Possible Z4 purchase

[Howard]

Hi, at the moment Iv a Z3 (3.0) which I love.. possibly thinking of getting a Z4, the one with the removable tin top.
Throughts on the 6 cylinder 2.5 engine against the newer 4 cylinder 2.0 turbo. And are there any known concerns with either of these engines.

 

[GazHyde]

I have a feeling the 2.5 used in the E89 is the N52B25 engine used in the Si versions of the E85, in which case it's a solid normally aspirated engine. Looking at some pics of a 23i E89 the engine looks the same. I can only give you a vote from that perspective, as I've not driven the 4 pot engine.

 

[Howard]

I must admit I had not considered the 4 pot (turbo) engine until I noticed the 186bhp and more importantly the fact that it produces more torque than the 2.5 six cylinder.... also another point (which shouldn’t matter!) is the much lower fuel consumption of the 4 pot.
I really need to drive both cars to make a decision. My heart says 6 cylinders but my pocket says 4...

 

[Nodzed]

I recently test drove a 2.0 version and I was quite impressed with the 4 pot (and it was an auto) a bit screechy at high revs but went well, doubt the fuel economy will be good if driven hard though as you need to have the revs well up all the time to have fun.

 

[Broads]

Having just traded my z3 for a e89 2oi it may be worth noting that the performance of the 2.0ltr engine can be optimized to something like 260bhp through mapping, as I believe the 18i 20i and 28i uses the same engine at different mappings. I went through the same decision process either the 23i or the 20i and whilst the 23i sounded great with the straight six, the fuel economy and the mappings available sold the 2oi to me. I was actually really surprised how well the 20i went as standard.

Good luck with your search and decision process. It was a hard one for me to make.