M3Addict.com

2006 BMW M Roadster

Today I went out for a spin in an Imola Red 2006 BMW M Roadster. This is the model based on the Z4 Chassis, with the S54B32 Engine - the same silky smooth 8,000 RPM inline-6 cylinder engine that is in my e46 M3. I have to say that BMW has done a great job improving the fit and finish of their interiors. They have always been nice - don’t get me wrong - but the interior components in the new M Roadster just felt a cut above their past interiors. Black Nappa leather and Light Poplar wood trim adorned the interior and the soft leather-wrapped steering wheel felt fantastic in my hands. It’s so thick it made the already thick steering wheel from my M3 feel skinny. It was a sunny day, so the top had to come down. The cloth top came down with ease and didn’t take more than a few seconds. A turn of the key ignited the engine with which I am so familiar. That delicious silky purr filled my ears while the heated seats wrapped a warm blanked around me. I slowly backed out from the BMW lot and took to the street.

Interior: As I mentioned above, the fit and finish in the M Roadster has been improved over previous models and even over my e46 M3. Everything felt solid, the buttons are new, and the leather was soft and supple. I must say that I did notice mostly flat pieces of wood trim on the interior - something that seemed to be a pretty obvious cost reduction. The dials were classic roadster dials, with speedometer on the left and tach on the right - super simple, no frills - this car is about driving. Window controls have been moved from traditional center console location to the door handles, which I think is okay, but was slightly confusing at first. One thing I really like about this M Roadster versus the Z3 based Roadster is the addition of the amber map-lights. To me, these are a must if you’re buying a BMW and although I really respected the simplistic nature of the old M Roadsters, I probably would be driving one today instead of the M3 if it only had the map lights!

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Steering & Feel: As I got out onto the road in the M Roadster the first thing I noticed was a more forgiving suspension than in my M3 - this also translated into a more muted driving experience via the hands. I’m not entirely sure if it’s suspension related or more of a factor of the thick steering wheel with perhaps some extra padding, but I definitely wasn’t feeling the details in road texture the way one would expect from a Roadster. Otherwise, the steering was great. A nice solid feel - very calm and predictable. Although it was quite direct, it was a little tricky to get used to the turn-in because of the long hood sweeping out in front of me - making it hard to see and hit the apex of each corner. Once I got used to it though, it was an awful lot of fun in the esses.

Performance: Acceleration of the M Roadster was almost identical to that of my M3. Being 3,277 lbs, it’s just about the same weight too - even though there’s significantly less car there. The engine revved up to the 8,000 RPM red-line just as readily as in my M3. I love this engine because of how eager it is for speed and performance. First gear was ripped through within just a couple of seconds, a quick short shift to second gear and 60 mph was had in just under 5 seconds. Into third gear and I was approaching jail-time speeds. Definitely a blast with the top down. The nice thing is though, you don’t always have to be driving like you’re on roids - you can drive it very comfortably at city street speeds, but put the sport mode on and never let the revs below 3,500 and the thing is like the Baskersville Beast, menacing and angry with a ferocious snarl at the exhaust pipe.

The suspension is indeed softer than in my M3 which makes it more comfortable to drive around town - which is what I suspect most people will be doing with this car. But it does compromise performance in the corners a bit. The body roll was noticable even without pushing the limits. This also made it a little tough to hit the apex of the corners consistently. As compared to the old M Roadster, this new one is sort of the equivalent of the e92 M3 compared to the e46 M3 - unfortunately you can feel the racing heritage being bred out of these beauties. A bit heavier, a bit more numb, and a bit more targeted to the Broadmore silver haired customers who are more interested in taking their wives out for a relaxed drive to the market than taking it into the mountains and destroying the corners. I was a bit sad actually, as the 2001 M Roadster that I drove was firmly connected to the road.

[View with PicLens]

Vehicle Specs:

M3 Addict Test Drives BMW, M Roadster, S54B32