Stretching out in my tester's power-actuated heated driver's seat was very comfortable over the short-term, although
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| Instrumentation in the Z4 is on the small side, but clearly legible through the upper portion of BMW's slick, aluminum trimmed three-spoke steering wheel. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
long-term occupancy was compromised by a lack of thigh support due to the abbreviated seat cushions and a deficiency of adjustable lumbar support to fine-tune the fit. Side bolstering was acceptable, but not Recaro-like. Instrumentation in the Z4 is on the small side, but clearly legible through the upper portion of BMW's slick, aluminum trimmed three-spoke steering wheel, which houses thumb-operated audio controls at the three and nine positions.
Less legible is the narrow information screen set center stage in the dash, because whenever the sun hit the red characters, the screen completely washed out. Its ineffectiveness could become annoying, given that sun worshipers are the ones who buy convertibles. Encouraging for this crowd, when it turns cold the Z4 pumps out heat from its dash mounted vents like a nuclear power plant in meltdown, a vitally important feature in a soft-top sold north of the equator.
Push a single dash-mounted button and the fabric drops faster than shorts at a nudist colony. Unfortunately, when retracted, the roof is not protected beneath a hard shell
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| Unfortunately, when retracted the roof is not protected beneath a hard shell tonneau cover as is the case with many rival open-air rides. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
tonneau cover as it is on many rival open-air rides. Although the main portion of the roof forms a quasi-tonneau, which lies flat behind the seats, it lacks a seamless transition between the body and interior of the car. One look at the splendid tonneau design Chrysler incorporated into the Crossfire roadster illustrates exactly what I mean. More impressive than the Chrysler though, is the Z4's spacious, for a convertible, trunk. Yes Tiger, a set of clubs will easily fit in the boot with room left over for the oft-needed Nike raingear. The nicely lined soft-top seals hermetically tight when up too, which is a good thing this time of year as I never found myself sporting blue lips or trembling uncontrollably - well at least not from any chill in the evening air.
