Performance

Engineers have dutifully managed to stuff the 3.2-liter, 24-valve, DOHC inline six-cylinder engine from the old M3 into the new M Roadster, and in this application it produces 330 horses and 262 lb.-ft. of torque. Power is run through a tight six-speed manual transmission (no paddle shifters here) with power activated by an old fashioned clutch – you know, that thing you used to use your left foot for. Thankfully, BMW has kept with traditional footwork instead of fitting the M Roadster with the SMG system found on the M3. One annoyance on our test car was a driveline clunk that could be replicated at will and cheapened the experience of driving the M Roadster. However, what's confounding is that for all the extra cash the M Roadster demands, it's only .7 seconds faster to 60 mph than the standard Z4 with 255 horsepower. A bit more bang for the buck would have been nice.