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752: Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon
A reborn classic earns a (near) perfect 10
748: Nissan GT-R
It’s fast, sexy and a bargain. So what’s the catch?
744: Jaguar XF
The new sedan from Britain’s storied automaker proves that appearances are, in fact, deceiving
736: Suzuki Swift Sport
Suzuki’s bargain hatch proves big fun can come in small packages
732: Dualis & X-Trail
Nissan introduces a new SUV while its marquee model continues to play tough
728: Toyota Vanguard
Head off to the concrete jungle with a bit more vehicle than you need
724: Subaru Impreza S-GT
Japan’s automotive loudmouth learns some manners
720: Tokyo Auto Salon 2008
Get ready for some modification mayhem at Makuhari Messe
716: Dodge These!
Chrysler introduces three muscle-bound imports to Japan
712: Licensed to Drive
We guide you through the bureaucratic jungle
708: Tokyo Concours D’Elegance
Exotic autos from the past and present glide into Roppongi
704: Car Knows Best
Automakers are introducing technology that will let your ride decide if you’ve had one too many
700: Range Rover & Land Rover
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696: Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Channel 007 in this latest incarnation of the marquee automaker’s “baby”
692: BMW R1200GS Adventure
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688: Lexus LS460
The new sedan is big, fast, safe, classy—and unremarkable
684: Alfa Romeo Spider
We unleash the Italian monster on a 1,200km road trip
680: Ford Mustang
The American classic goes back to its roots
676: Citroën C6
The French automaker's latest eccentricity pushes its own boundaries
672: Nissan’s Pino and Otti
Japan-friendly K-cars pack a big punch
668: Jaguar XK
Forget James Bond—this is the UK’s sexiest export
664: Mazda’s Axela, RX-8 and Roadster
Here’s the word on Japan’s resurgent automaker: buy, buy, buy!
660: Mazda’s Axela, RX-8 and Roadster
Here’s the word on Japan’s resurgent automaker: buy, buy, buy!
656: Alfa Romeo Brera
This gorgeous Italian coupe is both poised and sexy
652: Premium wheels
Business is good for Rolls-Royce in Japan, with an eagerly awaited convertible due out next year
648: Citroen C3 Pluriel
The quirky French automaker barrels into the 21st century
644: Jeep Commander& Grand Cherokee
Off road and on, these 4×4s do their military heritage proud
640: BMW Z4 M Roadster
Beemer’s monster convertible provides the most fun you can have sitting down
636: Name dropping
What your car is called says something about you—and even more about automakers’ marketing departments
632: BMW Mini Cooper S
All hail the mighty Mini!
628: Mazda Roadster
Redesigned and retooled, this two-seater is now a car for enthusiasts
624: Hyundai Sonata
A rev-happy South Korean import tries to find its niche in Japan
621: Lexus IS350
Toyota brings its upmarket brand to Japan—finally
616: Volvo XC90 V8
A bit sleeker and a lot more spacious, this SUV still puts a premium on safety
612: Chrysler 300C
This black beauty recalls the golden age of motoring
608: The Big Ideas
Tokyo Motor Show 2005 was a concept car bonanza
604: Tokyo Motor Show 2005
The automotive world’s big players zoom into Japan with some high concepts in tow
597: Three brothers
We put a trio of Nissan sedans through their paces
593: Ducati 1000S DS Multistrada
The boys from Bologna deliver an Italian masterpiece for your garage
589: Mazda Demio Sport
A worthy cousin to the Atenza and RX8, this roomy sedan is happy around town and in the country
585: BMW K1200S
The boys from bavaria clothe an iron fist in a velvet glove
581: Chrysler’s Cruisers
The American auto manufacturer concentrates on the body beautiful
577: Suzuki Skywave 650LX
If you thought scooters were just for kids, think again
