~~~Update~~~Bye Z3 Hello Z4

[alex_gt]

Well there's been a post about the Z3 rolling off the production line, and here is the reason... :bmw: Has lined up this little beauty, the Z4

Z4 TO DEBUT SOON Wednesday 3rd July

New styling sets roadster apart from curvaceous original:

Hot on the heels of the news of the demise of the Z3, BMW are pushing its successor the Z4. Also to be built at BMW's American plant in South Carolina the car will debut at the Paris Motor Show in late September.

The car makes use of BMW's new look which is characterised by curves of soft and hard surfaces designed to create "new transitions of light and shadow from every angle". It's not going to be to everyone's tastes we suspect.

The Z4 roadster features:

- Luggage compartment (9.1 cu ft), large enough for two golf bags or a few crates of beer.
- Z shaped soft roof fold with rear heated glass window
- Dynamic Drive Control (DDC)
- Wide track and a very low centre of gravity
- Electric power steering
- Dynamic Stability Control (DSC II)
- 2.5 184bhp / 3.0 225bhp straight sixes
- The Z4 roadster will be available in the United States in October and in Europe next spring.

So there ya go , What's everyones view? Is it just a the Z3 with some plastic surgery or will there be some surprises in the chassis, engine etc.....?

Who's that guy in these forums who works for :bmw: he should be able to give us some inside info :smilewink

 

[Ryan2]

woah....nice :thumbsup:

i think i'm going to change my status...

 

[Ryan2]

it went from wants the Z3 back to wants the Z4 sooner

 

[made in holland]

That'a a sweet car

 

[Talentless]

um, are you guys looking at the headlight curves?

 

[1X83Z]

Oh ****. Another Chris Bangle monstrosity. That's the ugliest 2-seater I've seen in ages.

 

[Gran Turismo7058]

You are terribley wrong thats the best looking BMW yet

 

[Saleen Man]

Originally posted by Talentless
um, are you guys looking at the headlight curves?

That's the first thing I noticed. The headlights look bad. Other than that, car looks good.

 

[Hooligan]

*sigh*

Bangle strikes again. I was never a real fan of the Z3 (especially the early Z's performance), but it had a definite certain charm. Simple, clean, just-barely-retro without looking dated. Now we have something whose curves would put a 1999 Tiburon to shame.

Problem #1: The front end is blunt and stooped over. The single line arcing across the headlights gives too much of a furrowed brow look. The matching curve under the license plate does nothing but create too many lines.

Problem #2: The hood arcs way too far out and down, giving the impression of a vast engine bay. Might make head-in parking a real trial.

Problem #3: The same curve from Problem #1 carries across the doors. Not a bad idea to try, simply the wrong curve to start from. Again, it's just too busy. Why the intersecting slash across the BMW logo? Is this smooth crater supposed to hold something? Something that could have easily passed by...like air? The outcropping of the door should bring high returns-on-investment for those little paint chip bottles.

Problem #4: The wheelarches arch too far over the wheels. The short front & rear overhangs are good, but the car looks too low, and the wheels too small. It's as if the Z4 could benefit from wheels 2" larger.

I do like the wheels themselves, though.

 

[1X83Z]

I knew you'd have something to say, Hooligan - I was just waiting!

Another problem = rear and wheels were clearly stolen from Miata, side was stolen from Esperante.

 

[Giancarlo]

It's only a new body for the Z3, BMW just wanted to be fancy and put the next number. 4.

 

[vat_man]

That front end is dreadful - the grille is completely mismatched to the lines of the headlights.

And what is the story with that diagonal slash across the rear of the front guards (between the front wheel and the leading edge of the front door)!

 

[Evolution Racer]

I like this one better.

 

[misnblu]

I think its the tits.
In spite of the new styling, its still a bmw.
Get used to the new styling as most manufacturers will wear similar styling as the newer cars come out.
Looks good and like Hooligan stated, needs at least a plus1 or plus2 rim/tire change.
Z8 still rules.
Misnblu

 

[alex_gt]

Originally posted by vat_man
That front end is dreadful - the grille is completely mismatched to the lines of the headlights.

And what is the story with that diagonal slash across the rear of the front guards (between the front wheel and the leading edge of the front door)!

:rscared:

I have to disagree :argue:, I reckon the front end looks very modern and stylish :gcar: and the Z4 complements the rest of the new :bmw: range, I like it :thumbsup:

Vat_Man are you sure your not living in the past of car design?

 

[vat_man]

The past?!? There's no cohesion between the grille and the headlights. The grille belongs on a different car!

I don't mind the door sculpting and the flow of the lower sill - that diagonal slash would have been better as a bulge, not a clearly defined line.

I quite like the rear wheel arch treatment - although that arch could do with a wheel about another two inches bigger!

...but that nostril grille - it should be mounted higher up sitting just under the slash over the top of the headlights, with the outside edge of the nostrils matching the line of the headlights. The bottom edge should form a line with the bottom of the depression of the headlights.

The nose would then need to slope back more to prevent the grille over dominating the front end, thanks the bulge the designers have put into the nose.

 

[alex_gt]

Vat_man :argue: why does the Grille have to match up with the headlights? Isn't it good design for :bmw: to be daring and try something new.. :?:

You never know keep looking at that pic and the design might grow on you?

 

[vat_man]

You can be daring and still integrate design elements of a car. It's the old story of needing to see the car in the flesh before truly deciding on opinion, but the car is a jumble of styles.

A good example of not integrating design was the Vectra facelift. The original car was a fairly attractive (if a little bland) rounded vehicle, with soft design elements. In the following years, harder edged design came in (e.g. the Astra), and Opel attempted to put hard line elements onto the Vectra, and because the car was originally designed as a soft shape, the hard edges weren't successful.

Hooligan's points are quite valid too.

I suppose you like the 7 series?

 

[alex_gt]

Yea i like :bmw: 7 series but don't like new :vauxhall:/pel: Vectra's, Astra's...

I see you point but still think that the Z4 looks good.... I like the nose and bonnet front but think the door intergreted design is strange :weird:

 

[vat_man]

Mate - looking at it, the car screams young designer fighting to get noticed. It's the most overstyled thing I've seen the last Hyundai coupe (the four headlight one that just got replaced).

 

[W_conneely]

Originally posted by vat_man
Mate - looking at it, the car screams young designer fighting to get noticed. It's the most overstyled thing I've seen the last Hyundai coupe (the four headlight one that just got replaced).

i know... that hyundi i reckon is a rip off of the the Celica GT-four.

 

[misnblu]

You must be talking about the Tiburon. They look pretty good now, but before the redesign, man were they ugly.
I think the picture does the z4 no justice. Its one of those designs that looks better in real life as opposed to pictures.
Misnblu

 

[TVRKing]

I'll buy a :holden: and blow it away.

Or a :tvr:

Depends on how much space I need.

 

[alex_gt]

So would I be right in saying most of you hate the :bmw: Z4, no matter what I say to convince you?

 

[misnblu]

I dont hate it, I love it. I love all the bmw's to say the least.
Misnblu

 

[alex_gt]

Well there's at least 2 supporters for the :bmw: Z4 now Nice one misnblu Anyone else wanna give it the :thumbsup: ?

 

[1X83Z]

I hope that's a design never reaching the street.

 

[Gran Turismo7058]

Heres the front

 

[Gran Turismo7058]

And the Back

 

[Zero]

The front has already been posted, why did you make a thread?