JD Powers owner satisfaction survey placed the Z4 first among sports cars. The Porsche 911 and the Corvette tied for second place. Now the NHTSA finds the Z4 to be the safest among sports cars, and the safest of any production car in roll over tests, As well as being exceedingly safe in overall testing. And apparently, though controversial (less so as time goes on) the car's looks, though a subjective issue, seem to be quite well accepted..... ============================================== BMW's Z4 scores high on safety Posted Monday, October 20, 2003 - 8:09 pm By Jenny Munro BUSINESS WRITER jmunro@greenvillenews.com BMW's Z4 has more than looks going for it. It took top honors in a national rollover test. The Z4, which began production at the Greer plant a year ago, earned five stars for its rollover performance, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That's the highest rating given by the safety agency, and the roadster was the only vehicle to get the mark. In addition, the roadster received a four-star rating in the frontal crash tests and 3 three stars in the side impact rating. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tested the vehicle along with 20 others, ranging from compacts to sports utility vehicles. Safety "is a big priority," said Gordon Kiel, spokesman for BMW of North America. The Z4 is the German company's first roadster to receive a five-star rating from NHTSA, BMW officials said. Bunny Richardson, plant spokeswoman, said the five-star rating is "a testament to the design and manufacturing, but particularly the design," of the car. "BMW cars are known for the balance." BMW designs both active and passive safety elements into the car, she said. Keil said the Z4 is a rigid car with a low center of gravity. In addition, an "extremely rigid" roll bar is behind each seat. The windshield also is rigid, helping protect occupants as long as they are wearing seat belts. "We do actual dynamic rollover tests," he said. "There is a lot of testing done." The company also tests vehicles to meet the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which has more stringent requirements than the federal government in some instances, Kiel said. "We voluntarily meet those tests," he said. The BMW's X5 sports activity vehicle, also produced in the Greer plant, recently underwent NHTSA testing. The vehicle received five-star ratings in the frontal crash and side rear crash tests, four stars in the side driver tests and three stars in the rollover tests. Hennie Chung, Z4 product manager, is pleased with the NHTSA tests and the Z4's earlier top scores in "appeal" to new-vehicle owners. The results were based on the responses of 102,975 new owners. The award is based on design, content, layout and performance of the vehicle. "The Z4 couples the best of BMW's active and passive safety benefits, with technological advancements for outstanding roadster performance," Chung said. NHTSA points out that even a vehicle with a five-star rating has a 10 percent chance of rolling over, especially in a one-car crash. In frontal crash tests, five stars means a vehicle occupant has a 10 percent or less chance of serious injury, four stars is an 11 percent to 20 percent chance and three stars is a 21 percent to 35 percent chance of serious injury. In the side collision crash tests, a five-star rating means a 5 percent or less chance of serious injury, four stars is a 6 percent to 10 percent change, and three stars is 11 percent to 20 percent. Tuesday, October 21 Peace, RS
The writer would have been more accurate had she written "the Z4 was the safest among those few vehicles that were tested." Further, her statement "the roadster was the only vehicle to get the mark." is not completely correct. I think that not all cars have been tested as of yet and at best, the Z4 may be the only roadster to date that has a 5 star rollover rating. In 2003 models, there were many cars that received the same 5 stars, for example, the M-B E-Class. I think she meant to write, "the Z4 was the only roadster to receive the five star rating." Again, not the only roadster in the world, but the only roadster among those few that were tested so far. For example in 2003 models, another roadster, the Honda S2000, received the 5 star rollover rating. I doubt that Honda changed this car in 2004 to make it less rollover prone. The Honda, by the way, beat the Z4 in the all important side crash rating with 5 stars to the Z4's 3 (2003 models). As you can see from the NHTSA web site by simply plugging in any manufacturer, not all roadsters or cars have been subjected to the testing scrutiny: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Search.cfm
This was funny. I only posted to see how long Max, who doesn't stalk me would take to dispute whatever I wrote. Apparently he must have been busy for two whole hours. But as soon as he logged on, well there is nothing more predictable than what happened. Max is 100% consistent. They say nothing is perfect. But here we have an exception. Peace, RS
Jeez, you're a regular Jekyll and Hyde today. "...well there is nothing more predictable than what happened." What did happen RS7? I commented on the contents of the article. Christ, I see no personal attack evident. "...to dispute whatever I wrote." My comments did not dispute what you posted nor even concern you. I think the author (fyi, RS7, that would be Ms. Munro) misstated the facts. Can you dispute that? If so, let's hear it, otherwise get that big chip off your shoulder. "Stalker" indeed.
Looks like Bangle's BMW Z4 design ideas are starting to infect other brands. This one is the upcoming Ferrari 612 Scaglietti:
http://www.velocityjrnl.com/jrnl/2005/vmd9489ov.html I'll smoke anyone in this thing, even that porsche GT thing.
Personally I like the looks of these, but they are not being manufactured yet. They are supposed to list for less than the boxters. http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame.mv?file=car.mv&num=1724 click on the first picture on that page....does that thing look badass or what?
Does look very cool....so does the McClaren MB (should smoke about anything for that kind of dough). Here's a link to an interesting article that discusses the styling of the Z4. I gotta say that while I have read more than a few critical reviews of the styling, my guess is a lot of them had to be written by people who only saw photos. The real life responses I get are 100% favorable. Maybe some people hate it, but the people that verbalize (and there are more than I ever would have imagined) all seem to like it. I've had a lot of cars, but I never had a car that got so many compliments ... Too bad I'm not young and single My son definitely gets better "mileage" driving the thing than I do! He's coming home for Xmas, and has all kinds of plans. (He's too young to drive a rental car, so I guess I'll be driving a Neon or something while he's top-down cruising the beach). http://www.auto123.com/en/info/news/roadtest,view,BMW.spy?artid=18422&pg=1
Bangle made Forbes "10 Best" list: http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/vehicles/2003/12/08/cx_dl_1208feat.html Excerpt: Ten Best Car Designers 2003 Dan Lienert There's more than one guy that people dislike on our list of the Ten Best Car Designers. Take Chris Bangle, BMW's chief of design. At least one petition circulating on the internet asks BMW to fire him, essentially because he ignored the maxim "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and gave BMW a radical new look. Pundits have made his name into a verb; to "Bangle" a design is to mess with it.