BMW has a very long history when it comes to roadsters. That's why they've presented a new Z4.
Porsche also has released a new fun version of the 718 Boxster, the Boxster T.
4-cylinder in the middle, 4-cylinder in the front.
That's right. This Z4 is powered by a 4-cylinder, despite the "30i"-badge on the back.
It's powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre, producing 258 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque.
The third generation Z4 is more of a roadster than its predecessor, which had a steel folding roof and was quite of a soft car for a roadster.
It just wasn't it. It wasn't sporty enough, like a BMW is supposed to be. Luckily, this is.
It has a fabric roof which can open and close while you're driving in ten seconds, if you stay below 50 km/h that is.
You can clearly see BMW has tried to give it a classical look, especially at the front. There's a whiff of Z8 maybe,
but I see some similarities with the new 8-series as well. Other than that, a lot of busy lines at the front.
Curves, notches, a lot of stuff happening. On the inside? It's all according to the new BMW-style.
That means that this part of the dashboard resembles the one in the new 3-series, or even the new X5.
Next to the central controller and small gear lever, I've got a whole lot of buttons for the correct settings.
For a BMW Z4, that's very important, because a roadster is all about driving.
The 4-cylinder turbo has a lot of torque in lower revs. The 400 Nm of torque are available as early as 1550 RPM.
It really starts to push and blow. For a BMW 4-cylinder engine, it sounds incredibly good.
You do notice that a modern turbocharged engine has some difficulty find its way in a roadster.
And that's something in our heads. The engine produces its maximum power at 5.000 RPM. Even though it holds on until you reach 6.500 RPM,
but really going up the rev limiter to get those last horse out of the stable, that typical roadster-feeling, just isn't present in this car.
Even though it's a brilliant engine, I do have to get used to it. I should probably forget the first Z4 with those mighty 6-cylinders,
or even the Honda S2000. No I shouldn't talk about those. These turbocharged engines are of this time,
but I do miss them. Anyway, what am I complaining about? This drivetrain is truly sublime.
The 8-speed automatic gearbox is so incredibly good. In D, in S, manual gears, it does everything perfectly.
It's incredibly quick as well. This is only the second trim level of the Z4, there's a 20i as well. This already does 0-100 km/h in 5,4 seconds.
That's really, really quick. It's quick enough maybe, and there's even a 6-cylinder turbo available above this;
the 40i. That has even more M-technology aboard, but that's playing in a different league.
With this 30i, you've got a very quick and comfortable roadster. A bit of an allrounder really.
It's the classical sports car feeling. A lot of car in front of you, not a lot of car behind you.
The steering reacts very quickly, only a little bit of roll across the longitudinal axle.
And when you put your foot down when exiting a corner, the rear starts wagging a bit. A little uneasy, it's dancing a little.
It has a very short wheelbase which makes it feel very playful and agile. It feels a lot better than its predecessor if I'm honest.
Dancing from corner to corner makes the car very pleasant to drive. It makes sure that you get into a nice flow when you're driving...
on twisty roads.
Right. This is the Boxster T, so what does the T stand for? We already know the letter T from the 911 Carrera.
It has been given new life, because in the old days, a dressed down version of the 911 was called T as well.
And the T now stands for a dressed down version of the 718 Boxster as well. I say 'dressed down', but that's marketing talk.
What makes this car a 'T'? Well, take these ropes instead of door handles.
That all saves weight. The seats have a different kind of upholstery as well, with weight saving materials.
Also, this console with multimedia system isn't standard on the T. Usually, there's a hole here.
And what does it save? 20 kg. And that's mostly because of the gearbox, because the Boxster T is the only Boxster with a manual gearbox.
And that's a lot of fun.
I already mentioned the 'real' roadster-feeling. And in the low revs, this flat-four engine producing 300 horsepower sounds a bit so-so.
It sounds a little like a Subaru, which is logical because it's a flat-four after all. But when you keep going,
you get to that real roadster-feeling because it revs up to 7.500 RPM. And that's what the fun is about,
driving a manual gearbox and a high-revving engine.
The manual gearbox has extra short strokes and it shifts very precise, but you really have to try if you want to go fast.
Most of the power is in the high revs and it has less torque than the BMW at a higher RPM.
So if you want to keep up with the BMW, you really have change gear a lot to remain near.
That's the price you pay for a manual gearbox, no matter how pure it is. The automatic gearboxes are so incredibly quick.
Just like the PDK-gearboxes from Porsche, which are available in the T as well. They're just quicker, but I like manual gearboxes better.
The Boxster T is a very focused car, much more of a sports car than the BMW Z4. Quick corners, a light nose because it's mid-engined,
but when you brake into the corner, you've got immediate pressure on the front wheels and the car feels so good.
When you exit the corner again, the rear has so much grip with a low centre of gravity. It's just perfection.
The steering feels so much more real, it's better than in the BMW. The Boxster T is just a sports car, period.
And that brings me back to the BMW Z4. Absolutely, the new one is much more of a roadster than its predecessor.
It's a more modern car than this Porsche with a more modern interior, a very nice set of controls and with more comfort aboard.
It's more of a daily driver than this Porsche.
And that nicer allrounder is over €20.000 less than the Boxster T. The latter will set you back €93.800, which is a lot.
But what the BMW doesn't have and this Porsche does, is an almost iconic status. I'm willing to say this is going to be a collectors item.
This is the most puristic roadster available under €100.000.