Cars - BMW Z4

	Cars - BMW Z4

The BMW Z4 is a 2-door, rear wheel drive roadster. The Z4 began production in 2003, and replaced the BMW Z3. The design addresses many criticisms of the Z3; the Z4 is larger, more powerful, and has a significantly stiffer chassis. It is built in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The Z4 was designed by Chris Bangle and began the controversy over his "flame surfacing" design and aggressive styling choices, which can also be seen on modern BMW 7-series and BMW 5-Series cars.

While the Z4's front suspension is essentially the same as the Z3's, the rear suspension is considerably different from its predecessor's, which was based on that of the E30 BMW 3-Series. Instead of a semi-trailing arm suspension, the Z4 uses a more advanced Multi-link suspension.

An M Roadster version will be offered in 2006.

Options

The Z4 offers a choice of three straight-six engines: A 2.2 L, a 2.5 L, and a 3.0 L. The 2.2 L, 120 kW (170 bhp) version can reach 100 km/h in 7.7 s, but is not sold in the United States. All are variants of the BMW M54 engine.

The 2.5 L engine produces 141 kW (184 bhp) at 6000 rpm. BMW claims a 7.0 s time to 100 km/h (62 mph) with a manual transmission. It weighs 1,335 kg (2,932 lb) with a manual transmission—30 kg (66 lb) lighter than the 3.0 L version, but still heavier than the 2.5 L Z3's weight of 1315 kg (2899 lb).

The 3.0 L, 170 kW (231 bhp) (at 5900 rpm) straight six has a claimed time to 100 km/h (62 mph) of 5.9 s.

Five-speed manual gearboxes are standard on all models except the 3.0 L car, which has a 6-speed. 5-speed automatic or 6-speed SMG transmissions are available on all cars.

A Sport package is also available, which adds stiffer and lower suspension, larger wheels with run-flat tires, and Dynamic Driving control, BMW's Vehicle Stability Control system.

Coupé

BMW unveiled a Bangle-designed concept coupe version of the Z4 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2005. The on November 22, 2005 that the coupe would be available for delivery in the US starting in June 2006, including the return of the M Coupe. The base Z4 Coupe will use an updated version of the 3.0 L straight-6 M54 engine developing 255 hp (190 kW) and 232 ft·lbf (315 N·m), while the high-end M variant will use the award-winning 3.2 L S54.

M4 Coupé

A high-performance BMW M4 Coupé will use the 3.2 L engine from the M3. This engine produces 343 hp (256 kW). It is set to rival the Porsche Cayman, and is expected to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in under 5 seconds, with a limited top speed of 250 km/h.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for BMW Z4 ]

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Cars - BMW Z4

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Coupé

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