Well after having both thought you might find some comparisons interesting for your usless info file.

Both cars can close the tops with the key in the door and holding lock. The MINI will sometimes put the top down from the outside with the remote. The Z put top down with to key in the lock and holding on open.

Both cars will lock and unlock with the remote from further away if you hold the key to your face. It really works!

The Z is a lot stronger in a straight line for sure.

The MINI seems glued to the road ,the Z seems to dance a little but go where you want it.

The MINI has strong limits. Still exploring the Z limits but the MINI seems to have higher limits.

The MINI would exhibit some body flex on a certain up hill, 270 degree right hand turn with a left lean, the Z shows no flex.

The seats and air conditioning in the Z are what I need, the MINI just didn't get there.

The insurance on the Z is only $46 a year more than the MINI.

Gas miliage on the Z is about 2 mpg better in town and 3 better on the road than the MINI. That's hard to believe!

There were a lot more opportunities in the MINI to show folks that Coopers were not to be messed with.

Both cars draw about the same number of compliments. Everyone seemed to like the MINI unless it was on the road and then everyone wanted to pass it or tail gate it. They don't seem to bother with the Z.

The MINI let you know it had 17" sport wheels and tires. The Z pretty much covers up the 18" sport wheels and tires till you put them to use.

The Z is comfortable and fun to drive around local and on trips. The MINI was not comfortable for me on long trips, but was a blast to drive local.

The MINI actually has more usable space for stuff on the inside. The Z has real trunk space. I brought a bar b que grill home in the MINI, no chance in the Z.

Both cars are really nice cars, fun. The Z has the comfort I need. I miss the MINI already!

 

Funny, I went the other way - from a 2003 Z4 3.0i with sport package & SMG to the 2006 MCSC. And it actually costs me more to insure the MINI. But like you I found that the Z4's gas mileage was equal to or better than the MINIs most of the time.

Maybe it's because the car is still new to you, or just different preferences, but in the long run I found it a lot LESS comfortable than the MINI. The Z4's suspension is so firm and unforgiving. I loved it mind you, it handled better than anything I've ever driven. But for the 3 or 4 months I had both cars to pick from, I usually opted for the MINI. The MINI felt a lot lighter.

I did love sliding the rear of the Z4 around corners. Didn't even have to turn DSC off to get it to do that, but it was there in case you went too far. And the perfect weight balance... rigid frame, calm interior with the top down... and SMG was simply awesome, I still am annoyed that BMW seems to be giving up on SMG (no longer available in the new Z4s or 3s) and doesn't have a replacement for it yet to compete with VW's DSG.

Anyway, the Z4 is a fantastic car, enjoy it. Just watch that front end - it's easy to scrape up the bottom.

 

That is another point, I can pull out right or left in a hurry and not have the engine go flat on me. It's not that the MINI rode rough, it's that the seats didn't get it for me. My girl friend wouldn't even ride in it from Norfolk to Richmond. She likes driving the Z on the same trip, even with the top down. Go figure!

 

With the Z4 in the sport mode, it has a great burble, just like the MINI did!

 

I actually had my eye on a Z4 as well, but after my husband got his MINI
this year, I was hooked! I had to get my own! I love it and I have no regrets. Also, the price - a big difference - at least $10 -15k (last I checked).

 

You do get quite a bit for that extra cash though. Depending on how crazy you go with mods, it's not hard to get a loaded MINI up to Z4 prices, but still not have quite the same performance or handling or refinement. Plus I still have more faith in the Z4's long term durability than the MINI (despite having had a first year Z4 which was a bit buggy).

I do love the MINI. But I sometimes do feel it's much more expensive (especially a loaded cabrio) than it should be.

 

Z4's rock

But I can't fit my two kids in the back of one.

Soooo.... if four seats is a requirement, the MCSC is the only game in town IMHO.

(but I'd LOVE to have a two-seater 10 more years down the road maybe)

 

+1 --- otherwise I'd be in an S2000 right now.
On a side note, edmunds reports today that the upcoming Z4 may be getting a retractable hardtop. That should help give it a boost in sales(though I prefer the soft tops 'cause cabrios already have enough weight and space handicaps)

 

The MINI is actually easier to drive down the road quickly, it just kind of stays planted where you put it. The Z is prone to dance a little bit, you need to be driving it, not riding along. The MINI is the one that really got the compliments. The key opener to the cheek also works with this car.

 

The Z4 does tend to tramline depending on your tires... it follows the groves and patterns in the road. But I found you can avoid this by watching your tire pressure. BMW's recommended tire pressure for the Z4 is rather low (like it is for all their cars). Experiment by going up a few pounds (especially the front tires) and you should find a sweet spot that gives you better handling and almost no tramlining without losing a whole lot of comfort. I could always tell when my tires needed some air because I'd start to feel it tramline.

 

Amen to that, your advise is well taken, I need to get it up a little higher yet. After the MINI being on rails, the tramline is noticable. But when you set it in a corner, you wonder where the handing came from all of a sudden. I'm still exploring it's handling.

