The New BMW Z4

1. The New BMW Z4 (Short Version/Overview) 2. The New BMW Z4 (Long Version/full text) 3. Production of the New BMW Z4 4. History of Sporting BMW Two-Seaters 5. Data Sheet 6. Exterior and Interior Dimensions 7. Output and Torque Diagrams

The BMW Z4 certainly means business: This is exactly what a BMW roadster must
look like, this is exactly how it must drive. The Z4 is a breathtaking
experience on the road appealing to all your senses as a purist automobile for
the connoisseur. It not only represents one side of BMW's new design language,
but also sets new roadster standards in many areas: Self-confident, powerful,
sporting and aesthetic, the Z4 offers extremely precise and safe handling
ensuring driving pleasure of the most supreme calibre beyond comparison in the
market.

BMW's new two-seater is making its debut as the Z4 3.0i with a 170 kW/231 bhp
powerful straight-six and six-speed manual gearbox and as the Z4 2.5i featuring
a 141 kW/192 bhp straight-six combined with a five-speed manual gearbox. Both
models will be entering the US market in autumn 2002, arriving in Europe in
spring 2003.

Design: unique proportions in an interplay of different shapes:

Through its proportions alone, the Z4 is a truly remarkable car: The long,
sleek and stretched-out engine compartment, the snug cockpit wrapped around the
driver and passenger, and the short, muscular rear end - there is hardly any
other roadster these days with comparable dimensions. Wheelbase measuring 2,495
millimetres or 98.2 inches and overall width of 1,781 millimetres or 70.1
inches set a new standard in this class, while the overall length of 4,091
millimetres or 161.1 inches is both sporting and compact. The result is a
genuine athlete resting firmly on the road with short overhangs front and rear
and without one single gram of fat.

The Z4 has two waistlines. The lower waistline extends from the engine
compartment lid across the door, first moving down and then up again towards
the rear. This creates an impression of powerful self-confidence and at the
same time is reminiscent of the classic, door-less roadster of the past, giving
this two-seater its unmistakable character. The upper waistline, by contrast,
extends in a powerful arch from the beginning of the compartment lid all the
way to the rear. And the door line extending upwards to the rear at a slight
angle is equally exciting and fascinating in its look.

This design is truly unique: Particularly striking features are the surfaces,
edges, rounded corners and drawn-in areas plastically visible and interacting
among themselves, creating a rapid interplay of concave and convex design. The
result is exceptional lines, shadows and reflections again emphasizing the
particular proportions of the BMW Z4.

The roof has a special folding mechanism:

The Z4 is the first open-air BMW to feature a folding roof with a special
folding mechanism. This folding mechanism takes up very little space and allows
the frontmost part of the roof to extend like a cover over the soft top,
merging flush with the body of the car. As a result, the Z4 requires neither a
tonneau cover nor a roof lid. And as an option BMW?s new two-seater is
available as the only roadster in the world with fully automatic operation of
the roof.

The drivetrain: prize-winning six-cylinders:

The Z4 is entering the market with prize-winning power units, BMW's
straight-six once again winning the highest awards this year in international
engine contests. Appropriately, this two-seater comes with the two
top-of-the-range engines, the 2.5-litre developing maximum output of 141 kW/192
bhp at 6,000 rpm and the 3.0-litre offering maximum output of 170 kW/231 bhp at
5,900 rpm. On the road this means performance justifying the term sports car in
every respect: Acceleration from 0?100 km/h comes in 7.0 and, respectively, 5.9
seconds, top speed is 235 km/h (146 mph) and, respectively, 250 km/h (155 mph).

The power button: DDC Dynamic Drive Control:

The BMW Z4 comes with a very special button for the particularly dedicated
driver, giving the engine even more 'kick' at the command of the driver:
Available as an optional extra, DDC Dynamic Drive Control calls up maximum
engine power even earlier than usual in the Sports mode, engine management
following an even more dynamic and sporting gas pedal control line. To reflect
this enhanced response of the engine, the steering also becomes even more
direct and sporting, speed-related servo assistance offered by the Electric
Power Steering (EPS) following an even more sporting and dynamic control map.
And if the car is fitted with SMG or automatic transmission as an option, DDC
revs up the gears even higher and makes the gearshift even faster.

New: EPS Electric Power Steering:

The Z4 is the first BMW with electric instead of hydraulic power steering. With
the steering being controlled by software, EPS offers a much higher standard of
flexibility in its steering characteristics and ensures optimum harmony of the
steering damper effect and feedback to the driver. Contrary to conventional
hydraulic steering, EPS has the further advantage of not requiring any energy
when driving straight ahead without any movement of the steering wheel. In
practice, this saves up to one litre on every 400 kilometres or 250 miles as
compared with conventional hydraulic steering.

