1997 BMW Z3 Sports Car Review & Performance

widened rear track that go with the 2.8 version lend an even more purposeful

look to this car's classic good looks. And with the $1000 optional 17-inch

wheel/tire package--P225/45ZR, P245/40ZR rear--the Z3 2.8 looks as brawny

as a small scale Cobra.

That's serious rubber, prescribed to handle the extra thrust of the

bigger engine, and it adds up to lots of grip and substantially higher

cornering capabilities than the standard Z3, which is no slouch itself.

The essential difference between the basic Z3 1.9 and the 2.8, of course,

lies under its long, sculpted hood. The engine is the same aluminum six

used in the 328i coupe and sedan--twin overhead cams and four valves per

cylinder. An inline six is still the best configuration for quelling primary

vibrations--which is why BMW sticks with this design in an age of V6 engines--and

the 2.8 is an outstanding representative of this time-honored tradition.

It's ultra-smooth at all operating speeds, and it also generates gobs of

torque--203 lb.-ft. at 3950 rpm, 70 lb.-ft. more than the 1.9-liter engine.

That's really more important than horsepower, because torque is the

low-down grunt that most of us drive most of the time, whether we're making

a stoplight launch or a fifth-gear pass on a two-lane highway. The Z3

2.8 is very good at the former--0-to-60 mph takes just over six seconds--and

outstanding at the latter. Rowing up and down in the excellent Getrag five-speed

transmission is part of the driving fun, but the engine's torque band is

so broad that fifth gear can cover a wide range of urban and suburban driving.

The gear ratios for the 2.8 differ substantially from the 1.9, of course,

to match its power characteristics. If you must, a four-speed automatic

is available with either engine for $975. The automatic operates in three

modes--normal, sport, which raises shift points for better acceleration,

and winter, which starts the car off in second gear to enhance the traction

control system (standard) in slippery going.

BMW did a good job of stuffing the 2.8's extra pair of cylinders under

the hood without making a significant change in weight distribution, which

is about 52/48 front/rear, a key element in the Z3's exceptional handling

response. However, the six-cylinder version is a little wider, to accommodate

its extra 2.5 inches of rear track. And as you'd expect, more engine means

more mass--143 pounds, to be precise. There's also a fuel economy price.

The 1.9 is rated 23/31 mpg city/hwy with the standard transmission, while

the 2.8 is 19/27.

More mass and more go requires better stopping power, which the 2.8

supplies with disc brakes all around. They're the same generous diameter

as the 1.9, but the 2.8's front rotors are vented for better fade resistance.

that impressed us most about the original Z3 was its ride quality. Like

all of BMW's recent offerings, it managed to blend sports car reflexes

with a supple ride that took the harshness out of small potholes and pavement

patches.

Our Z3 2.8 tester exhibited this same quality, but with a slightly harder

edge. The suspension components are tuned a click or so tighter, and the

whole setup feels a bit firmer underfoot.

But if the 2.8 doesn't smooth out the road quite as well as its milder-mannered

stablemate, it will perform feats on a skidpad, slalom course or winding

road that the 1.9 can't match. It sticks better in hard turns, with a shade

less body roll in quick transitions, and its brakes seem virtually immune

to fade, no matter how hard or how often they're applied. The stopping

power that went with the upgrade wheel/tire package on our test car was

nothing short of raceworthy, even when we found ourselves approaching corners

at an eye-widening pace.

There's no question that the 2.8-liter engine makes this a much more

entertaining sports car. In addition to its extra punch, it even sounds

more authoritative, thanks in part to its dual outlet exhaust system.