BMW Z4M | Car Review | Top Gear 

1:40 "at the front, the air intakes are big and fierce!" Well well well... they look docile compared to the modern shit we get

I usually change my cars every couple years, but have had my Z4M coupe for a year and a half and can honestly say I will hold onto it for a very very long time.

My parents had one of those Z4 Ms when I was in high school. I still haven't driven any car that communicates with the driver as well as that car. Hoping to get my own M coupe soon. It definitely makes you love it.

‘The air intakes are huge and menacing’ - who knew how big they were going to get by 2020!

I have my M Coupe for 3 years now and will continue to enjoy it for years to come 🙂

this Z4 is one of the best and most beautiful cars ever made by BMW, I love it!

Remember when bmw built drivers cars?

They just did a tiny mistake. The engine that BMW put in the Z4 M is the standard S54 from the wonderful e46 M3. Not the CSL one that make 360HP. The Z4 M and the M3 CSL share some parts (like the brakes for exemple), but not the engine. By the way. Hammond was a total beast with that M. I would like to see this more often.

I have an 03 Z4 3.0i 6 speed manual. Love that thing. Cant compare it to the boxter as Ive never driven one. But, its a hell of a car.

Hey Top Gear, can I borrow both cars to do my own tests. I will return them a few decades later. Thanks brah.

Did anyone else notice that it's raining when Hammond is driving, but it's dry when they show the exterior shots?

I remember how much I looked forward to this review from Richard. Idc. I still love this Z4 but that Boxster punches above its class. What cars these were 🙏🏽❤️

It's a tricky one isn't it? With the Boxster you get a Porsche badge which adds a bit of bespoke and and flash. But you're also telling the whole world you can't afford a 911...

I picked up an 06 z4mr this April. It had high miles(120k) and limited maintenance history but I purchased it sight unseen cheap from California(I'm in CT). It definitely is a blast to drive. I've done a few maintenance repairs such as new plugs/coils, replace all fluids, swapped in a short shifter, RPI exhaust, and intake. Such an enjoyable car to drive

remember when top gear was good?

I work on many cars and recently had a 2000 Porsche Boxster (I think it's rated only 217 HP on the 2.7) and I was impressed on how quick it was and how well it handled. Although it was a chore changing out the oil separator, because of the mid engine design, the water pump R&R was simple.

I had a black Z4M a year or so after it was launched. It was incredibly fun to drive. So much fun that I sometimes just took it out for 30-40 minute spontaneous drives on winding roads for no purpose other than to feel the taut suspension and the wonderfully communicative steering. I sold it for a comfortable car, a lexus, and haven't owned anything remotely as fun since.

1:57 "Three hundred and thirty eight break horse paaAAaa"

The truth is the Z4M Coupe!!!

I have a Z4M Coupe hands down best car I’ve ever owned and I’ve owned G’s, Z’s, S2K’s, and even a E46 M3

1:12 That z4m entrance was levels. so sick

The Z4M Roadster is my all time favourite car, and the coupe version was entered in its first 24 Hour race at Silverstone in 2006, which it won This car is definitely one that I would want to own someday

I have owned and driven the Miatas, Nissan Z series, Boxsters, and both the AP1 and AP2 S2Ks and all 3 generations of the Z4s. Pound for pound, the E85 Z4M is the best car among these. The S2K is great but it is way too over rated and insanely expensive now. When you drive this Z4M after driven an S2K, you will realize how much of a car this Z4 is. These 1st generation of Z4s, even the non-M versions, are outstanding roadsters.

*automotive museum tour, 2050* And here we arrive in the 2000s. This is a golden age of our great automobile, where the manual transmission abounds, and BMW actually did made the best drivers cars

amazing how it can be a beautiful sunny day for the outside shots yet pissing down with rain with the wipers going for the inside shots.

I bought a used Z4 Roadster (2003👀). Cosmetically it was in great shape. I put $3K into the engine immediately and it’s a ton of fun to drive. I get complements on it all the time and this car is 17 years old. That’s impressive designing right there.

Anyone else notice that when the camera is inside the car it's raining outside but when the camera is outside it's completely dry?

I just picked up an 06 Z4M today, in 2022!

