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Ever since its official launch earlier this year at Detroit Motor Show, the BMW Z4 has been put through numerous comparisons by auto journalists across the globe. From the Z4 vs. Audi, to the Z4 vs. Mercedes SLK or Porsche Boxter, the comparisons focused on performance, design and handling, and in most of them, the new roadster came ahead.

Benny, the editor over at our BimmerToday.de sister blog, decided to step out of the boundaries and try something different: BMW Z4 vs. Porsche Cayman S. To some roadsters purists, this might seem a bit unorthodox since the Cayman S has been said to be king in its own market, but let’s take a look and see if the new BMW Z4 lived up to our expectations:

“Despite the Porsche leaving the sportier impression, the adaptive M-suspension seems to be more refined. The possibility to switch modes is extremely nice in everyday driving and due to the ergonomically positioning of the buttons, you can really switch between the drive modes every minute.

So the Z4 presents itself as a divided personality, because it’s ready for long-distance drives as well as for the sporty driving on country roads. This is where the Porsche can not keep up, because the driving comfort at long-distance travels is not at the level of the Z4.

It remains a mystery why BMW doesn’t give us high-tech features like the Head Up Display, Night Vision and Active Cruise Control, these features would have completed the long-distance capabilities.

In the end, truth is that no matter which car you choose, you won’t make the wrong decision – at long as you know what you want from a car. If you are searching for the sporty car without compromises, the Porsche will do the job better than the Z4 without a doubt. But the larger buyer group will be very satisfied with the Z4 because it offers the best out of the two worlds:

• very good driving dynamics that can be combined with a rather good long-distance comfort, the Z4 is your daily driver and not just a “weekend fling”.
• you can drive to work every day without the lack of comfort you have to live with in the Porsche – and despite that, you can have a lot of fun in the weekend at the touch of a button.

Full review and more photos (translated with Google)

Author: Horatiu B.
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2009/10/27/compa ... -cayman-s/