and generally handles excellently. I've driven mine to some extremes...you can get into trouble, but you have to work at it. Power is good but not excessive...the 1.9's are better balanced, but lack the power to break it loose(sometimes that's a good thing)..these cars are fun to drive and have a lot of potential...but if you're careless, you can screw-up even in your grandma's Oldsmobile...bottom line is: a competent driver can make a Z3 perform well, but Driving a Z3 does not automatically nor neccessarily mean the driver is competent ...dk '97 2.8 BG!