On Friday 4th November I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to take a few of BMW’s finest models for a spin around Pretoria. Being a car fanatic it’s always a dream to test and drive cars that you wouldn’t normally get the chance to drive every day. We started the day off at Leo Haese BMW in Centurion, which would be the starting point of our journey. We were greeted with coffee and biscuits and got a chance to drool over some of the exotic models that were on display in the showroom.
After meeting the friendly staff at Leo Haese and the awesome Intarget team, we were briefed about our mission and told to choose a BMW… And my first choice was the BMW 530d! Our mission was to drive in a convoy to our destination which was the stunning Valley Lodge in Magaliesburg. Before we set off we were given instructions on where to drive and who to follow because at every stop we would swap cars with someone else so that we could test as many BMW’s as possible before the end of the mission.
Being a tall guy, the first thing I usually do when climbing into any car is look for the seat adjuster because I usually have to move the seat as far back as possible. In the BMW 530d, it’s all electric which is nice, and I was able to get nice and comfy real quick.
The interior was no disappointment, it really does make you feel special! Because the 530d and most new BMW models are keyless, and has a nice (big) display, it’s easy to figure out what’s what. As we set off it was clear that I had made a great first choice by choosing the 530d, I mean this thing had power!
At first I was cruising comfortably in “comfort mode” and enjoying the smoothness of the ride and also coming to grips with how quickly this car accelerated, and then I decided to push the “Sport Mode” button. Pushing this button really made me feel like a kid again, except this time something awesome happened, the entire car transformed and I felt like I was Ken Block… This button really made you go fast, real quick.
Before I knew it we were at our first stop and it was time to change cars. I was rather sad to be leaving the 530d, but I had the formidable BMW X6 to look forward to, which was a completely different beast. Climbing into the X6 immediately makes you understand why these massive crossover SUV’s are so formidable on the road… It makes you feel like the “King of the road” when behind the wheel.
It’s high up, powerful and dripping with all the latest tech… What more do you want? Driving the X6 was fun, but it somehow failed to give me that awesome feeling that I got from the BMW 5 Series, somehow being high up and powerful just wasn’t enough. At our last stop before our destination, I swapped the X6 for the smaller and sexier BMW 1 series… and it didn’t disappoint.
It’s small, fun and stylish and can give you enough kick whenever you need it. Although the acceleration and speed are ample, the effect from “comfort” to “Sport Mode” just wasn’t quite the same as the 530d. The 1 series took me to our destination point where we were greeted by the friendly staff of Valley Lodge.
We were treated to a breakfast buffet that was fit for a king! After enjoying the awesome views that Valley Lodge had to offer, we climbed straight back into our bimmers and prepared for the journey back to HQ. For the first leg back I climbed into the BMW 118 for a final spin before returning to the car that started it all… The 530d! I was so stoked to be back behind the wheel of the car that stole my heart.
To be brutally honest the 530d had set the bar so high that while driving the other BMW’s I was constantly cheating on them with thoughts of the 530d’s wheel in my hands. I loved everything about the 5 Series bimmer and didn’t want the journey to end. As we all arrived back at Leo Haese BMW in Centurion, I felt both sad and happy… Happy that I got to drive such an awesome car, and sad that I had to say goodbye (hopefully not forever!).
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