BMW Z4 Coupe (2006 – 2008) At A Glance
Stunning, gorgeous looks. Z4M is very quick in a straight line. Classic shape and scarcity means that by 2014 values were on the rise.
Marred by awful (2 star) steering. Needs more weight and feedback from the steering at speed. Z4M is tricky to drive smoothly.
It's a good looking car. Hunched on its back wheels like a cat about to pounce, there's a bit of competition E-Type, Ferrari GTO, Cobra Daytona and BMW 507 in it. Somehow, all the bells Bangles and beads come together. And before you ask there's plenty of room for golf clubs in the boot (of the 3.0i, anyway).
Road Test 2006 BMW Z4 M Coupe and 3.0i Coupe
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Real MPG average for a BMW Z4 Coupe (2006 – 2008)
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Reviews for BMW Z4 Coupe (2006 – 2008)'s top 3 rivals
Ask Honest John
What can I buy for £10k that's FUN?
"Great website and I love reading your advice every week.
Having spent far too much on a house extension, I can no longer buy the 981 Cayman I desire.
I wonder what your thoughts are for fast manual fun for £10k?
My current shortlist includes Reanaultsport Megane 250, Fiesta ST, Z4 coupe, TT MKII 2.0 TFSi manual and a Scirocco 2.0 TSI GT.
Is there anything else i should be looking at in this price bracket? I plan on keeping a £1000 year maintenance budget so a 987 Boxster or 996 is surely out of the question with IMS/RMS issues?
Mileage is very limited so MPG is not an issue and I'd rather not pay the £490+ VED."
I don't think £10k gets you a Megane 250 that isn't knackered; maybe a Fiesta ST but be very, very careful; not enough for a good Z4 coupe because they are now classics and start at £15k; up to you if you fall for the myths surrounding a TT or a Scirocco. There's a Z3M in Historics auction on Saturday that might come for about £12k and a Capri 2.8i that might come cheap but might go skywards. Both of these would be investments.
Which BMW to replace my ageing M3?
"I have an E36 M3. It’s a wonderful car that I have always maintained, money no object, but she now has 170,000 miles on the clock and has recently had one or two sizeable bills. It’s difficult to know whether the car has gotten to the point where I am throwing good money after bad. Should I think about replacing her and if I do what could I buy apart from another M3, that would give so much driving pleasure, for less than £15,000?"
That's a huge life for an M3 with its complex 12-plug engine. Well done. You might get one of the stunningly good-looking Z4 M Coupes for £15,000. It has the same engine, but this was an early application of electric power steering and will require expert attention to give it some steering 'feel'. Otherwise, an E92 335i manual coupe. As quick as your M3, but easier to drive.
"I currently have a BMW Z4 coupe (57 - Dec 2007, 3.0 Sport manual, FSH, 44k), which I would like to change. I recently drove the new Z4 35i and was unimpressed. I probably will buy a Porsche Boxter S that I have driven a few times. I visited the main dealer in Hatfield yesterday. He tells me that both the Boxter and 911 will be replaced next year. If I were to buy either car which they have in stock I would get a discount, whereas, if I order a factory built car there would be no discount. Does this make sense?
They have, in stock, a basic 911 coupe with about 7k worth of extras (sat nav, full leather, wheel upgrade, etc.) with a ticket price of just under £75k. I'm told my Z4 is worth about £13.5k, which seems reasonable to me. This would make a price to change of £61.5k.
However, the dealer will offer a discount and has suggested a price to change of about £52k, representing a discount of £9.5k. I think he might sell the car for £50k if I were to say I would buy it on the day. From past experience I am aware that Porsche does not offer much of a discount. I am struck that this particular 911 at 15% or so off may be a good buy. They also have two Boxster S in stock, each at about £48k. The discount on these is about £3k making a price to change about £32k.
I accept that this is a personal decision and that these are quite different cars. However, does the 911 make financial sense at what amounts to a purchase price of about 63k down from 75k."
That BMW Z4 coupe is a stunningly beautiful car with lousy steering feel (that can probably be fixed by a specialist). I personally think that the 911 would be a better buy than a Boxster. But I don't know how much of an improvement the next generation 911s will represent.
"I’ve driven my parents cars for 5 years and am now in a position to buy my own. However, given my age and new recent employment I feel I’d like to skip the typical stages of car purchasing (e.g. First car; Corsa, Fiesta, second car; Golf, Polo, maybe even third; Audi A3?!)
I’m looking for something fun, slightly ‘different’ but still suitable for long journeys and ideally under 13k.
I’ve been particularly drawn to sports coupes such as the Alfa Romeo Brera and BMW Z4 coupe, both of which are obtainable in reasonable condition second hand.
I wonder if you could recommend any other similar vehicles, and also, how bad is the steering on the Z4 coupe? Thanks.
"
The steering on the Z4 coupe can be fixed with the right tyres and the right tweaks. Good car to go for with the 3.0 litre engine. Stunning looks. Could soon start appreciating as a modern classic.
Driving BMW Z4 Coupe (2006 – 2008)
Get into the Z4M and the first assault on your senses is the steering wheel. The rim is so thick, some people simply won't be able to touch fingertips around it. So it's a man's car, then?
Too right it is. The car has so much power it's actually quite difficult to change gear smoothly. You think that's the price of lightening quick gearchanges when accelerating hard. Yet, perversely, it's also difficult to make quick gearchanges. And the quicker you go, the lighter the steering becomes, making the car tricky to aim accurately through fast corners.
With that light steering, neither of us felt inclined to switch off the ESP. The trick variable diff digs in hard at the back. Yet still, as a driver, you're conscious of just not being able to pilot the car smoothly. And as a passenger you feel like the co-driver in a rally car. It's also very noisy, but instead of listening to an orchestra your ears get assaulted and battered by a hard rock band. So yes, it's quick. I've no doubt it does do 0-60 in 4.7 seconds and 0 to 1,000 metres in 23.7 seconds. Comfortably ahead of the 300bhp Nissan 350Z, for example. But I for one did not feel anything like as confident as I did driving Nissan's squashed toad. I can only guess it's something to do with the BMW's aerodynamics allowing too much lift at the front.
The £10,000 cheaper 3.0iSE is much easier to drive. Whereas in the Z4M the ‘Sport' button merely razor sharpens the already hair-trigger throttle response, on the 3.0i it strops both throttle and electric power steering. But the clutch is more comfortable for your passenger, it is easier to line up through a series of corners, and it had no trouble pulling over 140mph. Yet, despite a normal rim steering wheel, the helm still becomes a bit too light at serious speed. Completely the opposite of a Porsche, or a Nissan 350Z, for that matter. Yet at parking speeds in ‘Sport' mode the steering can feel like it has no assistance at all. So the problem must be an aerodynamic one.
And I have a problem. If I'm going to drive illegally quickly I want to feel fully in control. I did in the 350Z. I did in the Porsche Cayman S. I felt totally safe in the Audi RS4. But I didn't in the Z4M Coupe. And was no happier in the Z4 3.0i Coupe than I had been in the SLK280.
Maybe BMW will do something to the Z4 Coupe to increase its appeal to guys suffering from male meno-porsche. They must be able to because the M3 and M5 both steer much better. I'd like to come back to the car and find that they had.
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