FEATURES | 7 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
Z4is buyers get a magnificent-sounding and specially tuned exhaust that sings a raspy melody best experienced with the top down, of course
Car and Driver
door sills, gearlever, floor mats and even the driver's footrest all carry the evocative M logo
Edmunds' Inside Line
The major fault of the 'box's setup are the paddle shifters...They're confusing as hell, not to mention unnatural, cheap in hand, and look as if they've been pulled off an early 1990s Big Foot Power Wheels.
Motor Trend
The iDrive interface, although improved from earlier versions, is still not the most intuitive.
CNET
The feature list in the BMW Z4 is pretty extensive and enough to satisfy tech-savvy shoppers—provided the right option boxes are checked. Dynamic cruise control, HD radio, and xenon headlamps with cornering lamps are all standard, but items like satellite radio and a USB port are optional, as are Bluetooth and smartphone integration. Bluetooth, for instance—standard on many inexpensive cars—is only offered as part of a $3,900 BMW Assist package. The available premium sound system gets 14 speakers and 650 watts, and the base system has ten speakers and subwoofers, though our editors aren't very impressed with its top-down sound.
The optional navigation system includes iDrive—in its much-improved fourth-generation form—along with an 80-gigabyte hard drive-15 gigs of which are partitioned for personal music storage.
Price can be a sore point. The add-on features of the 2011 Z4 can take it from expensive roadster to near-exotic prices; tacking on the Sport Package and Cold Weather Package to the base car pushes its price to the $50,000 mark, while a completely optioned turbo Z4 zips past $70,000.
Overall, the Z4 is a far more expensive proposition than in the past, with a base price that's higher than the previous-generation, top-of-the-line Z4 M.
New this year is an M Sport Package, which combines the Adaptive M Suspension, exclusive exterior colors, an Anthracite headliner, and an M Sport steering wheel.
Conclusion
The 2011 BMW Z4 offers a mother lode of available features, but can get very pricey, and you'll need to make sure you check the right boxes to get popular connectivity features.