573: Cadillac STS 4x4
America’s flagship automaker recaptures its former glory
569: Tour de Force
Yamaha’s FJR1300A offers an unbeatable blend of poise, power and price
565: Alfa Romeo GT and 156 GTA
With stunning looks and power to spare, these two Alfas are an enthusiast's dream
560: Driving the Future
The talk of the auto industry in 2004 was hybrids, safe driving and intelligent vehicles
556: Deja vu
Blast to the past on Harley-Davidson’s Road King Custom
552: Sports sensation
Nissan's new SUV breaks out of its class
548: Lean machine
Lighter, faster, stronger and sexier—a diet works wonders for BMW’s R1200GS
544: Kings for a day
The Honda Elysion is master of all it surveys
539: Rules of the road
New traffic laws are on the horizon. Turn off your cellphone, watch where you park and don’t ride in gangs, Chris Betros warns.
537: Open roadster
William Bonds gets up-close with the elements courtesy of the Nissan Fairlady 350Z convertible.
535: Extreme makeover
Volvo sheds its stodgy-but-safe image for sleek-and-sporty with the new S40 T5. William Bonds likes what he sees.
533: Sporting chance
Mazda has brought the station wagon up to speed with its Atenza Sport Wagon 23Z. William Bonds takes one for a spin.
531: Street smarts
Automakers are taking car safety to new levels with sophisticated warning systems that almost do the driving for you, reports Chris Betros.
529: Speed zone
Just down the road from Ueno Zoo, a virtual hog heaven has everything for the motorcycling enthusiast. Steve Trautlein cruises on over.
527: Italian Stallion
The Alfa Romeo 147 carries on its maker’s reputation for hot cars with unmatched sex appeal. William Bonds gets carried away.
525: Hot wheels
A cross between a snowboard and a scooter, the Wheelman is a quirky Australian invention that's grabbing attention worldwide. Tim Colquhoun takes one for a ride.
523: Mean Machine
William Bonds gets behind the wheel of the Nissan Skyline 350GT.
521: Show stealers
Toyota stunned attendees at the recent Geneva and Melbourne auto shows with two concept cars that represent a powerful vision for the future of motoring. Tim Colquhoun reports.
519: Mighty mouse
Subaru goes boldly against the tide with its new R2 minicar. Justin Gardiner admires this latest feat of audacity and engineering.
517: Trail blazer
Nissan's top-selling 4x4 features cool touches for winter sports fans. Justin Gardiner drove the latest X-Trail to the slopes
515: Up to speed
The Formula One circus is gaining momentum as the season opener in Australia draws near. Tim Colquhoun takes a look at the latest developments.
513: Good save
Hybrid cars are the rage this year with Toyota, Honda and Subaru touting their gas-electric vehicles. Chris Betros looks at what they're offering.
512: The road ahead
Despite the lack of a full-fledged Tokyo Motor Show in 2004, domestic manufacturers have a bevy of weird and wonderful offerings in store for this year. Justin Gardiner previews the lineup.
509/10: Top of the class
Justin Gardiner finds his favorites from this year's Metropolis test drives.
507: Mom-mobiles
Japanese mothers are trading in their once ubiquitous mama-chari bicycles for a new breed of K-car. Justin Gardiner tries a couple of the most popular mini-cars.
505: Cubic's rube
Nissan has lengthened its highly successful Cube a few centimeters and added an extra row of seats. But, as Justin Gardiner finds out, the result is a bit puzzling.
503: Globe trotters
Kerstin Gackle and Volker Aldinger left their native Germany on April 1 and pointed their Yamahas toward Australia. Eight months later Justin Gardiner caught up with the couple in Tokyo.
501: Back to the future
Cutting-edge technology and futuristic vehicles highlight the 37th Tokyo Motor Show at Makuhari Messe through November 5. Justin Gardiner offers a guide.

