[iklo2]

My 6MT F10 is now 10 years old. All my cars over the last 30 years were manual bimmers (all purchased new and kept long past maturity). The iDrive 8.5 is beyond horrendous, hence no M3 for me never. As an empty nester I don't really need the back seats. I never considered roadsters before, thinking them rather whimsical. I would have never considered Z4 with the auto, but this new 6MT thing got me interested.

How practical is the car? Can I drive it non stop for 600 miles as I do in my 535i? If not - how far? How loud it really is with the top down? Can you hear the radio? Is it tiresome to have no top on the long drive, or is the car really meant for short trips down to the local Starbucks?

Many thanks and greeting from the Bimmerfest land where G29 forum is rather lethargic.

[vertigo corsa]

Topher documented a 750 mile round trip a few months ago.

[CJ421]

I had an F30 340i 6MT before my Z4 M40i. This is my third year of ownership and it's been my only car since I bought it. I don't have kids or anything.

The main thing I miss about the F30 is the cargo space if I want to carry a large box, the kind you need rear seats for i.e., it doesn't fit through the trunk opening. I mitigated this problem by signing up for FedEx/UPS accounts and just scheduling a pickup.

This is a sports car, so it will follow the road much more closely than your F10 (which will feel like a boat by comparison). If you like to be insulated from the road surface, the Z4 isn't a great option. But the suspension is very good at soaking up bumps even with the 19" wheels; it's never harsh. This car comes standard with non-run-flat tires, a huge plus.

I have no hesitation taking the Z4 on long road trips. The seats and A/C are excellent and it's impressively quiet thanks to a well-engineered soft top. (It feels like it has a hard top.) It also gets fantastic gas mileage (I'm routinely getting 32+, if not 35+ mpg).
I tend not to keep the top down on the highway for more than ~45 min, it's tiring to me in traffic because of the noise from other cars. But that is not really a fault of the Z4. The cabin doesn't have a lot of buffeting with the wind deflector in place and the windows up even at 70mph.

The G80 M3 has iDrive 8 for now, BTW, but it will probably get 8.5 for the LCI (MY 2025) that will be available July 2024+. But I get your point that iDrive 8+ is so radically different.

Try to go test drive a Z4. It's winter and dealers might have them in stock.

Charles

[mdoneinvt]

I also have done long trips in mine with the top down and love it. Radio is always loud enough for me to hear what i want. Longest drive i did non stop other than fuel was Ashland Ohio to Vermont 700 miles and wasn’t tired or sore could have gone another 1000

[Horseman]

I can't see a post like that without putting in my own $.02 and ... a shameless plug lol. I did this review in my 30i. Not too many active people here have experience with both trims like I do.

BLUF: The car is great as a daily driver. Have I travelled very long distances? No not yet, but I have been in my car for HOURS as I often have to do errands and picking up the kid which is 40 minutes to civilization one way. So. I guess that should count. Have I driven to Houston? No. Have I driven to Fredericksburg? no.. not yet.

Top down: can you hear the music? Yes. Is it faint... yes. You're not going to be bumping to music on the high way with the top down. Even with the windows up, you'llhear it, you'll feel it, but unless you have it cranked, ... you're hearing road noise. You didn't get a convertible to put the top down to listen to music!

Top up: You can more than adequately hear the music and there is still quite a bit of road noise because the top is fabric, but more importantly, it's a sports car on performance tires. Especially with the M40i. If you get All seasons (which I did with my 30i, it's alot softer on the ears.)

Trunk space.. More than adequate for running errands. More than adequate to put in your carry on luggage. More than adequate for golf clubs and more than adequate for taking your kid or two to a practice.

[Wynnsiensheng]

I’ve done limited mileage in my car, longest journey has been a 3 hour drive.

But what I have found is:

1. Road noise and comfort aren’t an issue. Can’t speak for top down, but top up it’s a non issue.

2. Trunk space is adequate for most needs. Not big bulky boxes obviously, but normal suitcases and shopping is fine. More of an issue is the “stuff” that I tend to accumulate inside the car and which usually gets chucked on the back seat. That stuff now needs a dedicated place to be stowed.

[iklo2]

Thanks all. Can the fake burbling exhaust sound be turned off?

[MisanoblueZ4]

Originally Posted by iklo2

Thanks all. Can the fake burbling exhaust sound be turned off?

Run the car in Comfort mode, you will not hear much if any popping from the exhaust at all, just nice mellow tone from the B58 engine in normal driving.
The M40i does not have any fake exhaust sounds.

Though part of the Z4 character is its sound in Sport/Sport+

Also about mileage, the maximum range on a tank of gas using comfort/eco pro modes on the highway will probably be in the 425ish range (my best guess). You will need a fuel stop to go 600 miles. A manual Z4 will probably get a little bit less range due to gearing.

[StanDiego]

Originally Posted by MisanoblueZ4

The M40i does not have any fake exhaust sounds.

That's not true. The M40i also employs ASD (Active Sound Design) though it can be deactivated with apps such as Bimmercode. There's a post somewhere in this forum where someone describes the two-step process to turn it off.

[PSQ777]

I'll reiterate some of the comments here. I've done several 150+ mile drives with the top down all the way and it has been comfortable and refined, with just a little wind ruffling the top of my head. My longest single drive was 240 miles last August which took around 6 hours including driving over one of the UKs longest suspension bridges where I had the windows down too for maximum exposure :-)

[MisanoblueZ4]

Originally Posted by StanDiego

That's not true. The M40i also employs ASD (Active Sound Design) though it can be deactivated with apps such as Bimmercode. There's a post somewhere in this forum where someone describes the two-step process to turn it off.

