Flashback Fridays: 2006 BMW M Roadster

Story by John LeBlanc If you think selling umbrellas in Vancouver or bottled water in the Sahara are easy business decisions, think about the BMW product planner who came up with the idea for the new M Roadster: “Let’s see now. How about we take all the juiciest parts from our highly regarded M3 Coupe (that would be the engine and the suspension, OK?) and stuff them into our sexy yet underpowered Z4 Roadster. Waddaya think?” Er, seems like a no-brainer to me. The updated-for-2006 rear-drive Z4s come with 3.0-litre versions of BMW’s already sweet, straight-six-cylinder engines — the most powerful iteration making 255 horsepower. They are nice cars to drive. Really. But if you think the words "nice" and "cars" don’t belong in the same sentence, then you’ll agree that the decision to stuff the M3′s demonic DOHC, 3.2L straight-six into the formerly genteel Z4 Roadster is a way better idea than the pairing of The Captain with Tennille. Compared with the donour M3′s powerplant, horsepower is down in the M Roadster’s mill by three, to 330, caused by the more restrictive exhaust plumbing due to the Z4′s smaller size. Don’t worry — you won't miss the three horses. After firing up the M Roadster for the first time, within half a block, it becomes obvious that what this car’s all about is heavily thrumming between its front wheels. Beyond the M Roadster’s inherent configuration that has you sitting virtually on its rear axle, looking over the hood like Ben Hur admiring his steeds, the engine’s race car-like mechanical whine is louder and prouder than in the M3. The maximum 262 pound-feet of torque available at 4,900 rpm delivers instant acceleration — whenever, wherever. According to BMW’s numbers, the lighter-by-99-kilograms M Roadster, at an even five seconds, is quicker accelerating to 100 kilometres an hour than the M3 by 0.2 seconds. No-brainer Number Two has to be the swapping out of the Z4′s suspension — shocks, springs and anti-sway bars — with a firmer setup that’s comparable to what’s found under the M3 Competition Package. In addition to BMW’s Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), the M Roadster gains stronger wheel bearings and heavier subframes to incorporate BMW’s variable differential lock. BMW M’s high-performance brake system — developed first for the European market-only M3 CSL –means the M Roadster’s stopping measures are equal to its acceleration powers. Despite all of this nifty M hard- and software, given the right conditions (i.e., turning the DSC off on a dry back road), the M Roadster can be slid around corners, but the car’s first inclination is to understeer. Once the new M differential engages, power oversteer can be found smoothly through the judicious use of your right foot. It might be a tick slower, but one area where the donour M3 still has the upper hand over its two-seat sibling is in the steering department. Where lesser Z4s make do with the standard electronic steering setup, the M Roadster reverts to a more traditional hydraulic system. Turn-in is instantaneous with precision, and feedback is more consistent than the previous Z4′s. But compared with the near-perfect helm of the M3, there’s still too much weight, making you pitch the M Roadster into tight corners with needed aggression. The steering seems to be the only fly in the M Roadster’s driving ointment because, overall, body roll is negligible. Tying together a series of switchbacks comes with ease. Although there’s less wheel travel than in the M3, resulting in a very busy ride quality on roads that haven’t seen a paving crew since last fall, the M Roadster is way less skittish than the Z4 when its mettle is being tested. Some of the credit should go to the Continental ContiSportContacts instead of the harder compound run-flats Z4s wear. Just in case you were wondering, you’d better know what the M Roadster’s third pedal on the left is for. As the sole transmission choice is a short-throw, six-speed manual gearbox. Inside the M Roadster, you’ll find M badges sprinkled on the speedometre, tachometre, steering wheel, gearshift lever knob and door sills. As with the regular Z4, the driving position is excellent. My only gripe is that the diameter of BMW’s M steering wheels tend to be almost too thick to grip with ease. OK, it may have been an effortless exercise to create the M Roadster. I mean, how many focus groups did the Bavarian company need to green-light this puppy? The bonus is a car that appeals for its raw and dramatic driving characteristics. If anything, with the next-generation M3 moving to a V8, in the new M Roadster, the world-class six has a home in the near term. I’m not sure the new M Roadster betters the on-road capabilities of the benchmark Porsche Boxster S. But the BMW demands a driver of higher skill, which, for some, is a challenge worth taking on. And like a condom kiosk in Ft. Lauderdale during March break, creating the new M Roadster is a no-lose business proposition. Whoever came up with the idea back at BMW HQ in Munich can take the rest of the year off. Road Test: 2006 BMW M Roadster THE SPECS TYPE OF VEHICLE Rear-wheel-drive roadster ENGINE 3.2L DOHC in-line six POWER 330 hp @ 7,900 rpm; 262 lb-ft of torque @ 4,900 rpm TRANSMISSION Six-speed manual BRAKES Four-wheel disc with ABS PRICE: BASE/AS TESTED $69,900/$72,800 FUEL ECONOMY L/100 km 14.6 city, 8.9 hwy. STANDARD FEATURES Xenon headlights, M multi-function steering wheel, heated M sport seats, Nappa leather upholstery, tilt/ telescopic steering wheel, HiFi 10-speaker sound system, in-dash CD/MP3 player OPTIONS AS TESTED Premium package includes: power folding mirrors, wind deflector, (stores on inside of trunk lid), auto dimming mirrors, electric seats w/driver memory, HiFi sound system with digital signal processing ($2,900)

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