• More usable everyday than you might expect
• Boot space on a par with a supermini
• And plenty of interior storage

How much space is there?

Space for two adults is generous, but it’s quite a drop to get in the car when the roof is up. Naturally, getting out can also be an undignified affair, mainly if the roof is up and you’re parked in a tight space. The doors are quite long so you’ll need to be quite agile.

Once you’re in, the seating position is excellent with impressive comfort, but the Z4 can feel larger than it really is. The car feels quite chunky and hard to judge, plus visibility is very restricted with the roof up.

Boot space and storage

The Z4 is a more practical car than it looks thanks to a decent 281-litre boot. It isn’t affected by whether the roof is up or down and it’s around the same kind of size you’d get in a regular small supermini, so you can easily fit the weekly shop or a few small holdalls for a weekend away.

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There’s also a decent amount of interior storage – including a pair of cupholders, as well as a useful area beneath the driver’s armrest. The door bins are quite narrow, though, so you won’t be fitting a bottle of water in there that easily.

Is it easy to park?

The Z4 comes with standard-fit parking sensors to aid with manoeuvrability, plus its compact exterior dimensions mean it’ll fit in more spaces than you might expect it to. Just make sure the space is wide enough.

If you need some help parking, a Parking Assistance option can be specified, adding a rear-view camera, automatic parking and Reversing Assistant, which will automatically reverse the car a short distance the way you drove in.

Safety

• Full five-star rating from Euro NCAP
• Lots of standard safety kit
• With more available at cost

BMW has thrown plenty of safety equipment at the Z4, most of which is standard-fit. There are driver and passenger airbags with front and side impact protection, several stability control systems when cornering, braking and moving off and a rollover protection system should a severe incident occur and the car rolls. You can even bring your baby along thanks to an Isofix mount on the passenger seat.

As well as this, bright LED headlights are fitted as standard to aid visibility, which can be upgraded to adaptive LED units. There’s also a system called Active Guard which features lane-departure warning and speed limit assist (reads speed limit signs) – this is standard too.

Watch: BMW Z4 Roadster Euro NCAP crash test video