Victoria's BMW Cars

BMW Z4 and X6

The BMW Z4 is a rear-wheel drive vehicle, introduced in 2002. The year of its debut, the Z4 won Automobile Magazine's Design of the Year Award. At that time, it was available as a roadster or a coupe. As of 2009, it is only available as a retractable hard-top convertible roadster. In 2009, the Z4 won the Red Dot Design Award. This award is given in Germany to honor quality and trendsetters.

Standard features on the Z4 are many; a few include rain sensing windshield wipers, 6-speed manual transmission, front side and knee airbags in addition to standard airbags, and steering wheel audio controls.

The Z4 has enjoyed a high resale value, making the purchase of a used Z4 a little more expensive than other comparable cars, but if a car buyer is seeking to purchase a BMW, whether for the style or the reputation, but is not able to afford a brand new car, a second hand BMW Z4 might be exactly the right investment.

The BMW X6 was introduced in the second quarter of 2008. Just as BMW dubbed the X5 and X3's as Sports Activity Vehicles instead of Sports Utility Vehicles, the manufacturer is touting the X6 as a Sports Activity Coupe. The X6 is the only Sports Activity Vehicle BMW is manufacturing in sedan form.

In 2009, the X6 was introduced in hybrid form. The BMW ActiveHybrid X6 is the most powerful hybrid vehicle available. The driver of the hybrid X6 is able to choose to operate the vehicle using the electric power alone, using the combustion power alone, or utilizing both for a short period of time to maximize the acceleration of the vehicle.

The X6 is too new to assess resale value at this point. It is expected that, by virtue of the fact that it is a BMW, used BMW X6's will sell at a higher rate but will show the same long-term quality we have seen in its counterparts. However, initial reviews of the vehicle are mixed, so it may not see the demand other BMW's have enjoyed.