# BMW M4 European Delivery Trip - Full Story with Lots of Pictures



## shiftmr2t (Mar 26, 2015)

I posted this on the other M3/M4 forum but wanted to post on here as well, as a lot of it is focused on ED and the whole trip experience and not just the M4! -

Well I just got back from an epic European Delivery trip and am attempting to pay it forward a little bit! This ED forum was crucial to whole process. The entire thing was an absolutely amazing experience, and I've attempted to tell the story below with a lot of pictures and some notes on the whole trip. I'll be adding more thoughts along the way as they come to me but the pictures are in chronological order. There were a lot more pictures but for here I tried to make it a bit M4-centric with the pictures since this is the M forum after all!

I ordered a Sakhir Orange M4 back in March and had a April 27th delivery date in Munich. The car itself is nothing short of amazing. If you have the chance to do ED by all means - DO IT! The discount most likely pays for your whole trip anyway. Over 2,000 miles, four countries, and two weeks, the M4 is on a boat to the U.S. Where to start...

The research (pipe dream) began in January or so when browsing around this forum. I have had an 09 335xi 6spd E92 for three years and aside from a few minor issues, really love the car (first BMW also). Everyone on here stated that the M4 is superior to it in every way. I now agree from experience, except with maybe the turn radius...

After a lot of spreadsheets and sleeping on it, I decided to go for it. After getting all the numbers in order which included some of the ED invoice pricing, profit dealers expected, and emailing 15 of them, luckily my local dealer accepted my offer and we were off to the races. Being a first time leaser, learning how a BMW lease works was quite the project in itself. The SO exterior color was taken off the BMWUSA.com website literally the day of my order, but we were able to push it through. My build:

M4 - Sakhir Orange with Full Silverstone Leather interior
DCT Transmission
Black 19" Wheels 437M
Driver Assistance Plus
Executive Package
Lighting Package
Adaptive Suspension
Moonroof
HK Sound

As a first time ED'er I don't have many words of wisdom at the moment - other than to say that preparation is key. The more you prepare, the more enjoyable the experience will be. For many of us it includes visiting and driving in multiple new countries, with new primary languages that we can't speak, different laws, road signs, culture, and the rest, all in our brand new car. I say again it was fantastic and fun, just do your research!

So we get to Munich a couple days before delivery to cure jet lag and check out the city a bit. If you have a long flight over, I would highly recommend settling in and getting rest before taking delivery. We walked around the city a bit -









































































There were still bullet holes from the war in the columns of this building:









Then came the delivery day! We took the train from the airport to our hotel so we were able to get BMW's one free ride from SixT from our hotel to BMW Welt that morning in a new 7 series. We check in when we get there and have a look around.




























Then we head up to the premium lounge to await delivery. You get free food and drinks all day while you're here.










And finally, Guido, our BMW guide takes us down the stairs and there she was!



















He goes over all the car systems for about 45 minutes and they take pictures, then you're on your way.










We valeted the car and did the BMW Museum and the Plant Tour (no pictures allowed).














































And here she is outside BMW Welt with four miles on the odometer, awaiting the journey ahead.


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## shiftmr2t (Mar 26, 2015)

That afternoon we were off to Salzburg, Austria for a day.























































Then it was a day of weaving through towns along the Alpenstrasse (German Alpine Road). This is a series of amazing little towns with lush greenery everywhere, with twisty roads along the whole way through the mountains.




























A quick stop to check out Neuschwanstein Castle.





































Then we stayed the night on Eibsee lake, next to Zugspitze which is the highest peak in Germany.




























The next day we started driving north to Rothenburg ob de Tauber, stopping to take some pictures along the way.














































There is so much solar energy in Germany -










The hotel we stayed at in a little small town.



















Rothenburg ob de Tauber itself is a cool touristy town to walk through. You can walk on the walls along the outside, as they were the main defense hundreds of years ago.


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## shiftmr2t (Mar 26, 2015)

From there it was a Saturday and I wanted to definitely make it to the Nurburgring to see it. Even for about 10-15 miles out from the track, there were race cars everywhere. Porsches, GT-R's, Astons, BMW's (race built), and a number of others were everywhere. I have never seen so many awesome cars in one location.

We get to track itself and it is busy as all hell. There was a huge line to get on and off the track, and tons of people just standing around watching.

