2.2 or more

[STOPGO]

Hi
2 questions from an about to be Z4 owner.
Are 2.2 owners happy with their purchase? Or do I hold out for a 2.5i or 3.0i

Also apart from resale is leather required? Cloth should be warmer in winter and cooler in summer yes?

many thanks

SG

[bennno]

buy a slightly higher mileage 3.0L for the same price, much better car

will be increasingly falling in value as the new factor wears off so hold off for 3 months if required - feb is normally good time for cab deal

bennno

[ciao1]

If I were you I'd wait it out and get the 3.0.

Had mine two and a half years and it is a fantastic car, well worth the extra, you'll also get more toys for your money i.e. xenons, leather, electric seats and the sports button.

I'd definitly recommend the leather especially with the hated option, great on cooler days!
Just my 2p though....

[STOPGO]

OK thanks for your replies. Since posting I test drove a 3.0 (this afternoon). Plenty of poke!! The sport button really helped to cut down on the tramling too.
Regards
StopGo

[coopers]

oh a thread i can contribute too!!

well, i love my 2.5 brillaint engine, I wasnt to sure whether i really wanted a 3.0 and so was happy enough to go for the 2.5, probably would of enjoyed the extra power but not the extra fuel consumption.

Saying that i cant believe mines so good!! i was expecting low 30's like 30.1 lol but i've been getting 35 mpg

If i was you wait and get the larger engine size, saying that isnt the 2.0 and 2.2 block lighter and so gives you maybe better performance apposed to the 2.5?

Oh and try and get a Z4 with the sport button, defintly get leather and possibly heated

[roop]

The Mrs has got a 2.2SE and as well of this I drove a 3.0. Bigger engine is quicker, no doubt but the 2.2 is the most delightful sounding and sweet motor. 2.2 Is not as fast as my CTR though. Ride is utterly apalling in all of them - buy dental insurance and get on first name terms with an osteopath because the first time you hit a cats eye, your arse gets rammed through your neck and all your teeth break...!

Other than that, nice motah

[Andrew D]

coopers said:

If i was you wait and get the larger engine size, saying that isnt the 2.0 and 2.2 block lighter and so gives you maybe better performance apposed to the 2.5?

The 2.5i and 3.0i share the same block, with the 3.0i having a longer stroke. The 2.2i is from the same family (Type M54) but has it's own geometry and is lighter. The 2.0i is a straight-four (Type N46) and is significantly lighter.

The 3.0i has plenty of stonk, but it's generally too much to use except in ideal conditions. It comes with a lot of nice options as standard, but all that means is that you don't need to shop around as much to get the kit you want on the used market.

The 2.2i is an excellent motor, and perhaps the most suited to the car, being a small capacity high-revver with a wonderful soundtrack. On the open road it would probably need wringing out a bit to maintain progress at very high speeds, but otherwise performance will be more than adequate. The only drawback of the car when compared to the larger motors is the lack of the Sport button. However this is probably due to the fact that, being front-mid-engined and torquey, the bigger sixes would just light up the tyres all the time if they didn't have "non-Sport mode" to blunt the throttle most of the time. The 2.2i has less grunt and thus the throttle is probably on the equivalent of "Sport" setting as standard. The Sport steering is useful, but I suspect the setup in the 2.2i is a halfway house between "Sport" and "non-Sport" in the 2.5i and 3.0i.

It's worth noting when reviewing the used market that, whilst it may seem that the 2.2i's are comparable on price to the bigger sixes, the 2.2i's are generally newer cars as they weren't available from launch.

[stopgo]

Hi Guys

More info - very useful.

Well I made my decision - (very quick for me) and am picking up a 2.2 at the Weekend.

The 3.0 I drove was just too stiff for me, and for the kind of back roads I will be using, there is just not enough room to really make use of the power in the 3.0 (I currently have a 330i) - a point well made by AndrewD above. And since the roads round here really are utter rubbish I got one with big fluffy tires too.

I hope the lighter less powerful engine suits the character of the car - more MX5 than Cobra for me I'm afraid, and hopefully then my wife will use it more..

Edit: Oh yeah, I hope the lighter engine helps on corners (minus the tires of course) and braking. I think the only thing I will miss will be 6 gears - still, every silver lining has a cloud.

Anyway I will post back when I've had chance to play

SG

Edited by stopgo on Thursday 7th December 21:58

[mustard]

Cant comment on engines in Z4's in particular, but I can in relation to E46 3 series

2.2 27mpg Lovely & Smooth, revs very smoothly, but not a great deal happens (you soon find yourself boucing off the rev limiter with not that much progress made

2.5 29mpg Much more muscular

3.0 29mpg Less noticable performance difference than 2.5 over 2.2, but the extra oomph comes at no mpg expense

[gwatson]

"The 3.0 I drove was just too stiff for me"

Change the tyres to Non Run Flat (Goodyear F1's recommended)as many of us owners have done, ride will be much much improved.

Oh and I test drove the 2.2, 2.5 and 3.0, obviously I went for the 3.0 But I think I would take the 2.2 over the 2.5, 2.5 just seems an oddball.

G

[rassi]

STOPGO said:

The sport button really helped to cut down on the tramling too.

How would the sport button influence tramlining? Only changes the engine mapping and power-steering assistance.

[wrighty78]

rassi said:

STOPGO said:

The sport button really helped to cut down on the tramling too.

How would the sport button influence tramlining? Only changes the engine mapping and power-steering assistance.

I think you've answered your own question. By firming up the power-steering it gives the impression of heavier steering, which is less twitchy and less prone to being sucked into the tramlines.

Perhaps not a very convincing explanation, but it really does work.