Five- and six-gear manual gearbox featured as standard - SMG or automatic
transmission as an option:

The Z4 2.5i comes as standard with a five-speed manual gearbox, the Z4 3.0i
features six-speed manual transmission. Both engines are available as an option
with six-speed SMG. Featuring shift-by-wire technology, SMG allows the driver
to shift gears either with the conventional shift lever or by means of two
paddles on the steering wheel, enabling him to concentrate full on the actual
process of motoring. SMG appeals in particular to the sporting and ambitious
driver, allowing him to shift gears in just 0.15 seconds and conducting the
operation time and again with utmost precision, since the driver is not
required to press or release the clutch.

The suspension: handling at its best:

The superior dynamics, agility and sportiness of the Z4 are also the result of
the very stiff bodyshell and the supreme suspension. Whilst the latter has been
carried over in its basic configuration from the 3 Series, the suspension has
been modified in its set-up, focusing on even more dynamic handling than, say,
the suspension of the 3 Series coupé. As the starting point, the perfect
balance of weight on the two axles provides all the ingredients for harmonious
behaviour on the road. A further factor is rear-wheel drive offering decisive
benefits particularly in a sports car - for example by keeping the steering
absolutely free of drive forces, ensuring superb steering precision and
providing absolutely clear feedback.

DSC with DTC: even safer driving pleasure all the way to the limit:

The BMW Z4 comes as standard with DSC Dynamic Stability Control, even though
the suspension of this outstanding roadster offers safety reserves so
sufficient that this safety system is only required in really dangerous
situations and not as some kind of enhancement for the suspension.

A further important point is that the new DTC Dynamic Traction Control allows
the driver of the Z4 to adjust DSC even more individually to his personal
dynamic driving requirements: At the touch of a button, DTC provides an
increase in slip on the rear wheels geared to actual driving conditions. Fitted
with DTC, the Z4 offers the same agility as a sports car featuring a 'classic'
limited-slip differential, without forfeiting the usual DSC functions under
extreme conditions.

The bodyshell: extra-strong and extra-light all in one:

The Z4 was designed from the outset as a genuine roadster. And this you
will feel from the start, torsional stiffness of 14,500 Nm/degree exceeding the
torsional stiffness of the former Z3 (5,600 Nm/degree) more than twice.
Never before has a convertible or roadster offered torsional stiffness of this
standard brilliantly solving the conflict of interests between saloon-like
smoothness and vibration control, on the one hand, and a dynamic, sporting
suspension set-up, on the other.

Passive safety: interacting protection systems:

Quite literally, the backbone for the high standard of passive safety offered
to the driver and passenger is the extremely stable body structure using
high-strength steel wherever appropriate. The A-pillars form a rollbar at the
front supplemented by two steel rollbars behind the seats. The driver and
passenger are protect-ed in the Z4 by four airbags fitted as standard, with a
two additional knee air-bags on the US model. The airbags are masterminded by
the new Advanced Safety Electronics (ASE) incorporating lightwave conductors
for the first time and allowing BMW to once again set the standard in safety
technology.

No more dangerous stops: runflat tyres featured as standard:

The Z4 is fitted as standard with runflat tyres avoiding the risk of forcing
the driver to stop somewhere on the road: Even after a puncture, the driver is
generally able to proceed to a service station without having to stop his car
at a dangerous spot on the road and change the wheel. A further advantage is
that all control systems remain fully functional even in the case of a
breakdown. These runflat tyres are monitored by an air pressure warning system
featured as standard, quickly recognising changes in air pressure in one or
several tyres by checking out the speed of rotation and giving the driver an
optical warning.

Optional extras: from bi-xenon headlights all the way to the navigation system:

The BMW Z4 is available with a whole range of optional extras. Examples are
bi-xenon headlights as well as a choice of two HiFi systems developed and
optimised especially for the Z4 to provide individual musical enjoyment of the
highest standard. The top-end HiFi audio system available as an option even
introduces carver technology into the automobile, a special technical system
generating extremely high sound pressure from the volume available.

The radio navigation system integrated in the instrument panel uses DVD data
for the first time in a BMW, this very dense memory system allowing a longer
geographic range. The Professional navigation system comes additionally with a
retracting colour monitor excellent to read thanks to the latest display
technology. Both navigation systems may be combined with a firmly installed
telephone also available as an option.