THE latest BMW Z4 is one of the best sportscars you can buy but such excellence comes at a price.

It looks amazing and it's great to drive - just like a proper sportscar should be.

But against these superlatives, there are no four cylinder engine options and that means it's going to be expensive to run.

Knowing BMW however, they do sometimes try to make cars exclusive to start with by only fitting larger engines and will bring out lower order cars very soon.

Also, when the metal folding roof is down, there's only room for a couple of soft bags in the remains of the boot.

The 2.5-litre engine is excellent with plenty of power and there's a standard six speed gearbox to make the best out of it.

The handling is perfectly balanced and safe, and the road holding almost defies belief, sticking the car to the road like a limpet.

Even the ride is excellent and it comes with Adaptive Chassis Control, which lets you alter the responses of steering, throttle and stability control system from the driver's seat.

The cabin is marvellously up-market and a great place to be. Seat adjustment is fiddly but the low driving position superb for a sportscar.

It comes with 17-inch alloy wheels and run-flat tyres, climate control and a CD player with an aux-input for an iPod. The electrically folding roof is also included in the price.