At this point, it should be said that the tremendous handling capabilities of the Z4 come at a price, both financial and human.
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| The trade off for the Z4's high road-holding threshold, is the ability to jostle your innards around pretty well on rough pavement. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
The human toll pertains to ride comfort, or lack thereof. My tester was fortified by a sport suspension setup, which further intensified the car's ride firmness. Now don't get me wrong. The ride is nothing more than you would expect from a roadster with such a high road-holding threshold, but nonetheless it has the ability to jostle the innards around pretty well on rough pavement. Impressively, the extremely lightweight Z4 is free of the cowl-shake often inherent in vehicles lacking a solid roof.
The leanness of the Z4 contributes to its inspiring ability to nimbly and
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| Squeeze hard on the inner-vented front and rear antilock disc brakes and you'd better hope your fillings are all secure. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
rapidly transition from side to side. It also contributes to the Z4's incredible braking ability. Squeeze hard on the inner-vented front and rear antilock disc brakes and you'd better hope your fillings are all secure. Aided by BMW's Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), which regulates the brake pressure at each wheel thereby enhancing directional stability, the Z4 can dissipate speed with astonishing strength and control. Emergency stops are arrow-straight and briefer than an ill-fitting Speedo at a senior's pool party. Little pedal pressure is needed to accomplish perfectly controlled stops, time and again. Brake modulation is predictable and progressive, and nosedive is nil.
