Section: E89 Z4 Roadster
Jan 17th, 2012
The Z4 Roadster is now available with a revised folding hard-top for greater ownership enjoyment. Engineers in Munich have enhanced the elegant two-piece folding roof with a reinforced hydraulic system so that it can now be raised or lowered at speeds of up to 25mph. Previously the roof could not be lowered while on the move.
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Sep 14th, 2011
With 2012 BMW is making a variety of changes across the line-up. Here’s a full rundown of every change on every model.
All Vehicles
BMW Apps is available as a stand-alone option on all models for $250. With this addition, the Smartphone Integration will be removed as a stand-alone option and now included in BMW Apps.
You can see the entire line-up in detail after the break.
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Aug 23rd, 2011
If the past 15 years have proven anything, it’s that BMW isn’t afraid of change. While design directions have gotten the most press, it’s BMW’s advances in engines that have excited us most. And no current BMW engine has more on its shoulders over the next few years than the N20 four cylinder under the hood of the Z4 28i.
We had an opportunity to sample the new Z4 28i on a day-long jaunt up the California coast to Speed Week at Monterey. We tested the car through the mountain roads of the Sierra Nevadas and California’s famed Highway 1. To call it the perfect test on the perfect day would almost be an understatement.
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Jul 28th, 2011
Official Release: Driving pleasure, premium quality and reliability guarantee the latest models from the BMW and MINI brands the highest acclaim in international automobile markets. That has been confirmed yet again in a recent study conducted by international market research firm J.D. Power. In its latest customer survey – the Automotive Performance and Layout Study (APEAL) – assessing satisfaction levels among North American new car buyers, the BMW 5 Series range, BMW X3, BMW Z4 and MINI Countryman emerged as winners of their respective vehicle segments. In addition, four more models from the BMW Group finished in the top three of their category. This tally means the BMW Group boasts the highest number of segment winners of all manufacturers in the latest APEAL survey.
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Apr 26th, 2011
We all know times are a changing; the age of horsepower wars and increasing performance through displacement is a closed chapter in the book of automotive history. Cheap and seemingly endless petroleum based fuels are really not so cheap these days and definitely will be approaching Mad Max like conditions sooner than many had originally thought. Greenhouse gas emissions threaten air quality and whether or not the climate is changing is a debate for another day but as a global society we are trying to get more from less in order to conserve what we do have. All of this has opened the eyes of auto manufactures and consumers, especially BMW through its Efficient Dynamics program and more recently introduced sub brand BMW i. Times have changed so drastically that BMW will now be selling four cylinders in the US again, something that has not occurred since the 1990′s.
The aluminum N20 four cylinder is so advanced and such a marvel it is not even worth comparing it to the previous stateside BMW offering. The N20 will feature a single dual scroll turbo taking gasses from opposing cylinders to force feed the engine air at 10-11 PSI. It produces 240hp and 260 ft/lbs. Staggering, but possible due to a number of key components- direct injection, variable valve timing and lift (VANOS and Valvetronic). It produces a whopping 120 hp per liter! Some of the intricacies that would go unmentioned by most is what we found the most interesting.
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Apr 20th, 2011
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This week’s show sees us going from energy effecient to insanely fast. We start talking about the ActiveE and the new US spec four cylinder Z4. More specifically we talk about the new Z4 28i and how it stacks up in terms of performance and effeciency to the old Z4 30i model. And then there’s the 50:50 weight distribution 1 Series based ActiveE. 168hp and 250 nM of torque. Not bad for an electric car.
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Apr 18th, 2011
After years of hinting at a four cylinder today BMW North America dropped one into an engine bay. And what a long and sexy engine bay it is. The E89 Z4 will be the first BMW in the US to have a four cylinder than the 318ti we wrote about this weekend. And with 240 hp and 260 ft lbs of torque it should have performance that rivals other 28i models in the BMW NA line-up.
Also tucked away in this release is the fact that this car will also come with BMW’s acclaimed eight speed auto available throughout most of the range. In total the auto and four cylinder combo (yes a manual is available) will give the entry level Z4 20% better efficiency than the Z4 30i.
Official Release: Following the announcement in February of the return of a 4-cylinder engine to the US BMW line-up, BMW today announced that the new 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo 4-Cylinder will first power the Z4 sDrive28i that will arrive in BMW Centers this fall. Like the company’s latest TwinPower Turbo 3.0-liter turbo inline-6, the new 2.0-liter engine will combine highpressure direct-injection and BMW’s VALVETRONIC intake control (hence the name: TwinPower) with a forced induction system consisting of a single twin-scroll turbocharger. With 240 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, it offers more power and torque than BMW’s normally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-6 that it replaces in the Z4 sDrive30i. (Video after the break)
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Apr 16th, 2011
As BMWNA prepares for Monday’s relaunch of four cylinder motors in the US we wonder how the mainstream press and consumers will react.
You have to go back to mid-nineties ill received 318ti to find a four cylinder that made it across the Atlantic. By the time the 318ti came to market the US was in a state of relative prosperity and consumers wanted more. More refinement, more power and more luxury.
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