I know when I had first seen this a few years back. I was disappointed also not to see the Z4M not do as well. But many publications and even top gear have agreed that the Z4M is a handful to drive unlike the E46 M3. No doubt the Z4 is an M division car but its not just about raw track times with it. The car is more pure and rough on the edges and needs to be driven like a dog by collar to get it to accomplish a great lap time. It is not very confidence inspiring on track in its stock format. The VIR is a type of track closest to Nurburgring on which a car that provides greater confidence is the one that achieves better lap times. This was evident with the Mustang 5.0 liter V8 vs Lexus IS-F. The Cayman vs Z4M is that classic case. Where Cayman is slower but invokes more confidence thus allowing the driver to extract more. The total weight difference between the Z4M vs 335i coupe that they test was 54 Ibs. So weight wise the cars were close and also power wise as it is well known that N54 is slightly under rated. The difference then comes down to suspension and feel. The bottom line is Z4M is a beast its like a German Dodge Viper. It can be a handful on a track and might not get the best track time. But it will give you the biggest grin.
Anyways here is what they had said plus more back from that article in 2007. You can go read the complete article for yourself at Car&Driver.
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It’s a case of neutral handling over outright speed. Whereas the M coupe had understeer at turn-in that switched to oversteer at the exit, the 335i was nearly perfectly balanced everywhere and made up most of its time in the region between the braking zone and turn apex. The 335i does everything remarkably well, which is why many of us at Car and Driver think it’s the best all-around car in the world
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daemonblitz
These lap times are all over the place, seriously skewed IMHO, too many different variables to take into consideration with each different car tested  .
Therefore i don't think it would be wise to give any serious amount of credibility to them.
The 335 guys must be thrilled with the result the 335 got though  |