2001 BMW Z3 Roadster 3.0i Sport

The interior motif is leather and chrome. The Sport Package includes sport seats (heating is optional), and a Harmon Kardon stereo system is standard on the 3.0i Roadster.

Our test car arrived with all of those options, and we were glad it did. First, we used those heated seats to keep us warm in icy mountain air, and then we used the power top when it started to rain as we headed back to the city. Such comfort and convenience are nice, but the heart of any enthusiast car is its engine, and the M54 is just as good as you might expect. It has been credited with transforming the 3 Series sedan into an M3-like "wündercar," so you can imagine what it can do in a sports-car chassis.


The engine is an inherently balanced straight-six with reduced internal friction, improved double-VANOS (variable camshaft adjustment) technology, new intake and exhaust manifolds and an electric throttle borrowed from BMW's V-12 powerplant. In addition to producing 225 horsepower and 214 lb.-ft. of torque (with 90 percent of that torque available from 1,500 rpm), the M54 returns 21 mpg in town and 28 on the highway, and qualifies the Z3 as a ULEV (an ultra-low emission vehicle). You can have fun and be environmentally friendly all at the same time. And this car is fun to drive.


We took it up into the mountains to wind our way along twisting two-lanes. We weren't pushing too hard, just enjoying the drive, running along at around 3,500 rpm in third gear, just enough to see how good the car is without pushing the adhesive limits of its Dunlop SP Sport 8080 E tires.

The 2001 3.0i Roadster is distinguished by its body-colored mesh grille up front. Wheels are now 17-inch across the Z3 line-up, and the Sport Package substitutes cross-spoke composite rims for the standard radial-spokers.

We really weren't surprised at what the car could do, though we were delighted by the expanded capabilities that come with the new powertrain, brakes and tires. We also were impressed by how quiet and comfortable the Z3 3.0i was on the Interstate that got us to and from the mountains. This is a roadster you can drive daily, though its small trunk would mean packing very carefully for a long vacation drive, and you'd have to ship home any souvenirs you might buy along the way.