No, I did not track it. The reasons are as follows: 1) I called the BMW insurance and they told me the car was not covered. No one on the forums has been able to prove otherwise from what I found. 2) The track was so busy that you couldn't really enjoy it or really track it anyway. 3) The thought of wrecking it (or someone else running into it) and ruining the rest of the trip was terrifying. There were at least three wrecks within the first hour we were there. Just driving on it to say I did it was not a high enough priority for me. Had it been a weekday and less busy I would have looked at everything harder.

Needless to say, it was awesome just hanging out at the Ring in person.




































































































From there it was driving down into Switzerland. A couple nights in Iseltwald on the lake -





































The next morning I made a drive to the top of the mountain then down again to have lunch. Switzerland, I must say, is the most stunning place I've ever been.




































































































A place called 72 waterfalls. Truly amazing.


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## shiftmr2t (Mar 26, 2015)

We then headed to Lugano on our way into northern Italy to Lake Como. This place is equally amazing and I've never seen anything like it.



















One night I had to park in a pretty tight spot below the hotel&#8230;









But then Lake Como was amazing.





































View from our hotel on the lake.









The next morning I felt like some spirited driving so I drove to the top of the mountain.














































After a few days in Italy it was time to head back to Munich for the drop off at the end of the two weeks. We drove through Lechtenstein and I found another mountain road to drive to the top of!




























Back in Germany - Bayern Munich was playing a league game so we grabbed some tickets to see them at the Allianz!





































They riot police came out to manage any potential fights. There were tons of them in armor, never seen anything like it.



















Then sadly, a final car wash and drop off at the Munich airport.



















Saying goodbye was harder than I thought it would be. The car performed amazingly well through all kinds of situations from small inner city streets to going 120+ mph on the Autobahn. I averaged about 24 mpg through the whole thing and was really impressed by that, given that my 335i gets like 18 now with a lot less horsepower.

More thoughts:-

Germany is a driver's dreamland. You have tons of winding rural and mountain roads, then almost anywhere close you can jump on the Autobahn and go as fast as you possibly want with no speed limit. I would be cruising at 90-100mph and tiny Fiat Pandas and VW Golfs are still flying past me. It was pretty hilarious actually. As expected, the M4 felt dead solid going at 100-110mph for sustained periods. Most of the other really fast cars are Audi's, BMW's, and Porches on the Autobahn though. It was a lot of fun playing with Carrera's and 911 Turbo's, etc on the Autobahn with no speed limit or worry of getting thrown in jail. I actually didn't see many M3/M4's. I think two others the entire time. People find their "natural" cruising speed which is anywhere from 60-100mph and everyone is respectful and not driving dangerously. You just pass or drive in the left lane if you want to fly. The roads were also in amazing condition everywhere.

The U.S. seriously needs to do no speed limits in some areas like the Autobahn, at least on some highways, because it is an awesome way to get the "need for speed" out of your system without being dangerous. I saw zero accidents the whole time, and only one car pulled over with a flat tire. It quickly became obvious that these German cars are great driver's cars (able to cruise at 100mph no problem along with carving through turns) by being in Germany itself with these kinds of roads, laws, and landscape. 99% of the U.S. roadways will never even come close to allowing the performance these cars have to actually appear, especially given the max speed limits in the 60-75mph range most places.

Switzerland, Austria, and Italy all had much lower speed limits and generally were in worse (not bad though) condition than Germany. Also in these countries apparently the speeding tickets cost a lot more (Switzerland actually is based in proportion to your income) so you need to watch your speed. I don't know exactly what package this was included in - but the M4 reads the speed limit signs and puts it on your HUD. This single feature basically saved my ass the entire trip! When you can just look out your window and the car tells you what speed to go..that is luxury. Having navigation (all M cars have it) was also a life (and time) saver.

Italy is filled with tiny roads, and especially along the lakes and things it was pretty damn stressful actually - trying to squeeze your new M4 inches by a massive truck and a rock sidewall.

Just about everyone we met spoke decent English, which was incredibly helpful of course.

There are pros and cons to coming here in the offseason -

Pros:

We found amazing hotels and apartments along the way for less than $100 per night.
Less people at BMW (flexible delivery times if you desire) and other tourist areas.
Not offseason dependent but a pro at the time - the lower USD/Euro ratio helped save a ton of money. I think it's gone back up now though.

