Several years ago over dinner, I had the opportunity to quiz Chris Bangle, the controversial American chief designer at BMW. The fact that a German automobile company would have an American Chief Designer is a rarity to begin with. I asked him pointed questions and he always was able to succinctly explain the rationale for why the company does what it does. This is a German company full of engineers so ultimately it all has to make some sort of logical sense. Though not always readily apparent on the surface, I've come to respect the thought and design that goes into BMW automobiles.

The new Z4 is a large evolutionary step forward for this model. At the initial press launch years ago we were able to see beneath the paint and skin of the vehicle and examine what the car was really all about. It was very impressive. While the manufacturers of some two seat roadsters haven't designed safety into their cars, have no roll bars at all or have cosmetic one that are not attached to any structural part of the car, on the Z4, the safety cage is the core of the vehicle. The car is designed to do very well and to protect the occupants in the case of a collision. The materials used in the Z4 are top quality. The fit and finish is superb. The solidity of the body structure is impressive. The way the car drives and handles is exemplary. Regardless of which engine/transmission combination that you might choose, it's a rewarding and enjoyable experience.

The 2010 model uses the same foundation and delivers an exciting new car. The styling on the Z4 has evolved and the 2010 model has styling cues resembling the 6 Series. Whereas the previous model had distinctive styling that was polarizing, the new design is more mainstream and gets high marks from everyone I talk to. The vehicle has more presence and appears more elegant and pricey…which is good because it is.

The big news is the two piece folding hardtop. The two previous models, the roadster and the coupe are now effectively combined into one car. With the push of a button, the two piece metal top folds into the trunk are in a mere 20 seconds. This elegant solution is stunning with the top down in roadster mode and also very stylish with the top up. The coupe top of the new model is more elegant compared with the hatchback design of the previous generation. Because of the shape of the top, the windows are larger allowing a more open feel and better visibility. The trunk has a tray that must be in place to retract the top. In roaster mode the folded top consumes about half of the vehicle's trunk space. The beauty of the car is that it is now an all-weather vehicle. It increases the geography of potential buyers. The Z4 with top up can now easily handle winter weather and exploit snippets of summer sunshine when the opportunity presents itself.

The current power train options of the Z4 are exciting. There are two models available each built about the engine selection. The sDrive30i is a 3 liter straight 6 with 258 horsepower and 228 ft lbs of torque. This powerful engine will motor the car from 0 to 60 mph in only 5.5 seconds. The sDrive35i model has a twin turbo 3 liter inline 6 that produces 306 horsepower and 295 ft lbs of torque and will sprint to 60 in 5.0 seconds or less! This time there are 3 transmission choices. The traditional 6 speed manual is there plus a 6 speed automatic and a double clutch shift-assisted 7 speed transmission. This is a modernized replacement for the SMG.

BMW's iDrive is available in the car in a modernized and simplified form along with navigation and a larger 8.8 inch display screen. The 80 gigabyte hard drive will store about 5,000 mp3 songs onboard! The 650 watt audio system is a suitable device to play all those songs.

The past Z4 was good but the new 2010 model is a significant step forward. It offers more style, more utility, more versatility and definitely more fun.

SOURCE : http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2009/apr/20/new-2010-bmw-z4-convertible-hardtop/