Home - Automobile Reviews - 2006 BMW Z4 3.0si Road Test
2006 BMW Z4 3.0si Road Test
The Stylish Stylist
What a difference one little s can make. While the 3.0si is not the top of the Zee line (that honor goes to the M Roadster, or the M Coupé perhaps, if they can truly be considered Zees), it easily could be thanks to its balance of engine and handling making for a livable car with a wild child always lurking around the next bend. Yeah, I pretty much spent the whole week around that bend, finding out just how much its back end likes to come out and play. Okay, I exaggerate, I also spent about an hour and a half soaking up mellow, pastoral vibes when I was driving my mom around The County (Prince Edward County), soaking up the rays and the fresh country air, and I found the Z4 a great companion for that kind of relaxing, leisurely cruise as well.
No | | With an s in front of the i, the Z4 gets some serious go power. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press) |
matter how you drive it, youll look good in it, thats for sure. This car is a creature of beauty, slinky and seductive as only a roadster can be. Its long bare hood is like an alluring expanse of skin when viewed from the drivers seat, but its from the side profile that I most loved admiring it. While simple in form, it is rich in detail, with a carefully orchestrated series of creases dancing across the doors and fenders, the boldest production expression of BMWs | | Man, that Zorros a menace to society... (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press) |
trademark flame surfacing, closely mirroring the original XCoupé concepts radical vision, though the Black Sapphire metallic was rather picky about which lighting conditions were best for multiplying the complex surfaces into a dance of reflections and shadows.
The interior of my tester managed to turn up the heat and ramp up the shock value with lurid red leather worthy of an exotic concept car, or exotic dancer for that matter. Standing outside and looking in was slightly overwhelming, with the seats entirely covered in | | Seats are snug and supportive, but also very, very bright. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press) |
what BMW calls New England Dream Red Leather. One persons dream is anothers nightmare, but once I settled into my seat with a passenger in place the remaining swaths of red on the door trim were a pleasurable and lively splash of color onto the monochromatic black and silvery aluminum palette of the interior.
The seats are borrowed from the M Roadster, part of the Sport Package, and theyre extremely supportive, well bolstered and sublimely cosy once I used the variety of power adjustment options available at my fingertips. Finding my personal comfort zone was a matter | | Cabin layout is minimalist. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press) |
of twitching my fingers, but getting in and out of this very low roadster is a chore, and the neck strain and risk to ones forehead increase significantly with the top up. Even with the top down, slinking into the seats that are only about a foot above the ground requires a combination of balance and sacrifice, so anyone with a sensitive back or delicate limbs may want to consider a slightly more practical vehicle.
For those who dont mind that initial sacrifice, the rewards are aplenty. As I mentioned earlier, the cabin mixes materials and adds a dash of color, but everything comes to a climax when you grab hold of the artfully composed | | R6 engine is a masterpiece... a magnesium-aluminum masterpiece. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press) |
steering wheel and twist the key in the ignition, bringing the 3.0L inline six to life. From the very first spark to the silky rumble at idle to the screaming approach to redline, this engine never failed to please, its Valvetronic variable timing offering an equally adept surge of power almost anywhere in the rev band, meaning it was often a no brainer when slinging it around corners or launching it down backcountry roads.
A side note about the engine is in order here, because although both the 3.0i and the 3.0si feature 3.0-liter inline sixes, and both employ BMWs double-VANOS variable valve timing, the engine in the 3.0si is the R6, the latest BMW masterpiece. This | | Engine cleanly and freely revs to the redline. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press) |
straight-six features a magnesium-aluminum composite alloy crankcase to reduce weight (that in part saves 22 pounds while the engine itself is 31 pounds lighter) and make it one of the lightest powerhouses in its class. The R6 is also the first six-cylinder BMW engine to feature the aforementioned Valvetronic, which adjusts the valve opening times and the valve timing infinitely and according to the position of the accelerator pedal, offering great advantages in engine response and performance at higher revs as well as improving fuel efficiency.
It should be mentioned that the old entry level 2.5i is gone to pasture despite not reviewing the base Z4 this week, so the new base model, now the 3.0i, is no wimp, making 215 horsepower and | | The Drive. The Z4 3.0si is all about the drive... (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press) |
185 lb-ft of torque from as low as 2,750 rpm, but the 3.0si rings in at a maximum 255 hp at 6,600 rpm and 220 lb-ft at a leisurely 2,750 rpm. Lets not talk about the M Roadster since theres no Zee to be found, plus it might make the other Zees feel a little inadequate.
The Zees should in no way feel inadequate anyway, since they both hit 100 clicks in under seven seconds, with the 3.0si connected to a manual the fastest at six flat. Speaking of six flat, that is also the number of forward gears eagerly riding the wave of revs up to the 7,000 rpm redline. The clutch is firm and even, but a little long, and the shifts are short and each upshift clicks into its gate satisfyingly and firmly. If youre looking for gear ratios, feel free to look them up for yourself on BMWs site, but without getting | | Suspension tuning is firm, but that helps keep the Z4 flat in the bends. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press) |
too technical I found the spacing well measured with the considerable torque band masking any inadequacies. One of my favorite things to do during my week with the 3.0si was slotting the shifter back into 4th on the highway and chillin at cruising speed, keeping the tach needle at noon, then just dabbing the throttle and feeling the sweet crush of g-forces pressing me into my seat. Silly fun.
While highway fun is silly and all, what I liked most about the 3.0si, and the Z4 in general I suppose, is how I felt surrounded and serenaded by the engine and its operatic range. With the top down and the pedals working in concert, the engine revs to the sky and all the way back down to earth, spinning out an epic anthem, yet an intimate song that bonds car and driver, helping me feel a connection to the heart of the machine that makes  | | Steering wheels bent spars and control modules are a work of art. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press) | | style="font-style: italic;">the drive worth taking.
And while the heart beats strongly and loudly, the chassis also communicates how the road is straightening beneath you, not only through its sharp, slightly muted steering (old school rack & pinion, still a favorite), but more importantly via a firm, but not quite rough suspension.
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