2009 BMW Z4 sDrive30i - First Drive Review

You don’t have to twist our arms very far to get us to write about roadsters, particularly those of German descent. This explains why we have composed three separate drive stories on the slick new 2009 BMW Z4 since March. All of that coverage, however, focused on the flagship Z4 sDrive35i, whose 300-hp, twin-turbocharged six-cylinder makes it the most powerful Z4 not to wear an M badge. However, it does have an M-like price: at $52,475 to start, and knocking on the door of$70K fully loaded, the 2009 Z4 sDrive35i is startlingly expensive.

Enter the Z4 sDrive30i, the so-called entry-level Z4, which lacks the turbocharged punch of the sDrive35i, but is virtually identical in most other respects, including the chic sheetmetal, two-piece retractable hardtop, high-brow luxury accoutrements, and basic chassis tuning. Furthermore, it gets better fuel economy and starts at $46,575. So the $5900 question was: would we miss the turbos when they’re gone?

We admit to not being overly optimistic about the cheaper Z4, since our sDrive35i drives taught us to expect curious body motions, spiritless electric steering, and, most egregious of all, a very un-BMW sense of disconnection between driver and road due to the seats being situated less than a foot ahead of the rear axle. And with more than an extra 200 pounds to lug around compared with the previous model, thanks to the new retractable hardtop and its supporting structures, the Z4 sDrive30i had some sports-car mettle to prove.

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