BMW M Coupé

	The seats are figure-hugging, while the layout is suitably stylish.

It’s not that the Z4 M Coupé doesn’t look the part. With its long, proud bonnet and bold tail, it can’t be mistaken for anything else. Slip into the cockpit, and the seats are figure-hugging, while the layout is suitably stylish.

Although it’s low, lean and lithe, at 1,465kg the two-seater is a bit porky – heavier than a Lamborghini Gallardo, for instance. If anything, that only serves to make its performance even more impressive. The BMW recorded the sixth-fastest lap time and shot from 0-60mph half-a-second quicker than the claimed figure.

But it performs well only on smooth surfaces. On track, it was a blast – turn-in is crisp, the stiff chassis is very adjustable on the throttle and the 3.2-litre 343bhp engine is a masterpiece.

If your inputs are too abrupt, though, the M Coupé becomes edgy. The suspension is too stiff and not that well controlled, so it’s hard to pick a smooth line through corners. As a result, the steering needs constant correction – but it lacks feedback, so that’s not easy to do.

Take the car down a bumpy British B-road and things deteriorate further as the Z4 fidgets and fights. It’s tiring, not that rewarding and falls short of the Porsche Cayman’s standards.

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