"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
07/24/2019 at 21:44 • Filed to: None
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"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
07/24/2019 at 21:44 • Filed to: None | 9
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his past weekend a few wic hitoppos and I went out to LA for a pseudo- bachelor party. I rented a Z4M off of Turo. After driving nearly 400 miles in it and then returning to my FRS in Wichita I can safely say I like the Scion more.
The Z4M is an intriguing car. Relatively lightweight rear wheel drive liftback coupe with the highly praised S54 6 cylinder out of an M3. The engine is certainly the highlight here, with the smoothest power delivery of any car I’ve driven delivering more than sufficient shoves to the back under throttle.
On the amazing winding roads around LA the car handles well enough, but somehow I didn’t leave the weekend feeling all that impressed. While it certainly responds well to steering input, the feel is essentially non-existent. Heavily weighted, but artificially so, reminding me of driving my former S550 Mustangs.
The clutch pedal, unfortunately, also eerily reminiscent of an S550. Unfortunate because the clutch in an S550 is horrible. Heavy, vague, with an awkwardly high release point. The transmission itself didn’t help either, with that typical BMW rubbery feel that takes far more effort than it should to slot into gear.
In the canyons, the car shined. Everywhere else, it squeaked, creaked, and rattled. The ride is, at best, harsh. The cabin dark and lacking any rear or side visibility. I kept thinking the mirror was aimed down but it was simply the awkward straight line cut of the rear window obscuring my view.
While I’m certainly glad to have experienced a rare car, it seems an experience best left in Los Angeles. Hopping in my Scion to go to work this morning was rewarded with a beautifully light clutch and steering that actually communicates where the wheels are. The weight difference is noticeable, the Scion is delightfully light and nimble in comparison to the dense Z4M.
BMW aside, the trip was fantastic. Beautiful weather, wonderful views, and delicious food.
CompactLuxuryFan
> Jayhawk Jake
07/24/2019 at 23:25 |
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How many miles did it have? I’m guessing as a Turo rental it wasn’t exactly factory fresh. The FR-S is still better except for the power .
SPAMBot - Horse Doctor
> Jayhawk Jake
07/24/2019 at 23:52 |
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It was great to meet you all! Glad you enjoyed the drive, even if the car wasn't perfect
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> Jayhawk Jake
07/25/2019 at 09:14 |
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Such a great feeling to drive a legitimately good, well-regarded sports car, and realize you like your car better.
I had a similar experience with an older Porsche Cayman S. Granted, my test-drive didn’t include any fantastic backroads, so I may have felt differently in that case.
I look forward to owning one of the 86 twins one day.
Vicente Esteve
> Jayhawk Jake
07/25/2019 at 10:27 |
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Really surprising and great to hear an unbiased viewpoint on what I think is one of BMWs greats.
I agree, the S54 engine is a masterpiece.
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Jayhawk Jake
> Vicente Esteve
07/25/2019 at 11:19 |
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Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good car, but for being one of the ‘greats’ that’s so often highly regarded I was expecting to be blown away.
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Jayhawk Jake
> CompactLuxuryFan
07/25/2019 at 11:19 |
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74000. Not factory fresh but are any of them really? It’s a 12 year old car no matter how many miles are on it.
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CompactLuxuryFan
> Jayhawk Jake
07/25/2019 at 11:31 |
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Yeah, but it sounds like the clutch is on its way out. A new one would probably take care of your problem with it. BMW Ms have heavy clutches but they’re not known to be awful.
CaptDale - is secretly British
> Jayhawk Jake
07/25/2019 at 14:12 |
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Nice. Wish I had made it
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Vicente Esteve
> Jayhawk Jake
07/25/2019 at 14:55 |
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Yeah I get it. I mean, I still want to confirm that myself.
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Jayhawk Jake
> CompactLuxuryFan
07/25/2019 at 22:07 |
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I don’t know that it was on its way out. It was just heavy and springy.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Jayhawk Jake
08/12/2019 at 11:17 |
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Glad I was able to show you some of the best roads in the area without having to try too hard. Its nice to try out different cars, even if they dont quite measure up to your own car at home. I run into this problem with my Miata. Everything, including rental Versas, are faster in a straight line. But the steering feel is almost never beat.
Its still funny to me that shake shack is a comparison to in n out. That meal right there was definitely greater than $10 (more like $15). Whereas the same burger, fries, and shake at in n out would be ~$8. I will agree that the shake shack fries and shake are better (debatable on the burger part) assuming you ignore the price and time to get food. But those are important factors to ignore! Lol I am not an in n out paid shill I swear.
Anyways, nice to meet you guys and I am happy the trip was enjoyable.