Ok, so it’s the middle-of-the-range Z4. Not something that sounds like it’ll bring about a smile. Particularly not in a horsepower-hungry market like ours. But let’s not knock it before driving it. Being placed centre of the pack (above the 204bhp 23i and below the 306bhp 35i) doesn’t necessarily make it middle-of-the-road. In fact, it could just be the thinking man’s choice.

Think 90kg saving over the porky 1580kg 35i. Consider a $ 9500 saving while maintaining the same 3-litre unit. It might lack the twin-turbos, but you never feel that its 258bhp isn’t enough.

Here’s where it dumbs down. While it’s all very well for a toodle, the inline six’s melody isn’t something that sticks in your head, and its high 6600rpm peak makes getting a move on a more laborious task than you’d like (or expect) in a car that in its previous incarnation rivalled the theme-defining Boxster.

We now know, however, that the Z4 isn’t targeting Porsche’s patch any more. So yes, some of the firmness has been dialled out. Despite that, the planted rear produces enough grip to make piling on the pace easy. A little harassment of the wheel is needed if you want to kick it loose and there’s no way of steering it with the right foot. Even when you do provoke it, the sideways moment is a short-lived affair, made none the better with a lack of slippy diff.

It’s a similar story at the front, which has a tendency to wash into increasing understeer. And that endless bonnet always seems to move before the rest of the car, dulling the steering and making you feel a little out of kilter with the car. It increases the feeling of the 140kg of extra blubber the new Z4 now carries around its waist; it makes it feel more like a scaled down Merc SL than a jumped up Lotus Elise.

You can sharpen things up with the Dynamic Drive Control and optional Adaptive M Suspension, but even in its third Sport+ setting, it doesn’t change direction with the alacrity of even the current Merc SLK. Certainly, it doesn’t require you to be disciplined in the way you drive. Couple that with the front’s occasional reluctance to turn in and it makes for a driving experience that’s all about managing the nose.

The Sport+ setting does bring out one very positive aspect though. Even with the aluminium lid down, its stiffness brings about impressively little scuttle shake. Winding through third and fourth gear bends, damping comes to the fore, with every unexpected hump and depression being absorbed. I hit one particularly nasty hole while driving through roadworks one night, expecting to bottom out and hear a painful crunch of bodywork, but it never came; I went over the shoddy construction of tarmac with just a brief bob.

If you wanted to increase the Z4’s IQ points, you could mention the fact that it’s more accommodating, more comfortable and now suits a larger demographic - none of which makes for a better driver’s car.

And before I forget, just in case you’re still interested which one of the new Z4 trio is best, I’d say this middle-of-the-range 30i, despite not being the sportiest of sportscars is probably the smartest choice.