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our test drives or view them all

BMW Z4 sDrive 35i

BMW builds the best two-seat open-top in the world.

The latest Z4 is without doubt the finest high-powered rear-drive sports car you can buy for between £30,000 and £40,000 – but wild horses wouldn’t persuade me to buy the 2979cc twin-turbo straight-six car I’ve just been testing.

Why?

It’s too wild. Too much of a hooligan. Too powerful. Too tempting. And at £38,145 with VAT at 17.5 per cent, before you start specifying toys, the sDrive 35i is a bit pricey.

So having delivered a proverbial kick in the teeth to BMW’s cracking powered folding hardtop two-seater, why is the Z4 still the best? Simply because there are two less powerful models in the family that take the crown in my book.

The 2996cc sDrive 30i is a 258bhp straight-six mid-range model that will save you a cool amount of dosh at £33,620 and is less of a handful than the 35i flagship. Then there’s a real star of the line-up – the outstanding and well-balanced 2497cc straight-six 23i that delivers a more than adequate 204bhp and costs £29,485 with the higher rate of VAT.

I fell in love with the 23i at its Highland launch in Torridon six months ago. Thanks to its three-position electronically switchable suspension system it soaked up lumpy single-trackers and had that elusive balance of power and adhesion that adds up to the perfect drive.

Enter the 35i.

With more than 100bhp compared to the 23i and a tugboat torque delivery of 295lb.ft from just 1300rpm, it’s a formidable piece of kit.

Acceleration to 62mph comes and goes in a blistering 5.2 seconds – 1.4 seconds faster than the 23i.

And with the pulling grunt of an engine that delivers 111lb.ft more torque than the 23i from almost 1500rpm less, its overtaking ability is never in doubt.

But remember all 306bhp goes through the back wheels – and that’s a lot to pass on to the tarmac even if it tips the scales at an impressive 1.6 tonnes.

This is a car where you’d be mad to turn off the traction control unless you were trying to show off on a track. Even then I’d be tempted to keep the traction technology engaged!

What a performer!

It’s limited to 155mph – goodness knows what terminal velocity it could achieve if the engine and rifle-bolt six-speed manual transmission were left to their unrestricted devices.

The 35i sDrive is a serious piece of performance kit. A car for the mature driver who has the skills of Jenson Button and the self-control of the Pope.

I have neither and was exhausted after an exhilarating drive through the west Highlands to Skye and back by way of my favourite hill-climb – the 2000-foot-plus Bealach na Ba.

Perhaps, if I had the money and was in the market for a Z4, I’d be tempted – but because the 23i is such an accomplished car in its own right it would get my bawbees.

The 35i dusts off serious hills like the Bealach as if it was a perfectly flat surface. Loch Carron simply fades into the background and before you know it you’ve covered more than six miles and are at the cruising altitude of an eagle.

The traction control does an incredible job. Just quite what it in turn does to the tyres is another matter – but wide throttle charges in the right places with no traffic around and deserted scenery is the best cardiac exercise you’ll get sitting down!

The power delivery is fierce and you have to keep your wits about you. Bends and undulations arrive under the long nose of the 35i far quicker than with most cars and it’s just as well that BMW’s precision steering, superb switchable suspension, powerful brakes, advanced ABS and stability programming are quick enough to work in harmony to compensate for driver error.

The 35i has an entirely different feel to my favourite 23i. It seems a lot heavier than the 100kg extra it weighs compared to the 2.5 litre Z4. But thanks to the latest Z4’s fine programmable suspension it never feels harsh or hard.

It’s BMW’s brilliance in making the new Z4 such a forgiving and superbly-riding two-seater that makes the three-model family such a delight.

The previous model was a bum-number. It had a ride that was guaranteed to make you limp for a week after a couple of hundred miles on undulating surfaces. Not any more.

My first drive in the latest models in Torridon in high summer made me wonder if BMW had "gone soft" on the sports car front. I genuinely feared that this car would be an uninspiring sponge of a car – but I was well off target.

The new Z4 has a range of suspension feedback that is simply astonishing. Drive it gently in "Normal" and you’d swear it was more soft family hatch that mean mile-eater.

But as speed and power rises all you need to do is slip the suspension into "Sport" or "Sport+" mode and it changes character to suit your driving style and the surface. It’s a revelation that won’t become apparent until you’ve driven the car for a hundred miles or so.

I found "Sport" perfect for all out of town and twisty road work – "Sport+" turns off the traction control.

Don’t get me wrong – I don’t dislike the 35i. Far from it. It’s just that it has too much of everything and I’d be frightened it would "pinch" my highly-valued driving licence if I spent too much time behind the wheel.

It asks to be driven – and that’s a temptation that’s all too easy to accede to!

And if a 306bhp 35i is not enough, BMW has just announced a Z4 sDrive 35is model with 340bhp and up to 25 per cent more torque! It costs an eye-watering £43,885 before extras.

Call me a wimp if you like – but the 23i has the same fast-acting solid-panelled electric roof, the same drop-dead gorgeous looks, the same provocative long nose and the same impeccable build quality as the 35i and 35is.

It is also a lot cheaper, milder and less challenging – in fact, all things considered, a far better drive. And with the hood down and its neat wind deflector in place between the headrests, it’s a real delight – even driving through Torridon high ground on a dreich December day.

If you are thinking about a premium two-seater with a snug solid-panelled powered hood that delivers a breathtaking drive, go no further than your nearest BMW Z4 purveyor. But even if you really feel the 35i or 35is is the one for you and you have the money to indulge yourself, think twice. Before signing on the dotted line take a drive in the 23i, or even the 30i. I think you’ll be impressed.

Rating: 8/10

FINAL THOUGHT: The Z4 is BMW’s best two-seater to date and the finest of its type on the market – refined, fast, grippy and very entertaining. But I’d rather have a 2.5 litre sDrive 23i at around £29,500 than the three-litre 35i at more than £38,000.

BMW Z4 sDrive 35i

• Price: £38,145 (with 17.5% VAT)
• Capacity: 2979cc
• Power: 306hp
• 0-62mph: 5.2 seconds
• Maximum speed: 155mph
• Economy: Combined 30.1mpg; Urban 20.9mpg
• CO2 emissions: 219g/km
• ESP: Standard
• Insurance: Group 18