BMW Z4 M Roadster review - price, specs and 0-60 time | Evo (2024)

Speaking of which, the few poor surfaces that we encountered really upset the Z4 M's composure. It could turn out to be a handful on Britain's ancient, crumbling tarmac, but on smooth, sweeping roads it feels great. There's plenty of bite on turn-in and you can feel the car's balance shifting as you spot the exit and really get on the throttle, mild understeer bleeding away as you start to smear the rear rubber into the road.

However, it takes a little time to gain the confidence to really grab the Z4 M by the scruff of the neck, simply because the steering, although well-weighted, is essentially lacking in feel. And this despite the M Division ditching the regular Z4's electric power steering system for a more traditional hydraulic set-up.

Out on the fabulous Jerez circuit, the dull steering doesn't really dent your progress, but the Z4 M's quite pronounced understeer does. If you misjudge your entry speed it's not easy to rein it in and exit the corner cleanly. Through the slower corners particularly you have to work hard to keep it neat and tidy. The slick six-speed 'box works brilliantly, though, and the engine feels mighty, although strangely it seems to lack that last degree of fizz and crackle of recent M3s we've driven.

With experience you can negate the push with a big lift as you turn in. That gets the tail moving pretty quickly and you need to be decisive with your steering input to catch it. When you do, though, the six-cylinder's huge rev-range (there's useful power from 3000rpm to the cut-out at 8000rpm) means you can tease out slides for... well, forever. Or until a rear tyre shreds itself to pieces.

So, the Z4 M isn't perfect. You need to work at it to make it really sing, and the stiff ride and aggressive throttle response mean you never forget that you're driving something with a very bad attitude. But that's the appeal I suppose. If a Boxster S is too complete for you, and a TVR or Marcos too big a leap into the unknown, then you should be thinking very seriously about trying a Z4 M.

Price and release date

The BMW Z4 M Roadster is available now from £42,750.

Specifications