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Cars&Bikes

Text and photos by William Bonds

BMW Z4 M Roadster

Beemer’s monster convertible provides the most fun you can have sitting down

When BMW launched the Z3 10 years ago, the reaction was mildly enthusiastic. A run-of-the-mill convertible was nothing new. Mazda’s Roadster had reopened the market, and BMW aimed to capitalize on the resurgence of ragtops. OK, so the Z3 had cute aspects (like retro air intakes), but it was still largely middle-of-the-road—something BMW does quite well. But Beemer also does top-of-the-road quite nicely, and you always felt there was something “out there” they could do with the convertible form. That something was the Z4 Roadster, released five years ago and just relaunched. “Would you like to try it?” the chap at BMW asked. Well OK, I thought, but my expectations were low. I was expecting nice.

I got nasty.

The BMW guy failed to mention he was offering me the “M” version—with “M” standing for manic, monstrous or, indeed, mother******g marvelous. It definitely does not stand for middle-of-the-road. This mother moves, and moves magnificently.

Underneath the imposing hood sits a brutish 3.2-liter engine with six cylinders in-line. Like the rest of the car, the long hood bulges with power curves. Sit in the comfortable, creamy leather driver’s seat and look into the rearview mirrors, and you see more evidence of the car’s muscular profile. The Z4 M sports fat tires, which the bodywork bulges out to accommodate. So, it’s power all-around. The rear end has four exhaust outlets, and the slightly inboard light clusters emphasize once again its fat-arsed, power-boasting spunk. The front end is equally intimidating, highlighted by a quasi-Formula 1- style air dam beneath the snarling, shark-toothed radiator grille, which sits at the end of the subtly raised hood. It’s a Darwinian beast that has evolved to eat road.

And this beast eats road good. Put your foot down, even just a little, and the engine growls like a lion. Put your foot down with a little attitude, and it roars, custom-fitting your spine to the leather seats, making you grip the chunky, leather-bound steering wheel and starting you on a tactile adventure through the six-speed gearbox (no effete semi-automatic guff in this Teutonic Titan). The neon lights on the rev counter show you have plenty of leeway (nearly 8,000rpm) to wrench the 343hp to the max. When you find yourself way over the speed limit on the expressway and you’re still in second gear, you know something wonderful is going on.

This baby claims a 0-100kph time of less than five seconds. That is very, very fast—the same time as the Aston Martin DB9. By comparison, the Porsche Boxster is almost a second and a half “slower.” And it’s when you’re punching the pedals that the bulges come into play. This car wasn’t designed just to look butch; it was designed to be butch. All that power is spread around you like a well-rounded meal. It may look like a lot of calories, but it all balances out. So, don’t expect wheelspin; do expect to stop. The braking power of the Z4 (100-0kph in just 34m) is almost as impressive as the pulling power.

As for handling and ride, again, the Z4 doesn’t disappoint. You would expect that a vehicle as robust as this would be as stiff as my muscles the day after a game of soccer. You’d be wrong. Once again, the Beemer boys have found almost perfect balance. In fact, it’s hard to understand how it handles so well yet feels so comfortable. The Z4 is not a softie, but it handles all surfaces extraordinarily well. Losing control, even for a split second, as you often can with other sports cars, is just not an option.

Nor, unfortunately, is storage space. Being a convertible, the top has to go somewhere, and unlike the regular Z4, the M version does feature run-flat tires. So a puncture repair kit takes up half the trunk. The man from BMW said I could get a set of golf clubs in the back. Yes, I could, but not the bag. Inside, the lack of storage space is surprising, and slightly irritating. There’s nowhere to put anything. And what exactly is that plank of wood doing on the dashboard? These grumbles apart, the simplicity of the dash and dials is a welcome relief from high-tech overkill.

And that really sums this car up: it’s really quite simple. Create a beautiful design, stick in a monster of an engine, link it to a manual gearbox, complete every mathematical equation, and answer every question of balance. Customers pay their ¥8.2 million and stick their foot to the pedal. Instant gratification. Every time I even think about driving this car, I smile like a complete loon.

It really is that much fun.

Would you like to comment on this article? Send a letter to the editor at letters@metropolis.co.jp .

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