Slick Trade
On the surface, the Z4 sDrive23i looks like a typical watered-down entry-level model. Compared to the sDrive35i, it has no iDrive, its electric seats don’t have adjustments for the lumbar support and its suspension cannot be tweaked on the fly.
There’s less fire under its belly, too. But BMW didn’t just pop up in a smaller engine than the one in the 35i. The naturally aspirated 2.5-litre engine in question has been tuned to make 204bhp instead of the full 218bhp when applied to the 325i. But for a car that’s chasing after the crowd attracted to the Merc SLK200, BMW is still offering a lot – both in terms of power and equipment level. There’s real substance to be more than a Z4 for cheap (it’s relative). The 23i uses a conventional 6-speed automatic instead of the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) in the 35i. If nothing else, the automatic is proof that you don’t need the newfangled DCT to have fun. +Continue Reading
