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Thread: When women take the wheel

  1. #1
    mr funny is offline Any complaints please PM me
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    Default When women take the wheel

    http://www.straitstimes.com/Life%252...ry_380325.html

    May 23, 2009 Saturday

    When women take the wheel

    The Z4, the first BMW to be designed by women, is a sweet and stylish ride

    By christopher tan, senior correspondent


    Now you see it, now you don't. The Z4's foldable hard top moves with stealth. The two-piece construction enters and exits the boot speedily. -- PHOTOS: TERENCE TAN, BMW AG


    A few years ago, Volvo Cars had a special made-by-women-for-women concept car called the YCC (Your Concept Car).

    It did not get many rave reviews, not even from women. Ms Verena Kloos, then a Mercedes designer and now head of BMW's DesignworksUSA, dissed it.

    She said she found it 'embarrassing'.

    The YCC did not get off the ground.

    The beautiful new BMW you see on this page was also designed completely by women, the first BMW to have the honour.

    Ms Juliane Blasi, 32, did the exterior and Ms Nadya Arnaout, 37, the interior. Unlike the YCC, the Z4 is made to appeal to both X and Y chromosomes.

    And what appeal it has. Except for seats that are a tad too snug for my mid-life male torso and a cabin that rattles occasionally like a make-up case, the new BMW roadster makes your head spin with delight.

    First, the styling: The car looks stunning, with lines that are slightly more fluid than those on its predecessor's edgy, flaming profile.

    The foldable hard top that replaces the canvas canopy has not compromised the car's perfect roadster proportions. This roof has an almost magical operation. Its two-piece construction disappears into the boot and reappears as cleverly and speedily as cards in a croupier's hands.

    Build quality seems more decent, too. The materials in the cabin befits the Z4's status, with a nice touch of retro in the four-piece air-conditioning dials which take centre stage on the fascia.

    The Z4 is now made in Regensburg, Bavaria, instead of Spartanburg, South Carolina (the latter now being devoted to the BMW X models).

    In the sDrive35i tested, the engine-transmission combination could not be sweeter if you had added saccharine. On hand is BMW's award-sweeping 3-litre bi-turbo that pumps out more than 300bhp and a tidal wave of torque from just 1,300rpm.

    This unit powers several other Beemer models with great success.

    It is mated to a wondrous seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, with BMW's signature joystick gear lever. There is nothing better in the business.

    The only minor drawback to this gearbox is that it does not engage immediately when you switch from D to R or vice versa.

    Otherwise, it allows the power to flow to the rear wheels seamlessly.

    The Z4 is best driven with the top down. This way, you can hear the operatic straight-six as it punches through the cogs, each time punctuated with a smile-inducing throttle blip.

    It gets better. With the aural delight comes acceleration that can only be described as spiritual. It transcends physical distance, in an almost 'Beam me up, Scotty' kind of way.

    If not for the wind in your hair - cooled effectively by the arctic air-con - you might think you were bending space and time.

    So I exaggerate, a little. But the car really inspires superlatives, never mind that its declared consumption figure of 9.4 litres/100km is not achievable even if a 40kg waif sat in it.

    It may not be the stickiest car on the tarmac but its handling is intimate and interesting - traits of a roadster chassis.

    Select the Sport+ mode (one notch above Sport) and you will get an even keener steering response, an almost over-zealous throttle and a rock-hard suspension. In this mode, the car is allowed some slippage, enhancing its fun quotient, if you are into that sort of thing.

    With this Z4, BMW has widened the distance between its roadster realm and those occupied by cars such as the Porsche Boxster, Audi TT and Mercedes SLK.

    [email protected]


    BMW Z4 sDRIVE35i

    Price: $245,800 with COE
    Engine: 2,979cc 24-valve inline-6 twin-turbo
    Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch with paddle shift
    Power: 306bhp at 5,800rpm
    Torque: 400Nm at 1,300-5,000rpm
    0-100kmh: 5.1 seconds
    Top speed: 250kmh (electronically limited)
    Fuel consumption: 9.4 litres/100km (city-highway)
    Agent: Performance Motors

  2. #2
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    Issit juz me or does this resemble a bmw-branded miata?

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