[cdswindell]

I just returned from a European Delivery of a 435i. This was my first experience with European delivery of any kind, and, in short, it was just fantastic. Our trip started in Munich, and included stops in Venice, Ravenna, Florence, Pisa, Rapallo, Genoa, Monte Carlo/Monaco, and Nice.

What follows is a summary of our trip, our itinerary, and my impressions. For those who read no further, here are the the the key take aways:

• The experience was fantastic!
• Driving on the coastal road SS1 in Italy is a must-do at least once experience!!!!!

The car: 2015 BMW 435i xDrive convertible in Tanzanite Blue. For those interested in pictures of the car, click here; the second page contains lots of shots I uploaded today.

We (a guy pal of mine and I) left Boston on the evening of Thursday, April 16 on Lufthansa. With a great flight and great service, we arrived in Munich at 10 am the next morning. The weather was not perfect, but with the car delivery set for the afternoon, it didn't really matter. We dropped our bags off at our hotel (The Leonardo Royal Hotel), and headed straight to the New Town Hall (Marienplatz) to watch the 12:00 noon performance of the world famous Glockenspiel, with it's life-sized characters. In addition to being fun to watch, it was a great way to stay awake and begin to adjust to the 6 hour time change.

We arrived at the BMW Welt at 1:30. For those who don't know, "Welt" in english means "World", and that is exactly what it is; a world of BMW. The first floor had a dazzling display of shiny new BMWs, Mini Coopers, and other high-end cars, and was full of people. There was also a gift shop with miniatures of every model imaginable, and branded items of all sorts, from USB drives to golf bags. I obtained my personalized key chain and used my 10 euro credit (provided along with the keychain) for a new cap and a set of orange safety vests; a requirement for driving in Europe. We then checked in for my 2:30 delivery, whisked up to the 3rd floor on a special glass elevator where we had a commanding view of the BMW Welt expanse.

After checkin, I caught my first view of my new car on the delivery floor (see below) from the "premiere lounge". At the appointed hour, we descended the exceedingly long staircase from the 3rd floor to the delivery floor, seeing all of the other beautiful BMWs awaiting delivery or being delivered. And there it was, on it's own little rotating turntable, my new car!



My "delivery consultant" installed the european maps usb thumb drive, and gave me a rundown on all car features (his exact quote was that he had never seen a car with so many installed options; what can I say??) Since I had already read the owners manual cover to cover, I did not have too many questions, and we were soon driving down the spiral ramp and departed the Welt, entering Munich traffic just before rush hour into a light drizzle.

Arriving back at the hotel, we safely parked the car in the Leonardo's indoor garage, where we met another proud owner who had just taken delivery. The hotel was about a mile away from the Welt. Although not in the middle of the old city, it was clean, comfortable, and very funky, and I didn't really want to drive a brand new BMW into the middle of an unfamiliar city anyway! Hailing a cab, we dined at a public beer hall in Munich, The Hofbruhau. After hoisting a few 1 liter steins of home brew, and dining on bavarian delights (think sausage), it was time to call it a night after a packed 24 hours from departing Boston.

Saturday morning, we put the top down and took off for Venice via Austria. The BMW's nav system immediately recognized the thumb drive of European maps, and charted us a course along the A8, A93, E70, A57, and SS11. The drive went along and thru the Alps, which were snow-capped and impressive. The roads felt a little narrower than in the US, and european drivers are much better disciplined about moving into the right lane to allow faster drivers to pass on the left. We had to stop just inside Austria for a tax badge, but it was easily obtained at the first rest area we encountered.

I struggled to keep the car within the recommended speed and tach ranges suggested by BMW for breaking (under 100 MPH, under 4500 rpm). The car wanted to go faster, but I settled into a general cruising speed of 130 - 140 kph, which is just a little faster than I tend to drive in the states. I had set the speed warning in my car to 95 mph, and I only received the alarm a few times. Or at least that's my story.

Needless to say, the car handled and drove wonderfully. I really enjoyed the heads up display and the speed sensitive steering. I tried the various drive modes (sport+, sport, comfort, and eco-pro). I had also ordered the dynamic handling option, and I have to say, I couldn't feel that much difference in the various shock settings. The eco-pro mode is "cute" in that it tells you how many additional miles of range you have achieved by driving more conservatively. I opted to simply refill the gas tank...

We stayed in Venice from Saturday evening through Monday noon. Our hotel, The Centurion Palace, was beautiful and had commanding views of the Grand Canal. Venice is beautiful. This is a car blog, so I will not go into too much detail about the sites we toured, but the wine and meals and sites are memories that will last a lifetime. I will go back with my wife, for sure. If anyone is interested in seeing pictures from the trip of the sights, and you have an Apple device, PM me with your email address and I'll subscribe you to an iOS Photo Stream with some great pictures.

Monday at noon, we left for Ravenna, Italy. For those that don't know, Ravenna is a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its incredible 5th - 6th century mosaics. Don't be intimidated about exploring on the road, especially if your car has navigation. The roads and sites are all well marked, and the Italians we talked with were all very friendly and helpful, and meaningful communication was always possible, even when they didn't know english (and I didn't know Italian ).

