinctive alloy wheels as well as  climate control, all round airbags, four electric windows, glass rear window in the hardtop, cruise control, xenon headlights and a parking aid.

The design of the Z4 was always head turning, with its low stance, flared wheel arches and huge shark-like bonnet. The hard top enhances its good looks. 

Ride and handling are superb, with crisp, sure-footed cornering and suspension which is hard without being uncomfortable.

The Z4 continues to be a good package which brings comfort and style to roadster motoring, with the just the right amount of driver involvement. The model I tested comes at £28, 645 on the road.