We had a local cruise this Sunday gone, from another forum. About 20 cars, mostly Subaru Libertys (Legacys to everyone else), some of them turbos as well as a modded WRX (fcukenwooooosh!), Honda Integra (V-TEC Wooosh!) and an older Golf GTi.
All up we did 7 1/2 hours driving over a tad more than 600km (350miles).
First up, I met the guy with the WRX at my local Maccas. I can't recall what is done to it, at least bigger exhaust and turbo. He reckons it is quite a bit quicker than a stock one. We had the chance to do a standing start. While I was there with traction control intervening, he leapt ahead and was 2 lengths ahead before I managed to scrabble some traction and just about keep pace, but really it was all over before I even got moving. We got another chance this time a rolling start, where I was still lagging, but not by too far. Then we settled down to some freeway driving until we turned off for some local twisties. Well, I thought he decided to take it easy or something, he was left so far behind. I mean I knew the Z4 handled well, but to leave behind a modded WRX that easily beat me in a straight line, WOW!!
During the cruise, I moved over to the passenger seat and sat my dog, Annie on my lap, and allowed three other drivers to share in the joy that is
Sabine. They were gobsmacked (quite impressed). The ease with which an unfamiliar driver can despatch other very good handling cars, spec B's and WRX etc is truly amazing.
Here's what one of them wrote after his drive:
Quote:
Sabine 
The road from Central Mangrove to Broke is a recent rediscovery for me, and affords a most scenic yet challenging journey. After the last run up there I was musing that this would be the perfect place to evaluate a car and perhaps a road for which an ideal chassis tune would be forever elusive.
Today, this theory is to be put to the test through the generosity and trust of Mike aka OldFart. Sabine arrives amidst great excitement from those assembled and after a polite pause, everyone is crawling on, in and poking her left right and centre. In the crisp, early morning light She is particularly stunning. The Z4 roadster may be pretty, but the coupe takes Bangle to new heights. A modern-day E-type, if you will, utilising utterly contemporary design language to clothe essential mechanicals in just the right amount of metal. You walk around and around, taking in the surfaces and delighting in how all these sculptural swoops, curves and elements manage to gel so well. And to see Her moving along, the design makes even more sense.
The bodywork, like all current BMW's, melds seamlessly into the interior architecture and in Sabine's case, there is much to delight within. The dash has the signature convex curve across its centre, relating to the swoop of the door cappings and armrest structures and reflecting the arc of the screen's upper edge as well as the subtle bubbling of the roof. Getting in requires a little care and good Quadriceps Femori to avoid an ungainly flop. The compactness, along with the optional anthracite headlining, at first reminds one of donning a motorcycle helmet after the dance-hall that is my Liberty wagon. But rather like the helmet, once in and settled you are soon snug but considerably more comfortable than you might first think. Head room is not an issue, the foot well broad and deep and the M-sport seats supportive and supremely grippy. I'm not convinced by the material on the top of the dashboard but in all other respects the interior quality is excellent with everything feeling rock solid and well oiled.
Ergonomics are pure BMW too – meaning everything falls to hand with just the right amount of space around and between all the controls; attention to detail aplenty. In-cabin storage is oft-criticised, but there is plenty of space for everything you would ever need when driving this car. I certainly had no trouble finding places for a mobile phone, half a dozen reefers and a packet of condoms. Rock and Roll is catered for sufficiently with one of the better manufacturer's sound systems I've sampled. And the boot is pretty reasonable and carefully finished.
Fast forward to Central Mangrove. I'm ensconsed, peering North out across the long bonnet, wondering if the rear-vision mirror's shape is form over function and musing that, even if it were the size of the one in my bathroom I probably couldn't see much more behind. Truth is I'm a little intimidated, and not by my passenger's relaxed countenence or Annie's steely gaze. Sabine starts with a key, and praise be is automatic. This is my first try of the 3 litre straight six and hopefully not my last. Everything I've read about it is true – smooth, revvy, with the richest, most mellifluous tenor timbre I have heard. The throttle response is crisp, immediate but there is great progression and the 6-speed auto changes briskly and smoothly. There is the option of shifting manually via the selector or by the slick wheel-mounted paddles, without doubt the nicest-feeling of their ilk. It moves too – 0-100km/h in 6 seconds is quoted and reflected in the subjective in-gear performance experience, as 190kw in 1350kg should.
At first, I'm troubled by the front end. It likes a bit of a tramline and this leads to small over-corrections until adapted to. After five minutes I've forgotten about it, and all the while the rear end feels securely planted and in fact all four corners seem devoid of the skittishness and harshness noted in the 3 series sedans. Certainly the ride is flat and firm but it keeps surprising in the way it shrugs off anything thrown at it. Small imperfections are absorbed. More significant disturbances create the delicious sensation of a hydraulic arm lifting and settling the car with perfect judgement and no excess movement. The Big Yump, which sees my Liberty bottom out and feel like it may shatter in two, felt in Sabine like there was still 10% travel left beneath us. And the horrid section of patchwork just before Wollombi was the final testament to the brilliance of the NVH and structural rigidity of the Z4. Astounding. Indeed general refinement is another plus – with acceptable suppression of tyre and suspension noise to a degree below that of Liberty.
Fortunately, it isn't just a straight bit with nasty bumps. There are all sorts of corners, and Sabine clearly likes corners. The steering is at first too nervous off-centre yet, as with the tramlining, it's simply a case of settling in. By the end of the run, I was revelling in the sharpness, the level of feedback and the nicely-judged weighting. There are oodles of grip, and I did wonder if all that rubber and that low centre of gravity would end up leaving Sabine feeling inert. Not so. Every reaction to steering and throttle feels alive and so detailed is the information relayed back that you soon feel yourself blending with the machine. Balance is great too. Turning in gently and being a little aggressive with the right foot will result in the sensation of a little front-end lightnening, but go in harder, turn in with more gusto and dial in the torque via that wonderfully-progressive throttle, and Sabine just carves through corners. Push harder and the rear will step out exactly as you require. Various mid-corner ridges, ruts and ripples don't seem to cause any drama with the steering seemingly free of kickback and rack rattle. All the while, the pleasure is more about the fidelity of response and the feedback until you realise that your 8/10th corner would likely be 10/10ths in a 325i or 3.0R-B.
The brakes? More good news. They are, like the steering and throttle, sharp on first acquaintance but beyond the pedal is firm and nicely progressive with the promise of great stopping power in concert with the exceptional body control.
So there we have it. Sabine. Until yesterday morning, the Z4 coupe had been a mere blip on my radar; motoring sculpture but not really to be given serious consideration. A bit if a waste when you could have a 3 series for not much more. Too much of a compromise. Today, I'm still thinking back to the drive, marvelling at the meticulous development of this car, the way She can excite and entertain over this most challenging of routes, yet have you arriving at your destination refreshed and longing for more. In fact I'm actually having trouble thinking of a less compromised car.
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Not bad at all if you ask me. Nothing beats real world evaluation and unbiased comparison. The journos can suck my exhaust.
Here... I found an article that's a little more realistic.