With the mosaics behind us, we departed for Florence around 6:00 pm. The drive took us on the A14 and A1 through the Tuscan hills as the sun was beginning to set. The light on the mountains and hills and small towns and ancient churches and ruins was amazing. We arrived in Florence around 8:00 and began the search for our hotel.

We had selected the Hotel Antica Torre di via de Tornabuoni n.1 (if only for it's incredibly long name). It was a perfect choice, nestled in the heart of Florence, on the river, and very close to the major sites. However....

So Florence is a very old city. The streets are narrow, are mostly one way, and have timed entry with barriers that raise and lower throughout the day and night, to create pedestrian walkways, at seemingly random times. This was all just a little too much for the BMW's navigation system. I resorted to leaving the display in interactive mode, with the hotel marked, and dead reckoned my way there, one dead end and blocked road at a time.

Frayed and exhausted, we set out for sustenance. And boy, were we rewarded! We happened on Il Barretto, where, I have to say, I had one of the best steaks in my life! Paired with a wonderful super tuscan red wine, the twisty, turny maze that is Florence faded into a pleasant blur.

Florence is a stunningly beautiful city. World famous museums, mosaics, churches, sculpture, a true art-lover's paradise. Lots of pictures on my photo stream, if you are interested (PM me with your email address if interested).

We departed Florence for Genoa via Pisa on Wednesday around 1:00 pm. We arrived at Pisa at 3:00. Having added this stop at the last minute, more or less on a whim, I hadn't done much planning, and didn't realize that the tower itself is in an area of the city surrounded by a 30 foot wall! We drove around the wall, mostly blind, and found a road that penetrated the wall and took it. Much to my surprise, 50 feet in, there it was, the Leaning Tower of Pisa! We had lunch at a little sidewalk cafe about 200 yards from the tower, then took a quick stroll around the grounds. Well worth the stop. But unbeknownst to me, the real fun was about to start!

We left Pisa on major roads, but after about 30 miles, I cut over to SS1, and man, what a drive! Twisty, curvy, hilly, water views, side-of-mountain roads, SS1 had it all. At first, I will admit, I drove a bit tentatively. But I soon realized that my car was up for far more than I probably was, and certainly more than my passenger was ;-). We motored along some of the most picturesque sites I've ever seen, with the Mediterranean Sea to my left, and stunning small Italian towns and sites to my right.

We stopped for dinner in Rapallo, a beautiful seaside town, and had a great (and inexpensive) seafood dinner with local fish that had no doubt been swimming 12 hours earlier. Sated, we continued our drive to Genoa on SS1, arriving later than planned, but all the happier for it.

In Genoa, we stayed at the Grand Hotel Savoia. A funny moment of the trip ensued, when the porter helping us with our luggage exclaimed "Mama Mia!" as I opened the roof of my 435i to retrieve my bag from the rear seat, and he witnessed the intricate dance of the roof machinery folding itself into the trunk. The car received many thumbs up, but this was the most memorable.

Thursday morning we left Genoa for Monte Carlo in Monaco, and then Nice. I stuck with expressways to get outside of Genoa, then returned to SS1 for several enjoyable hours of sites and driving, not necessarily in that order ;-). With more confidence in the car (or was it more coffee and a good night's sleep), I took the numerous curves in the road more aggressively, and the car responded as one would hope. Although we could have made it to Monaco hours earlier on the throughway, the drive on SS1 was for me, perhaps the highlight of the trip, and what made me extremely happy that I had opted for European Delivery. Here's a clip showing some of what we experienced:



Monte Carlo was a city I really had wanted to see. I've posted a picture below which is truly worth more than words. I had always wanted to see the marina in the heart of the city, and it didn't disappoint. I've never seen so many super yachts (boats over 100ft) in one place in my life! The retail stores at the marina included Brooks Brothers, Rolex, and a Super Yacht insurance company. What else can a super yacht owner need?

An over the top experience greater us as we left the marina, as we realized that the route we had taken to Nice, our final stop, started on a portion of the Monaco Grand Prix race course itself! Heaven, simply heaven.

We arrived at Le Negresco, our hotel in Nice, at 9:00 pm, pulling up to the hotel next to a Rolls Royce and a Ferrari; my car was still getting the looks!

On Friday, we headed to TT Cars at the Nice airport and dropped the car off for its sea voyage to Boston, and we headed to the same destination using British Air. Drop off took more time than I had anticipated, but went smoothly and efficiently. I said goodbye to my BMW, and headed to the terminal tired, but with experiences and memories that will last a lifetime.

To say the least, when my lease is up in 2018, if I don't opt to keep the car, I will plan another European Delivery and will look forward to the roads, sites, and experiences that it will present.

-- Dave

[Northcar]

Thanks for an excellent report.

[Jhero]

Detailed and excellent report, everyone should experience ED!

[DrivenByE30]

Another satisfied customer... no wonder BMW's orders are just hiking up months after month...

Congrats on a great car choice !

[cfm56d7b]

What was the parking situation like at the hotels you selected to stay?

[cdswindell]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

What was the parking situation like at the hotels you selected to stay?

Except for Munich and Venice, the hotels had valet service and parked the car in multi-level garages. In Munich, the Leonardo had an self-park enclosed parking garage with lots of room. In Venice, there were two commercial garages, where you left your keys. That was the only place where things felt a little tense.

-- Dave