2005 BMW Z4

Cornering the Roadster Market

Few companies get to corner an entire segment of the market. Leave it to BMW to do it twice in a decade.

by Michael Frank, Forbes.com

Prices

Whether you get the 2.5i or the 3.0i, there are certain features we'd opt for that you should at least consider.

The fully automatic top is a $750 option or comes as part of the $2,900 premium package, which goes for a mere $1,500 on the 3.0i. This deal includes goodies like leather seats, power seats and cruise control. We don't think automatic seats are so necessary, but leather is nice, cruise is handy ... well, you get the idea.

We'd also want the sport package ($1,500 on the 2.5i; $1,200 on the 3.0i). As we said in the Performance section, this adds larger wheels and tires, a sportier suspension and that very nice Sport button for faster throttle response.

Pretty quickly, then, you're looking at a nearly $40,000 Z4 2.5i or a $45,000 Z4 3.0i. That's not cheap, since a loaded Audi TT is smack between those two price points and gives better all-weather performance, if not the fresher face of the Z4.

Cheaper may be the Nissan 350Z convertible, due out this spring. We expect it to run at about $35,000, which to us makes it a must-drive before purchasing the Z4. And besides, that gives you time to wait for more color choices -- only four will be available this winter; the car went on sale last week -- and that SMG transmission. Anyway, a TT, a 350Z convertible or a Z4 would be a darn fine addition to the garage.