Isn’t that a different thing though? The pops and burbles coming from the pipes are real.
The ASD for engine sound is coming through speakers?

[Horseman]

Originally Posted by MisanoblueZ4

Isn’t that a different thing though? The pops and burbles coming from the pipes are real.
The ASD for engine sound is coming through speakers?

That was my impression too... let off the throttle and then any extra fuel gets ignited to which causes the burbles and pops.

[Bimmerfun82]

Pops and Burbles turn off with comfort mode or eco mode.
Z4 is super practical but it is a small car relatively although comfortable and plenty quick.

After going back to back Z4 to manual M3, I prefer the size of the M3 (I'm 5'11" and 185 lbs) but obviously the top doesn't go down.

If you want a convertible and don't mind the smaller size, it's an absolute blast and has less wind buffeting than a 4 series convertible (had one before the Z4 as well so back to back comparison).

The car is lower to the ground, so if you have any back issues be aware of this. It's less comfortable than my M3 with carbon buckets. No ventilated seats makes for less comfort as well. And vernasca leather v Merino is another distinct difference.

The audio system is sub par. I added a sub/amp box which helped but lost 1/3 of my trunk space so there's a tradeoff.

I put spacers on and aftermarket springs and the car had much less body roll- the downside was I warped all rotors and pads and had to replace them. Apparently this problem is solved with the manual Z4 performance upgrades.

I liked iD7 in the Z4. But the iD8 and 8.5 are slick. Take some getting used to.

All that being said, I drove 11k miles in a year with the Z4 - mostly 100 mile mountain jaunts and a couple 200 mile trips. I'd rather have the M3 manual comparing both given the better engine, brakes, leather, carbon buckets, sound system, and comfort....

... but if you want a roadster, it's simply awesome.

[z4forme]

I agree with all the others that have responded to your post. The only thing I would add is VALUE. The Z4 M40i has great performance for $72k. All other competing models (from Porsche, Mercedes) that I looked at were way more expensive. When you add in 3 years of service included, it sold me.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by z4forme

I agree with all the others that have responded to your post. The only thing I would add is VALUE. The Z4 M40i has great performance for $72k. All other competing models (from Porsche, Mercedes) that I looked at were way more expensive. When you add in 3 years of service included, it sold me.

Only problem is the value drops like a rock. Mine dropped $25k in 1 year. I was able to negotiate to $20k but most offers were in that $25k loss ballpark of $52k on OG MSRP of $77k. I got a couple k off the new price but still. My last M3 was $5k after a year and the 430i was $7k. So this one hurt.

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

... small car ...

... iD8 and 8.5 ...

These are some of the reasons I'm really interested in one.

I'm NOT at all disagreeing with you, and want to say thank for your comparisons. It's just interesting that what might be pro's for some folks are con's for others.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

These are some of the reasons I'm really interested in one.

I'm NOT at all disagreeing with you, and want to say thank for your comparisons. It's just interesting that what might be pro's for some folks are con's for others.

For sure! Just wanted to give you the comparisons as I see them. As I’ve said before, iD7 is a plus for the Z4. But iD8 and 8.5 work well in our M3 and X7.

[iklo2]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

For sure! Just wanted to give you the comparisons as I see them. As I’ve said before, iD7 is a plus for the Z4. But iD8 and 8.5 work well in our M3 and X7.

As I mentioned, one of the reasons I am toying with the Z4 idea is that it does not have iDrive8/8.5. Even though I find iDrive7 horrendous (had it in a 430i loaner another day). The tachometer dial must not go backward no matter what. And I don't need fake analog speedometer overlayed with the digital speed readout.

[Balr14]

If the exhaust sound bothers you in Sport mode, you can quiet down the pops and burbles with Sport/Individual settings. I enjoy driving my M40i more than any car I have owned in recent memory, certainly better than any convertible I've owned. I had a 997/2 Carrera S cabriolet that was nice, but it wasn't relaxing. The M40i can be whatever you feel like. Just change the mode, adjust the seat and enjoy.

I drove manual transmissions for 60 years. My 335i was my last one. I enjoy playing with all the modes and combinations you can have with modern automatics too much to go back.

[MadBullogna]

They better not mess with those glorious burbles for MY25, AT nor MT. Hear me now BMWNA, don’t you dare!

(Had Borla catback on my old Z06 and Corsa’s on my SRT, looove those sounds….I6 is different of course, but still perfection, just in a different tone IMO)

[tracer bullet]

I see on MHD's site that their tuning works for the G29 Z4 w/ the B58. I know they've got burble settings. Anyone here tried it out? There's a potential to have them 24/7, or make them non existent. In the case of my 135i, the aggressiveness of it can be set as well.

[MisanoblueZ4]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

Only problem is the value drops like a rock. Mine dropped $25k in 1 year. I was able to negotiate to $20k but most offers were in that $25k loss ballpark of $52k on OG MSRP of $77k. I got a couple k off the new price but still. My last M3 was $5k after a year and the 430i was $7k. So this one hurt.

Resale is the biggest con of owning a G29 Z4 hands down. Since buying my CPO 2021 in September it’s down 3-5k already.

Values won’t stabilize or bottom out until the car is discontinued and unavailable for a few years. Then good used examples with hold or possibly slightly increase.