Jalopnik drives the 2009 BMW Z4

The first 2009 BMW Z4 reviews are starting to come out, shortly after the press launch that took place yesterday in California. While we’re still waiting for our turn to drive the new roadster, we can’t let you wait and we’ll share with you all the test drives we come across.

Let’s start with our friends at Jalopnik:

For one, the new Z4 is manufactured in Germany. The fit and finish and quality of materials is far beyond that of the old Z4, now on par with the 3- and 5-Series. It’s also a bigger car, with noticeably more room in both the passenger cabin and trunk. Then there’s the new, all-aluminum folding roof.

Up, the roof lends the Z4 all the refinement of a coupe — conversation is easy even close to the vehicle’s top speed — without the traditional downsides of a folding hard top. Vision is excellent with no oversize blind spots. That’s thanks to tiny rear 3/4 windows that retract into the car’s body instead of the doors.

There’s 10.9 cubic feet of room in the trunk with the top up and a still-very-useful 6.4 cubic feet with the top stowed. That top is really good-looking too, replacing the awkward shapes of most hard tops with Gurney bubbles that mirror the hood’s twin power bulges. The top’s not as nice to look at as the old coupe’s, but the rest of the car looks so much better the ducktail isn’t missed.

Of course, like all great BMW’s, the Z4 M coupe wasn’t about performance numbers, it was about handling. Everyone’s going to think that I’m crazy when I say this, but the 2009 Z4 has it beat there too. Where the Z4 M was a one-trick pony — great at corners, but harsh everywhere else — the new car is at least as capable without sacrificing a smooth ride.