BMW Z4 Coupe Review And Buying Guide

While it’s always been the M Division monsters from the BMW stable that have received most of the petrolhead praise, there are plenty of ‘normal’ models from our beloved Bavarian manufacturer that should also be singled out. One such car is the standard Z4 Coupe.

Sure, the Z4 M Coupe is a 338bhp weapon that shares its S54 3.2-litre engine with the E46 M3, but the 3.0si - its little brother - is worthy of your attention. But before you take the plunge, here’s what you need to know:

Why buy

The Z4 Coupe’s greatest asset is arguably its N52B30 3.0-litre straight-six. It’s the most powerful naturally-aspirated non-M Division inline-six BMW ever made, and in the Z4 Coupe it belts out 261bhp and 232lb ft.

That kind of power puts it somewhere in the middle of hot hatch territory - in fact its 5.7 second 0-62mph time is bang on the current Honda Civic Type R’s benchmark time. But don’t let the knowledge that some guy in a jumped-up hatchback could match or beat you at the traffic lights, as Mr or Miss Hot Hatch Driver won’t have half as much fun rowing through the gears as you.

With all the power coming in one lump high in the rev range (peak power is at 6600rpm) the Z4 feels decently quick, and while you do have to really rev it to get the most out of it, that’s hardly a chore thanks to the mesmerising mechanical melody that belts out of the exhaust pipes.

Yes, you’d get a much louder dose of that noise in its E85 roadster cousin, so why buy the tin top? Other than the fact it’s arguably the better looking car, the E86 is also twice as stiff. As a result, it’s gloriously nimble, and a far superior driver’s car. There isn’t much in the way of feedback from the steering but it’s nicely direct, and the chassis has an oh-so satisfying rear-led attitude without being a tail-happy brute.

Owner Andrew Milner certainly agrees it’s an exciting car to pilot, telling us: “The driving experience makes every journey fun! There’s loads of torque low down the rev range and the stock exhaust note sounds fantastic.”

So, that’s why you should get one over the roadster, but why buy one instead of the full-fat M Division car? Firstly it’s a much more manageable beast on the road, and secondly it’s far cheaper to buy and run. Prices start at under £9000, and that N52 is a much simpler engine compared to the S54.

That’s a view that Kevin Bird - Technical Director of BMW tuning specialists Birds - shares. “I would encourage anyone who wants to buy one to get the 3.0-litre, and not the M Coupe. The 3.0-litre has a beautiful engine - it’s very reliable, it has 261bhp, and you can drive it close to its limits without getting arrested,” he explains.

Choosing which kind of non-M Z4 Coupe to go for is easy, as there are only two trim levels: SE and Sport. The Sport comes with M Sport seats, a thicker steering wheel, 18-inch alloy wheels, stiffer suspension and a ‘Sport’ button on the steering wheel that sharpens up the steering and the throttle response. Oh, and anthracite headlining. Lovely.

When Z4 coupe owner Andrew was in the market for his car, a Sport was his choice. “There are touches that make it look a bit better and it offers a purer, slightly more authentic sports car experience,” he explains.

On the UK market, there are far more Sports than SEs, so you might as well make yours the former. That said, if you try a Sport and find the suspension too firm, the SE is worth considering.

Potential issues

Unlike the more complicated Z4 M Coupe, there isn’t a whole lot in the way of common issues to worry about with the standard coupe. In fact, ditching the electronic folding roof of the roadster - which Kevin tells us has a “terrible design” - means you’re rid of a litany of potential problems like blocked drainage channels, something that requires a roof removal to sort.

One thing you do need to look out for though is cracked rear springs. “The rear springs that they have on that car are virtually identical to the E46 M3 springs,” Kevin explains, adding: “It’s a rising rate spring, and those little ‘pig tails’ tend to crack. That’s an MOT failure.”

In terms of what’s under the bonnet there isn’t much that’s going to cause headaches either. “The engines are pretty bullet proof - Vanos solenoids are probably the only common issue, and they’re not expensive to sort. If you get a check engine light, it’s usually a Vanos solenoid,” Kevin tells us.

Owner Andrew also notes that water ingress in the headlights is an oft-seen problem, but it is “purely aesthetic and probably not noticeable to most people.”

What you need to mod

Even if you prefer to keep your cars stock, there’s one change that all types of E86 Z4 owners need to be thinking about: tyres. “If it has run-flat tyres on it, get rid of them and put them onto Continental Sport Contact 6s. You’ll improve ride quality, improve the grip immeasurably, and the unsprung weight will go down,” Kevin says.

From an ownership perspective, Andrew also reckons the run-flats - combined with the stiff suspension - aren’t the best tyres to be using. “It can be troublesome on poorly-surfaced UK roads - there’s a harsh ride and it can be prone to tram-lining,” he says.

As the car runs an open differential as standard, Kevin reckons a limited-slip differential would be on the “favourites list,” but when it comes to the engine, options are limited. “With these naturally-aspirated engines it’s notoriously difficult to get any more power. That engine only has a single throttle body on it, and 261bhp out of a 3.0-litre engine is pretty bang on the money,” he explains. And unless you’ve more money than sense, it’s not worth going down the forced induction route. “If you want an extra 50 horsepower from that car, then you’d buy the M car and put up with the negatives.”

There isn’t a lot of wiggle room in the suspension department, either. “Most people want the car lowered, which is a mistake,” Kevin explains, adding: “The car is already hitting the bump rubbers even on the standard ride height. If you did need to do the suspension, go for Bilstein shock absorbers - the B6s - but that’s all I’d do. If you lower that car, you will destroy its handling and its ride.” You have been warned…

What to pay

Currently there are under 50 non-M Z4 coupes for sale on Autotrader, compared to over 1000 convertibles. It was only produced from 2006 to 2009, and it was always a more niche product. So you won’t have a huge amount of choice, but there are just about enough out there to make buying one relatively headache free.

While you can bag one for under £9000, upping the budget to a decent margin over £10,000 should get you a tidy, low-ish mileage example. You can pay anything up to £15,000, so around the £12,000 mark is a good area to be investigating.