Super TestCar reviews - BMW - Z4 - M RoadsterBMW modelsOverviewBMW's born-again M Roadster returns Down Under in Z4 guise, and it's the real M deal19 Apr 2006 By CHRIS HARRIS AS far as lithe, powerful sports cars go, BMW's original Z3 M Roadster was hard to beat. But that didn't stop some criticising its twitchy handling, primitive Z-axle rear suspension and the fact its ballistic M3-sourced 236kW straight six could easily overpower its Z3-based chassis. Fast forward almost five years and the lack of an M version of the Z3-replacing Z4 has been rectified. No longer nobbled by a five-speed manual transmission, complete with the E46 M3's 252kW six and having shed the uncommunicative electric steering of lesser Z4 variants, the new M Roadster is stiffer, quicker and more refined than ever. Approaching the pace of its M5 stablemate, it's more complete than its predecessor - without losing any of its animal instinct. Model release date: 1 April 2006 to 1 May 2009 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelBMW released the wildest incarnation of the previous-generation Z3 roadster here in October 1998, when the 236kW/350Nm 3.2-litre inline six-powered M Roadster joined the Z3 range that appeared here almost two years earlier, in January 1997. Offering a new level of performance over the sluggish 103kW/180Nm 1.9-litre entry-level Z3 and even the 141kW/275Nm 2.8 of the day, it was joined at the same time by the radical Z3-based M Coupe. That model was also available with 2.8 power in Europe, but Australia only saw limited numbers of the M-powered "Munster mobile". Both the Z3 M Roadster and Coupe sold at $137,000 and were discontinued before the facelifted Z3 brought 2.2 and 3.0-litre six-cylinder power in September 2000. |
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