Such a shame that BMW et all have forgotten how to make a good simple raw drivers car like this. Slick manual gearbox, weighty hydraulic steering, revvy naturally aspirated engine, good mechanical rear diff and perfect weight distribution = driving heaven :-D Now its all about fancy auto gearboxes, turbo engines and electronic suspension and drive settings.....basically the car does everything for you and there isn't any real direct mechanical sensation left. The art of having to be a good driver is quickly becoming a lost one :-(

This is an amazing production coming from 12yrs ago, Good Job.

Roadsters doesn't need to be full of electronic shits, and they're not built for race tracks. A roadster needs to be old school. I guess the Z4 is precise enough to drive on a country road or in the mountains.

Pay close attention to the first minute of this review. The editing is just perfect, and the tune is INSANE. Just perfect.

Just love these cars they are timeless .

And today the Z4m is the best purchase, Porsche just all the same. M cars from 10-15 years ago= magic

Six months ago I bought an '07 Z4 M Coupe, black on extended black leather. An unknown past and 100,000 miles on it. I drove it before I bought it and what a beast (lol, especially with the Sport button on). I LOVE THIS CAR so much - I've had a lot of Mustangs including a Saleen and also owned an '04 Honda S2000. All shite compared to this god of a car. I've never driven or been in a car with so much soul. I will pay for and replace anything and everything this car needs to keep it for a very long time. Engine blows? So what, I'll replace it. Lastly, if you own one of these do yourself a favor and get the Stromung mufflers. Not too loud at all for this old guy but still quite beefy.

I still dream about having an ultra low mileage Z4M in 2022.

2001 z3 m coupe is my alltime favorite!!

I miss top gear. Cant wait for the new show.

I just bought the M coupe about a month ago, I had the same debate. I appreciate the rarity of the car (1815 in the US), fantastic to drive, I think it looks better than even the new M3. I like the stripped down tech, only two performance buttons, one that turns the trac control off, and the other to change the throttle response. And it came standard with the limited diff, something that the Porsche did not. Honestly, you can't go wrong with either, both M and Cayman are driver's cars.

I have an 03 z4, the fancy addition of the both manual/automatic system is actually pretty cool, sad that they took it off the new model

1:15 really Ra's theme from Stargate to announce the Beamer.

I have a 2013 Z4 and it is just AMAZING....I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!!

If it was a hardtop instead of a vert then it would be perfect

Would love a BMW like this one but in the hardtop version instead. Since this one is so simple there is less to break and all the fun is still there.

Bought a Z4 M Coupe today. Picking it up a week on Monday. Awesome car, although a bit scared I might end up in a hedge!

Can’t bring myself to sell my Z4M, she’s in storage now, whilst I’m flitting around the uk. 69k miles, every single one of them driving pleasure 👍

such an amazing machine

I think Hammond has a Z4 (probably the 3.0i), and so does Jason Plato

One of Hammond's best reviews =)

I absolutely love the Z4 and the Boxster, annoyingly if I could afford both the Z35is and the Boxster I would be utterly spoiled for choice!

You have to admit. The car's front end looks very... beautiful

As an owner of a BMW 2006 M Roadster, I can endorse everything Richard Hammond had to say re the car. I love it and I have had many BMWs, Mercedes audis, Corvettes etc.

that's everything I want in a new car. No stupid paddle gearbox, a nice 6 speed, a real engine, no power steering. good job bmw

Like how the bit where hammond says "mine I think" is edited in after.. Its raining out the window and yet the drag race is bright sunshine..

Z3 M Coupe and Z4 M Coupe are the best BMW's ever made.

Still own an 04 z4 i3 and I really do still love it

"... the M division do as they please." Yeah, the good old times.

Really? 360p? Well done, BBC, well done.

Z4M foerever

That is the point. It is Forever the sports car. That's what makes them different from the rest. Just like Aston martin, they both make ICONIC and LEGENDARY SPORTS CARS

Great review! I've had my Z4M Coupe for just over 18 months and love it - just feels like a hooligan car to me, which suits me fine.

i own a Z4. its a majestic beast of a car.

From the csl engine ?!? I think that is from regular e46 M3...

I love how hammond goes I didn't expect that. But u can see he did and wants to champion the porsche. Old top gear... Old but gold

I’m in the market for a Z4M found a 2007 with 60k miles for 19k. Worth it or nah?

