DOES Y O U R C A R WAX GIVE YO U B E T T E R P RO TEC TIO N TH AN Y O U R CU T-RATE C A R IN S U R A N C E ? EXm-! tru»l Ju»t anyuoc to ln«urc >our cat. w me: W a y n e M c G il l 2345> X W > f t l U # 21, O a kv ille 905-847-5671 An Oakville Beaver Automotive Feature · To advertise in this section call 905-845-3824 or Fax 905-337-5568 \V N >\l S I > \Y. I I ;iu<l A K Y J<>. -><HU · I M t f r C X BEST WHEELS BMW Z4 is a trusty winter warrior and an all-season charmer Years ago I owned a string of B M W sedans and I learned the les son. that with four snow tires, driv ing a fairly high performance car didn't mean it had to be put away in the winter. W ith the advances in computerized traction and pitch and yaw systems and the in c r e d ib le strides made --^ possible by modern rub ber com Jim Robinson pounds, you can take a car as powerful as this week's tester out in the dead of winter without worry. Tested here is the B M W Z4 road ster that I first drove last October during the Autom otive Journalists Association of Canada (A JA C ) Car of the Year competition. W ith its long nose and short rear.end, it has classic sportscar proportions which was confirmed by its wonderful road manners. I was reacquainted with the same car recently after B M W called to suggest, that with a set of four per formance snow tires, the Z4 could show it is a more than able winter warrior. The Z4 replaces the Z3 which was introduced six years ago. The Z3 re-established B M W as the maker of a quasi-affordable German sportscar when the only options at that time were the Porsche 911 and Mercedes-Benz S L series. Yes, the Boxster and the S L K hit the road at about the same time, but I think, more was expected from the BM W . The Boxster exceeded expecta tions while the S L K was more for the bouffant curb cruiser crowd. The Z3 did sell very well. The exception al M3 version was just about perfect, if pricey. W hile no one at B M W w ill admit it. the Z3 was never the run away roadster hit envisaged. Styling, perhaps, didn't help but nei ther did the four-cylinder engine the car o rig in ally came with when B M W was known for its inline sixes. That brings us to the Z4, which retains the same roadster parame ters, but which is a whole new ball game. Firstly, engine power is a classic B M W six-cylinder in either 3.0-litre (225 hp, 214 lb/ft of torque) or the 2.5-litre (184 hp, 175 lb/ft o f torque) as tested here. The 2.5 is standard with a five-speed manual while the 3.0-litre gets a six-speed manual. There is a five-speed sequential automatic available, but I can't imagine anyone wanting one. Styling is, w ell, dramatic. First seen in the Z9 concept car o f four years ago and now in the 7-Series sedan, the mix of hard edge and long, reverse French curves certain ly catches the eye. But the overall effect has received mixed reviews. One thing for sure, the very long hood and short, bobbed tail have that quintessential sports car look. Behind the wheel, there is a very sat isfying amount of hood stretching up and out before you. The sense of vehicular power this imparts cannot be overlooked -- not should it be. Instead of the performance tires fitted to the 17-inch alloys (16-inch alloys are standard), the tester had a set o f Pirelli Scorpions fitted. I tried these on a Porsche Boxster S previ ously and was surprised at the grip in the snow and slush at highway speeds. This time, however, it was going to be different because 1 had the Z4 during the coldest week we have seen in years. Flashy tires are okay, but if they can't cut it in the cold, you might as well be on slicks. In short, those -29 C mornings did not leave the tires feeling like they were made of India Rubber. There was some tread noise at high way speeds, but it wasn't obtrusive. Traction was ample, but at very low speeds, like backing up, there was a lumpy feeling. This was caused by the tread lugs trying to grip the IH llll MTHI W inter won't do much to take the warmth out of the way this B M W 2.5 Z4 handles in the snow, especially with high performance winter tires. snow. The other challenge was staying warm. This is, after all, a cloth-top convertible. Yet 1 found the Z4 came up to temp quickly in the morning with the padded top holding in heat like a good sleeping bag. The real glass rear window with heat grid was great. I could also hear admiring comments through the soft top from my son's Cub group and their impressed leaders. The best part was when I took it through a touchless car wash for pic tures. The high-pressure spray didn't phase the sealing on the top. There's nothing worse than water dribbling in through the window and down onto your pants on a sub-zero day. Priced at $51,500 and tested at $55,400 with a few options includ ing the fully automatic soft top. the combination o f traction control and pitch and yaw control (D rivin g Dynamics Control in BM W -speak) had a lot to contend with in the chal lenging winter driving. W h ile I noticed the traction con trol light blinking on more than once, it didn't intrude on my control. There was no foot-jarring rattle from the A B S or feeling as if the power had cut out from the traction control. Sure, 1 did notice a drop of torque hitting a wedge of slush during a lane change, but 1 was prepared for it. Bottom line is that at no time did 1 feel I overstepped the ability of the car to cope, but then I also was driv ing in winter where pushing the envelope is foolish. Can you have your cake and eat it too? You can if you've always wanted the jo y o f driving a front-engine, rear-drive roadster but you have lo do that driving in Canada. 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