New York Auto Show: BMW

The Z4

BMW has a large showcase at the New York Auto Show. Most of the Bavarian giant's offerings are accessible to the public - save - the premiering Z4 coupé.

Z4 partitioned

I am reminded of the time when I visited a BMW showroom in Vancouver not long after the Z3 roadster debuted in the Bond film Goldeneye.

The polite sales staff explained to me that eventhough I was with a client who was having his own 740i serviced, they could not permit me to sit in the locked roadster due to the fact that someone stole the gear shift knob earlier in the week.

Instead, I was directed to experience the unlocked 750iL (CDN $160K car v. CDN $45K car).

Go figure.

The new Z4 coupé, set in blue, is a visual treat eventhough it is clearly a product on Chris Bangle. The lines seem to work for the hardtop where they did not work for the roadster. This seems to be the inverse of what was true for the old Z3 - it worked as a drop-top only.

The car's lines work here

Other than the two-door, the usual suspects were all there - X3, X5, 5-Series, 6-Series, 750i, 760Li, etc., plus an F1 BMW racer.

Interestingly, BMW also had a previous generation 5-Series on display - as part of their Certified Pre-Owned presentation.

Not just new cars on display

T'was a good looking car that garnered as much of the public's interest as the current 5 managed.

Still looks good.

BMW's showcase was one of the most popular - likely due to the fact that people could touch, sit in, and feel the cars. I was particularly enamored with the 3-Series convertible, less so with the better appointed, but still garrish 6-Series drop top.


Mon favouri

The X5 had curiously beefy door handles - and beefy everything else for that matter. The X3 was well appointed for being a cheaper version of the X5.

No skimping on the details for the X3

On both SUVs (or is SAV to follow BMW sprechen), the panaroma glass rooves were nice details that are easy to appreciate - that Spring fever again.

All in all, my Bavarian experience at the New York Auto Show was satisfying. It is clear that eventhough most of BMW's styling has been compromised, their quality of craftsmanship and materials has not - which is nice to see and feel.