Z4 is the only car Bangle's influence got right. Would be interesting to see how this review would've been different with better tires than the stock Conti Extreme Contact DW's they llikely tested with. I just put some Dunlop Star Spec Z1's on mine, slightly wider, and the grip is an order of magnitude better. I think BMW compromised a little on the stock tires.

The track from 3:22 is from Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, El Cargo

this z4 looked soooo much better than the new one.

The Z4M is a forgotten gem

My guess is the Porsche as well(will cost more). The S54 engine has been around forever, with the M cpe/rdstr being the last to carry it, so that would likely not cause problems. I got the certified pre-owned, so i pay NOTHING for maintenence for the next 4 years, including brakes, (not tires). Long term reviews rate the Porsche pretty high in reliability though. From what I've read on the forums, people who have tracked their M since '06 haven't complained of anything major. that says alot.

intro music name please? It would be greatly appreciated...

Hammond looks like a high school kid from the 80s that used to fail trying to lift weights to impress girls in gym class

When BMW's were hot and aggressive , now it's just open mouth catfish stapled in the middle.

I had one for three years blu interlagos...i sold it and now i am lookin to buy it once again and mod it hard...on track u need to be very skilled...

I LOVE MY Z4 M

the Heat Unit level on it is so high that just by touching it, you transfer some of the juices. Like he said, when it is used in cooking, they don't actually cut up the pepper, they dab it onto the food to add its flavor.

I love BMW but i prefer the e46 CSL look.. I don't mind that but i still prefer the e46.

the engine in the Z4M is actually from the stock E46 M3. the CSL version has 355bhp. the E46 M3 has 338bhp. though, both cars have the same engine, 3246cc. don't get me wrong though, top gear FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@mercbenzamg63 True, although I must admit that the new 5/7 series look amazing!

driving a tuned old M car is deffintiyl soothing:) i drove my friends new 135i (tuned to 385whp) it was very very quick. but the noise and styling were less than satisfactory IMO. the old M division lives on

With the Boxster, everyone knows what you're driving. With the Z4M it's "WOOOOOOW WHAT IS THAT IT'S SO COOL!". Cause yeah, mine is the ONLY one in the country. Most people don't even know there is a Z4M Roadster. Even petrolheads.

@sup3rcars I would have bought the M roadster in a heart beat, but chose a Boxster S. Best comment I've heard is, "The M roadster is an engine with a chassis, the Boxster S is a chassis with an engine." Both are astounding, drive what you can afford.

the coupe version is 10x more badass

@gaterzick yeah ive seen a couple at work, really beautiful cars, and I love the way they sound in person! people say im too tall for that car but I cant help to love it! and I feel confortable in it!

there are as many M badges as there are exhausts AHAHA

@TENNSUMITSUMA think we got mixed up here, so what i mean is that power steering(its also called servo streering) makes it easyer for you to turn your streering wheel, like with 1 finger, wich means that even at such corners and speed when u shouldnt be able to turn it so easy by hand cuz it will understear(front sliding) u can turn it without a problem with power steering. i wasnt talking about traction control (wich btw just slows you down if you go with insane speed into insane corners)

I drove both cars..... and the BMW z4m is a way better so much so that I bought a z4m coupe.

This Z4 M 3.2 straight six, is the one and only fire 🔥 breather...! I want one..! Got a Z4 2.2i roadster at the moment, great fun, but the Z4 M is a must......👊

as a bmw fan..i have to say the porche looks better than the z4.. even today. Just my humble opinion who can't afford either. :)

I have one of these...and an Alpina Roadster S. I’ve never driven a Boxster but would like to for comparison.

THE DRIP CAR

Well if I can’t get the E46 M3 CSL in the near future has my dream car, this Z4 could be a great alternative with that sublime engine that sounds like a BMW masterpiece.

better than frs boxer engine.

People are insane! All porches are the same looking and boring. The z4 M truly is better looking

I still have my z4m coupe . 11 years already

Out of these two, I would have.......... A 2016 Ford Focus rs.

Oh that sound at 4:33 so awesome

Oh yeah, sure... The Z4 looks better... yeees...

My dad just bought one of these (2003, and the 6-speed 3.0L I6) hope it's a gooder

Did he say the Z4M was better looking?? Buahahahaha