[Donatello.]

Originally Posted by KevinC

Z4M roadster should definitely be considered for all the reasons others are pointing out. I've owned 2 Z4M coupes - one from new for 8 years, and another for 2 years that I'd still have if it hadn't been hit. It's an incredibly fun platform, and the Roadsters sell for criminally cheap, far less than equivalent coupe brings - which makes the Roadster an incredible buy, especially if that was someone's desired configuration.

This old Richard Hammond video from back in the day sums the car up nicely in comparison to a period Boxster S ...

How does the Z4M compare to the ND2 Miata? I've only driven a regular Z4 and that was too long ago to remember everything, but I do recall almost buying it.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Donatello.

How does the Z4M compare to the ND2 Miata? I've only driven a regular Z4 and that was too long ago to remember everything, but I do recall almost buying it.

I think Throttle House has a video on that exact question.

[Alfisti]

There's just so much more power.

[vt100]

Originally Posted by Donatello.

How does the Z4M compare to the ND2 Miata? I've only driven a regular Z4 and that was too long ago to remember everything, but I do recall almost buying it.

Heavier in turns! You'd feel all the S54 weight in front of you when cornering

But, speaking of stock ND, Miata feels way too slow in straight line acceleration after Z4M. And it has vaugue steering, don't get me wrong, it's good but not nearly close to Z4M' steering. And feedback isn't as good neither.

Also body roll is much more pronounced in Miata. In a good way though, quite enjoyable when cornering.


Overall feeling - stock Miata is much more refined and easier to drive than Z4M.
Z4M demands more from you and much more edgy. Stock S54 gives just enough power to enjoy acceleration and not feel that it's slow.
And sitting position almost on the rear axle gives you feeling of sitting on the rocket' tail trying to steer it somehow But when it starts sliding you'd feel it sooner than in Miata

[3002 tii]

Having owned 3 Z4s (n52 coupe, s54 roadster and s54 coupe), yes I am biased but the reason I was drawn back each time is because the car is that special. The E86 is such a timeless design. Is it polarizing? For sure but to have that many people split over’s Bangle masterpiece says a lot (vs majority uniformly agreeing new BMWs look like Kia’s). As others have said, best way to recap the car is analog feel, high revving, naturally aspirated i6, short wheel base, driver focused cockpit and 6 speed m/t. Doesn’t get more purpose built than that imo.

The cons? Any high mileage s54 comes with high maintenance cost but what M car doesn’t? And the going prices are so low it more than offsets that imo. Outside of that, make sure you get a non-Navi spec as they’re painfully outdated. And lastly as much as I loved the roadster, the soft tops are not as durable as Audi imo. They will all need replacing at some point and good luck finding someone who will do it for reasonable price. Even just replacing the soft top motor is a major pain. Get the coupe and you avoid all those headaches.

Originally Posted by Donatello.

How does the Z4M compare to the ND2 Miata? I've only driven a regular Z4 and that was too long ago to remember everything, but I do recall almost buying it.

I’ve driven both on track. The Miata is more ‘track ready’ out of the box and is easier to drive at the limit. Stock pads and sticky tires are all you need because it’s so lightweight. However once you find the limit, you quickly find yourself wishing for more straight line speed. It just feels a bit anemic on long straights. Coming from a Z4, I actually found the interior of the ND to be claustrophobic No clue what the safety reports say but I felt safer inside the Z4 cockpit.

Lastly as an aside, the one thing the Miata has over the Z4 is the shifter. You could spend thousand bucks on a fancy chassis mount shifter, and I still don’t think it’d be good as the Miata’s short precise throws.

[XutvJet]

2006 Cayman S vs 2006 Z4M Coupe

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...sche-cayman-s/

[3002 tii]

Also one more thing to add to above, while I appreciate the driver focused cockpit, for what was at the time, a $55k msrp car, the Z4 interior feels a little too spartan especially compared to the 987. Too much soft touch plastic and the many of the buttons wear over time (e.g. steering wheel controls). The extended leather option makes a huge difference but it really should’ve come standard imo.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

Also one more thing to add to above, while I appreciate the driver focused cockpit, for what was at the time, a $55k msrp car, the Z4 interior feels a little too spartan especially compared to the 987. Too much soft touch plastic and the many of the buttons wear over time (e.g. steering wheel controls). The extended leather option makes a huge difference but it really should’ve come standard imo.

My Z4 has extended leather, it is quite nice. In 2014, I test drove both the non-M/non-S versions the 2008 Z4 and Cayman. I bought the Z4. I don't think the Cayman was any better than the Z4 in any aspect. IMO of course.

[vt100]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

My Z4 has extended leather, it is quite nice. In 2014, I test drove both the non-M/non-S versions the 2008 Z4 and Cayman. I bought the Z4. I don't think the Cayman was any better than the Z4 in any aspect. IMO of course.

Ditto. I haven't even seen a non-extended leather Z4 interior

Speaking of Cayman, I also test drove it practically back to back with Z4M, and Z4M felt much more edgy and thus more exiting to drive. Cayman is great, but it's too nice, too refined, way too easy to drive, kinda lacking this "drama" I always (even after many years of owning mine) still feel in Z
With Cayman it feels like the car is actually driving for you, helping you.
With Z it's like you always fight with the car and force it to do thing you need from it

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by vt100

Ditto. I haven't even seen a non-extended leather Z4 interior

Speaking of Cayman, I also test drove it practically back to back with Z4M, and Z4M felt much more edgy and thus more exiting to drive. Cayman is great, but it's too nice, too refined, way too easy to drive, kinda lacking this "drama" I always (even after many years of owning mine) still feel in Z
With Cayman it feels like the car is actually driving for you, helping you.
With Z it's like you always fight with the car and force it to do thing you need from it

Extended leather is just full leather door cards. The dash is still the elephant skin polymer.

I've driven my 3.0si Coupe on several road trips of 4 + hours. I find the M-sport seats super comfortable. The suspension is very compliant and not harsh in any way has been my experience.

[Donatello.]

Originally Posted by vt100

Heavier in turns! You'd feel all the S54 weight in front of you when cornering

But, speaking of stock ND, Miata feels way too slow in straight line acceleration after Z4M. And it has vaugue steering, don't get me wrong, it's good but not nearly close to Z4M' steering. And feedback isn't as good neither.

Also body roll is much more pronounced in Miata. In a good way though, quite enjoyable when cornering.


Overall feeling - stock Miata is much more refined and easier to drive than Z4M.
Z4M demands more from you and much more edgy. Stock S54 gives just enough power to enjoy acceleration and not feel that it's slow.
And sitting position almost on the rear axle gives you feeling of sitting on the rocket' tail trying to steer it somehow But when it starts sliding you'd feel it sooner than in Miata

Vague steering? I've never felt that.

The Miata body roll (On stock suspension cars) is intentional by Mazda.

”Since the Miata's beginning, it has exhibited no shortage of body roll during hard cornering, and this is a conscious effort, Coleman said. By tuning a car for extremely high-roll stiffness—where it's difficult to notice cornering speed due to lack of body roll—you mask one channel of communication to the driver. Nobody wants to fly blind by masking roll; you're cutting off tangible communication. Instead, it comes down to understanding and predicting what's going to happen as cornering forces build to their breaking point and beyond.”

Mine is lowered so not nearly as much body roll.