2007 Bmw Z4 M Coupe Rear

As was the case previously, the new coupe is offered in M and standard Z4 strength. The latter is sold with the 255-hp, 3.0-liter engine only and not the 215-hp 3.0-liter that is also available in the Z4 droptop.

Our drive was confined to the M Coupe, which, like the M Roadster, uses the 3.2-liter straight six from the current M3. This is a whole lot of engine for the 3309-pound M Coupe. (0 to 60 mph happens in 5.1 seconds.) Get on it, and a mechanical rasp fills the cabin. The spec sheet will tell you that peak outputs of 330 hp and 262 lb-ft are reached at a lofty 7900 rpm and 4900 rpm, respectively, but the reality is that the iron-block six's long stroke fattens the torque curve while the six individual throttles and free-flowing intake and exhaust systems keep the party going all the way to the 8000-rpm redline. The potent six completely sets the tone for this car: it's amped up and always ready to break into a run.

But it's more than just the engine that makes the M Coupe as wired as the pale guy in the corner at the party who never takes off his sunglasses. The steering is very quick off-center, and that, combined with a stiff, busy ride, made this a nervous car to push quickly--oh, so quickly--along the mottled two-lanes around Elkhart Lake. On smooth freeways, though, you do adjust to making smaller inputs, and the hydraulic assist delivers far more natural effort levels than the electric power steering that's such a bummer in the Z4. The six-speed manual gearbox is the only transmission offered (no SMG!), and it has short, positive throws.

On the four-mile Road America race course--soaked by a passing downpour--the M Coupe was sometimes a handful. This is a car that wants, and needs, traction and stability control. BMW boasts of the M Coupe's 50/50 weight distribution, but this is still a car that wears its rear-wheel drive on its sleeve, and anything more than very gentle throttle movements had us calling in the electronic helpers. At lower speeds, though, the M Coupe is primarily an understeerer. The brakes are upgraded to cross-drilled, ventilated rotors (13.7 inches in diameter in front and 12.9 inches at the rear), but they groan in protest at hard stops from high speeds.