The new Z4 (cover story, January 2003) is a dramatic study in style. Admittedly, when I first viewed the new direction of BMW on the 7-series, I cringed, as did most fans. After seeing one in person, my opinion changed quickly, and that’s true of the Z4, although the car still seems a bit disjointed. The lines play well, but it’s difficult to view the car as a whole. Classic roadster proportions with a modern body make the car very long in the nose, and it falls off in the rear-as if they ran out of space and just cut it short and flat. The interior does give the sense of the baby Z8, although the beltline has been dramatically raised, making the interior very cozy. BMW makes some of the finest vehicles in the world, but in might be straining a bit too hard at being everything to everyone. After my test drive, I found that tour comments were right on. But the car is just not as much fun as the Boxster. Don R. Hintson. Indian Rocks Beach, Florida.
The 10 Best
I, like most of your readers, have seen the praise that has been heaped on the new Mazda 6, including a 10Best award (for the Mazda 6s, January 2003), with the lease on my Audi A4 expiring, I decided to check out the 6. After contracting several Mazda dealers, I discovered that only five percent of all Mazda6s will be made with V-6s and manual transmissions. Since Mazda is trying to target German and Japanese performance sedans, what gives?
I know I can walk into my local Audi, BMW, Lexus, etc, dealers and have my choice of five- and six speed manual transmissions, but Mazda has decided to limit the product to a small fraction of its car. Mazda should reevaluate its strategy if it really wants to be serious about the 6 as a performance sedan. Chuck Titone. Denville, New Jersey.
Comments