HEAD VERSUS HEART
Two German sports-car rivals have distinctly different personalities, say Brian Harper and Clayton Seams.
Brian Harper: We have our work cut out for us in the comparison of the 2020 BMW Z4 M40i and Porsche’s ever-improving 2020 Boxster. Comparing the two German rivals fundamentally comes down to whether one prefers horsepower to handling. The BMW holds a distinct advantage under the hood, and the Porsche counters with significantly lighter weight. Then there’s the discussion about the classic front engine, rear-drive layout and long hood, short-deck styling of the Z4, versus the Boxster’s more organic shaped, mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive setup. Thoughts? Clayton Seams: While both cars meet the definition of a sports car, they go about it in very different ways. Let’s start with the newcomer. The BMW Z4 is here in six-cylinder M40i form, and it’s all the internet has been talking about for the past few months. Its turbocharged in-line six makes 382 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, and it’ll do zero to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds. The base price of the
M40i is a relatively sane $76,100.
Then we have the Porsche 718 Boxster. It’s true, the 350hp Boxster S would be a more even match for the Z4, but the S starts at $81,000 — well above the Z4 — and the base 718 starts at $66,100. So, at least in base form, the 718 is less expensive, and its 2.0-L turbocharged flatfour is less potent, at 300 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. The 718 has been with us for several years now, even longer if you count the mostly similar six-cylinder models. But enough of the tech talk. What are these two like on the road?
BH: Brilliant in the case of the Boxster, very good for the Z4. The key difference is not so much about where the engine is placed — both have 50/50 front/ rear weight distribution — as weight. The Boxster is a tight and light 1,365 kilograms, the M40i a much heftier 1,643.
Even with the adaptive M Sport suspension, this makes the Z4 more of a cruiser, a role it plays with panache. Show it a challenging, twisting bit of tarmac and
you feel the car’s weight in the transitions. Additionally, its variable power-assist steering feels artificially heavy at speed, notably in the Sport modes (there are three) and a bit slow to respond. That said, the M40i goes where it’s pointed and will take off like a bottle rocket.
Meanwhile, the 718’s suspension was extensively retuned over the previous-generation model for enhanced cornering performance, including an electric power-steering system adopted from the 911 Turbo. It might not be quite as fast — 4.9 seconds from rest to 100 km/h — but it carries that speed going into the turns and comes out faster, the grip positively limpet-like. And I have to point out that Porsche Active Suspension Management was not one of the options on the tester (the car was kitted out with more than $25,000 worth of add-ons that raised the as-tested price to $91,110). So equipped with the PASM, ride height would have been dropped 10 millimetres. So, what’s your preference?
CS: The cars have very different personalities. The BMW is almost like a muscle car in how it excels in straight-line acceleration and comfortable highway cruising. The Porsche is closer to a true sports car and sacrifices some comfort for handling. I like to think of it this way: The BMW is the better car if one of these two has to be your only car. It’s the better all-rounder, capable of comfy long-distance road trips, faultless city driving, and still able to dance on a back road when summoned.
But if you’re looking for a weekend car and you already have a “regular car,” the Porsche is the one I’d choose. It’s an all-out sports car with all the joy and inconveniences that come with that. It actually has a similar amount of total storage space as the Z4, thanks to its dual trunks, but it is louder, stiffer, and smaller inside. Many have bemoaned the replacement of the traditional flat six with the new turbo-four, but I like the mechanical thrum of the engine — it still sounds like a Porsche. Which one would you grab the keys to, Brian?
BH: Oh, I could easily find room in my driveway for both. The way I look at it, though, is that the Z4 is the “we” car. Put it in Comfort mode and my wife and I could go for a long cruise on a nice road, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells that come with alfresco motoring. The Boxster, on the other hand, is the “me” car — seek out challenging roads and have at it. Five minutes with me getting “enthusiastic” and there would be a sideways stink-eye from the missus, complete with a not-so-veiled warning that she would upchuck in my lap.
Still, the Boxster better meets the definition of sports car. Porsche has a long, outstanding tradition of building cars that delight and reward, and other than lacking the glorious sound of a ripping flat-six — which, if you’re willing to pay the tab, can be had in the new Spyder model — it checks the right boxes. The Z4 M40i has my head, the Boxster 718 my heart.