Road trip report

[CAMike]

Note--for those that have already taken delivery, this may be old news. For those waiting and living vicariously through the experiences of others until delivery, I hope you enjoy.

Road Trip Report…Ok, I had the chance to take my car on a road trip this past weekend (went over 1200 miles just as the trip started). Friday night after football practice (I’m the defensive coordinator for our base high school team) my son and I headed north via curvy mountain roads through the Italian Dolomites and the Austrian Alps towards Garmisch, Germany where my wife had been at a work conference. I am here to report that my 135 is just wonderful on everything from fast sweepers to tight switchbacks with more than enough cajones to pass a slower car quickly and safely on the short straights between curves. For those of you worrying about the under steer you may have read about, it is only apparent when really pushing the car through the twisties. On fast sweepers it is not an issue at all unless REALLY pushing it WAY beyond what should be on a public road. It is most noticeable in reducing radius turns when pushing hard and trying to stay on the gas too deep into the turn or getting on it too early. Even then, it is pretty easy to find the balance between fun in the corners and not inducing under steer. For most people, I don’t think it will be much of an issue. If you are a canyon carver or like to track your car much then a suspension upgrade may be helpful in making the car more neutral but be careful not to go too aggressive and make it over steer happy. I have a feeling that with our short wheel base the line between neutral and way too loose is pretty tight. Anyway, back to the trip…Brake fade was NEVER an issue (though I didn’t expect it to be but thought I’d just reassure people). There was no difference in brake feel from the start of the trip to the end. I arrived in Garmisch 4.5 hours later with a HUGE smile on my face. My son really loved the drive too and even more in his new “racecar” seat (A Recaro car seat). We awoke Saturday morning to a beautiful Bavarian sunrise. We ate breakfast at the hotel and decided to head to Munich to check out the Welt and BMW Museum. Once up on the Autobahn between Garmisch and Munich, I got to open her up a bit. For such a short wheelbase vehicle, it rides really nicely at 150+ though gas mileage suffers considerably. I hit the speedo limit and it was still accelerating. Didn’t run that fast for very long but even while doing so I had to pull into the right lane as a Porsche 911s passed me like I was standing still. Most of the trip to Munich (about 40 mins) was with the cruise set at 100. My OBC showed between 20 and 22 mpg at this speed. I was pretty impressed with that. I also noticed that the difference between my speedo and my GPS was about 5 mph at 100. Overall, very smooth ride and acceleration was great no matter the speed. We truly enjoyed the Welt and the Museum (right across the street from the Welt). Highly recommend if you are into cars and you find yourself in Munich. We will be back in Garmisch for Christmas and will be going back to the Museum. My son can’t wait to go back and he even noticed the Recaro race seats in the race cars on display and noted how he had a racecar seat just like that (brand recognition starts early!!). It was nice as you could get right up next to the cars…most were not behind any wall or barrier or anything. It was well worth the 12 euro entrance price. We had lunch at the Welt, did some shopping and headed back to Garmisch. While at the Welt shop, I bought a seatback organizer for my son. I must say if anyone has kids, this is a GREAT investment. Plenty of places to put stuff for him on road trips as well as a place for a water bottle and it protects the back of the seat from his feet. Quality is excellent. Highly recommend for those with kids. I also got a Welt bag for the trunk to store my quick detail spray, some wipe down microfiber, glass cleaner and a couple other odds and ends. It has Velcro on the outside so it sticks to the trunk lining and is another great quality product. I digress, the ride back to Garmisch was just as enjoyable. I leapfrogged with a 120d vert for most of the trip back…he could cruise with me no problem but just couldn’t keep up when accelerating. Nice looking car though. On the drive back to Italy we went the same roads I drove up on but this time it was POURING rain. I was a little concerned about how the grip would be as Italian roads tend to get REALLY slick in wet conditions but I must report it performed flawlessly, granted I wasn’t carrying nearly as much speed but I was very happy how it performed in the rain (this was my first time driving in the rain with this car). I am VERY happy with my purchase and would encourage anyone on the fence to go ahead and get a 1er as they are a BLAST to drive, look great and are just plain fun to drive.

[atr_hugo]

Mike - great report and that tracks with what I've felt regarding the handling!! Thanks!!

[JasonCSU]

I wish the BMW museum would have been open when I did my Euro delivery back in May.

[H2OSKIR]

Yes. the roads in Southern Germany and the black forest are perhaps the best place in the world to enjoy your 1er. A totally worthwhile stop just south of Munich on the way to Garmisch is the Andechs Monastery. They serve up some of the best beer I have ever had http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/911

The museum reopened the day we left, O well guess we will have to go back and get another BMW some other day so we can check out the museum.

[InsaneSkippy]

Originally Posted by JasonCSU

I wish the BMW museum would have been open when I did my Euro delivery back in May.

x2 I really wanted to see that!