Spending some time reviewing the E89 Z4 last week ended up being less of a thrill than I expected. While not quite a dud, the car’s looks might be writing some checks that the driving experience can’t really make good on. Something I did appreciate was just how different the car was from the current Z4. Indeed, whether you’re a fan of BMW’s current design language or not, driving a car from 2011 is quite a journey through time. Here are some of the highlights from the personality-packed 2011 Z4 sDrive35i.
Sweet and Sour Paint and Interior Details
Go a shade too dark of “Arrest-Me Exotic” and three shades lighter than “Mid-Life Crisis” to find the yellow paint that my loaned Z4 wears: Atacama Yellow. The color was only available with the limited-run Exclusive Citrus Yellow Package. It also came with matching Alcantara inserts on the dash and door cards. Yellow stitching is visible on the seats. It’s yellow. That’s fun. Hey, it’s better than more recent and confusing atrocities like the X2 Edition GoldPlay or the truly tasteless X5 and X6 Black Vermillion Editions.
Z4 Gauge Surrounds
One thing missing from the newest Z4 models is these interesting gauge surrounds. For some reason, every Z4 prior had a gauge cluster that looked like it had visors over the gauges. The gauges themselves are identical to what you would find in any other BMW of the time. To my knowledge, there’s no particular reason BMW opted for this design choice. Although it’s mentioned as a ‘traditional twin visor display’ in a press release from 2003, there isn’t anything past that. I liked them more here than in the last E85 Z4 I drove, but I’m not really sure why. And I think the visors would’ve been a cool homage if they had been included in the G29 Z4. You know, for tradition.
Climate Controls
Another traditional feature that was ditched on new Z4 models is the unique climate control switches and knobs that this Z4 sports. You won’t find these neat dials anywhere else in the BMW lineup, and the E89’s predecessor had similarly funky gear. The model’s forerunner, the Z3, famously sported unique gauges in the center console. I view this as a natural evolution. The closest parallel I can draw is the limited-run single-zone climate control system available in the rare Performance Edition F87 M2 models in 2017.
Paddle Shifters
These awkward paddle shifters are a staple of early-to-mid-2000s BMW automatic vehicles, and they haven’t aged well. Which is saying something because nobody especially liked them in the first place. You can downshift or upshift with either paddle by pushing or pulling one, respectively. These are even more interesting when considering that BMW successfully made ‘regular’ paddles with SMG-equipped cars for half a decade before these units were introduced. The paddle design was later changed to reflect the logical ‘left-down, right-up’ format we know today.
While the Z4 isn’t my favorite BMW ever made, uniqueness goes a long way. As OEMs cut costs and streamline production by way of cheapening and homogenizing interiors across their models, quirky details like the ones the Z4 touts are easier to appreciate than ever. Perhaps gone and never coming back, but who knows? Maybe BMW’s designers will find it in their hearts – and budgets – to slide in some more model-specific details in the future.