It always aggravated me that the MINI would cut back when you were pulling out hard or in a hard 1st to 2nd shift. The Z4 doesn't exhibit any of this. If BMW can do it with this car, they should be able to do it for the MINI.

 

of course, we are comparing a rear-wheel drive to a front-wheel drive -- which is going to handle differently in those situations

 

Fair enough, I guess the weight in the Z is on the drive wheels in those particular situations.

 

I think you should have both. That way, you can let your mood decide which to drive.

 

I got a lot more comliments on the MINI than the Z, wonder if it is because the MINI is a better looking car. The Z is kind of like a red headed step child, it has to be yours in order to like the way it looks.

I miss the lighted red line on the tach that the MINI has that the Z doesn't.

 

I'm not sure I agree that the MINI is better looking. Many of my friends actually think the MINI is goofy looking! It did take me a while to get used to the Z4, but now I think the design is fantastic... so unique and modern and strong with retro heritage. So many details that you don't really notice until you really study it.

I get lots of "cute" comments about the MINI, but I got more comments on the Z4, mostly from real car buffs.

They are just 2 different looks. The Z4 is beautiful in the way that a modern Ferrari is; the MINI is beautiful in the way that classic (mostly British) cars used to be. The Z4 is sexy while the MINI is handsome or cute.

And you can get a Z4 with the lighted red line on the tach -- it's in the Z4M/M Roadster. Hehe. Although it's actually functional in the M cars; some of the lights go off as the car warms up, indicating when it's "safe" to hit those higher RPMs.

 

The Z really doesn't get much fanfare in the performance arena. It is probably the sleeper in the performance department, sub 5 second 0-60 for the M's, even the Si has a 5.1 sec 0-60. The handling doesn't feel as confidenet as the MINI, but the times posted in most auto magazine are pretty stout.

 

I sold my M Roadster last spring & bought a Cooper S Conv. The Mini is so much more fun to drive. The kids love the car.

 

I dumped my Z4 last year and got the MINI instead. I found the Z claustrophobic and uncomfortable to sit in and I am not a big person. It was also a little flashy for where I was moving (ever see the video of the guy and the gun and the truck full of rednecks?). I get no grief driving around in my Nascar (yeah right wink wink) inspired checkered extravaganza Orange Mini and get the nicest comments and waves from the most unlikely people. I think the Z4 would have gotten my the wrong kind of attention but I just did not like it enough to keep it. No regrets! Love my X3 though! ;o)

 

LMFAO!...I love the Z4, but PLEASE. A Ferrari would be the LAST comparison i'd make. They have classic, smooth lines that are simple and timeless...the Z4 is very post-modern and artsy. It does look great though. I considered it prior to buying my mcs. If they make the next one a bit bigger and include a retractible hardtop i'd prob get one. Being 20 i can deal with a 2 seater, haha.

 

To each his own I guess, but the comparison is what springs to my mind. I'm not sure Ferraris are timeless. A lot of them to me look very dated too quickly.

I've also heard that the next Z4 will be bigger - which is a surprise, because I previously heard it'd be smaller. I'm not sure why we need a bigger Z4. Maybe having both a Z4 and a Z6 would be nice - a smallish Z4 for the sporty folks (like an M3) and a bigger Z6 for the cruiser type (like the M5 or M6). Like Mercedes' SLK and SL.

I almost went for the new SLK to replace my Z4, I liked the hard top - and they did it well, a separate battery for the top! But it just didn't feel as sporty as the Z4. Plus some of the interior bits of the SLK were surprisingly cheap.

 

The SLK has a problem that the Z4 doesn't. The windshield is really tapered in at the top compared to the bottom. The wind whips around the pillar and hit me in the side of the head blowing my hair sideways. The Z4 and MINI neither one do that.

SPICYORANGEMINI, that is strange about cars and bodies, you found the MINI comfortable, I found it extremely uncomfortable, my sweetie refused to ride in it anymore. You found the Z uncomfortable, it find it very comfortable.

But one thing to agree with most comments, the MINI is tied to the road when you are flying down it. The Z feels like it is dancing on the road until it settles it and then if feels stronger than the MINI. Wish I could put the best of both togeather.

 

Hi, Of course not all cars are all things to all people hence the various choices we are fortunate to choose from! Backing up a little more, before the Z4 I had a 99 SLK 230. I loooooooooved that car. It was pared down, handled like a dream and was an eyecatcher. It was my dream car since I was a little girl and my friend's mom had a roadster. The only reason I gave it up (rest her little soul) is because I closed the roof when it was wet and all sorts of problems incurred from there. KA-CHING!!! I still tear up when I see one out there and wonder is that her? Anyhoo...long story short. MINI has lessened my heartbreak quite a bit and I am sure down the road, hopefully a long while from now, I will have the same fond memories of him. I would also like to extend my condolences to fellow MINI enthusiast/Hot Orange NANO Mini on his terrible mishap and fate! Glad no one was hurt. Nighty!