Cons:

Weather. Probably 25-30% of the time it was a bit cold, cloudy and rainy. Planning your trip around the weather if possible will increase your enjoyment considerably! You want to be driving those mountain roads with the sun out. 
Weather again. We drove by the Swiss mountain passes such a Susten, Gotthard, etc but they were all close until June or later, still covered in snow. You get to drive through a 17km long tunnel instead, which is kind of crazy by itself.

Germany's expenses weren't too bad. There is a 19% tax on all food/restaurants. You tip maybe 10% or so. Austria is about the same if I recall correctly.

Switzerland is pretty expensive. The hotels were not, being offseason, but the food is crazy expensive. For instance - a quick stop at McDonalds for a chicken sandwich and a drink cost about $15. If you sit down at any restaurant, you're paying between $35-50 per plate. This can be a small lunch. It does include all tax and tip though (you don't tip). This is because Switzerland's laws make sure that anyone working gets paid a good wage ($20-25 per hour or more).

Gas is expensive (relative to the US) everywhere. It was between 1.50-1.70 Euro per liter. Between that and the exchange rate, that equates to close to $7-7.60~ USD per gallon. Get ready for those $100+ fill ups. Along the Autobahn though you can fill up with really high octane fuel though which is cool.

As I think of more I'll post it. If you have questions about ED or the car let me know and I'll do my best to help!


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## Wine-O (Feb 17, 2010)

Congrats -- glad you had a nice trip. Great report and good looking car.


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## CapHill1er (May 14, 2010)

Awesome trip report! Glad you got to enjoy so many mountain roads. Our trip involved thousands of pics, but the car always seemed to be in a garage when our cameras were out. 

Here's hoping for fast boats and quick re-deliveries!

--John


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## shiftmr2t (Mar 26, 2015)

Thanks guys! Still on cloud 9 from the whole thing and I know the wait for US delivery will be a tough one.


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## aardvark (Apr 15, 2002)

Great pics and report! Congrats!


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## Bagay65 (Mar 24, 2013)

*Lichtenstein insuranc question*

I thought I was told BMW insurance program is not covered in Lichtenstein?
Comments anyone.


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## Nex (Jun 24, 2014)

Awesome pics!


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## mason (Jun 8, 2006)

Congrats!!

I agree with that we need to at least push the speed limit toward 100mph. If they'd ever delimit it, it would be awesome. But there are a couple of practical matters in the way: 1) Need to getting rid of the left lane campers. Many people complain fast drivers in USA drive recklessly. I think it is because left lane campers are the main reason. 2) Cost and safety are always a concern. Germany has high gas tax while Italy and France have expensive toll. I'm ok either or both of them. I remember driving a few hours on Italy autostrada costed me over $50. If the speed limit on NJ Turnpike was 105mph and it'd cost $45-$50 (it's somewhere close to $10 now) to drive end to end, I'd be ok with that. And they'd use the money to finance dedicated lanes.


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## x4guy (May 20, 2015)

DAYUM!

Amazing post, thanks!

I definitely plan on taking ED of an M5 when they are finally offered with AWD. Feels like a 2018 event for me.

LOVE the color of your car. When I read orange I thought ugh, but in the pix it's super cool.

Anyway, congrats!


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## Wine-O (Feb 17, 2010)

Bagay65 said:


> I thought I was told BMW insurance program is not covered in Lichtenstein?
> Comments anyone.


That's what my paperwork read when it listed countries covered. Lichtenstein was not one of them.


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## ChicagoBigHouse (Sep 2, 2013)

Lichtenstein not covered per my research


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## Gluhwein (Aug 21, 2011)

The key to the safety of the Autobahn and its high speeds is not only the much better educated and savvy drivers but the fact that the roads are usually made of concrete. The concrete bed is constructed much deeper than ours in the USA and the shoulders are made of the same material. I can't remember ever seeing a pothole on a German highway. Where I live our highways resemble cobblestone streets.


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## vonmayr (Dec 4, 2012)

[Pros:

We found amazing hotels and apartments along the way for less than $100 per night.
Less people at BMW (flexible delivery times if you desire) and other tourist areas.
Not offseason dependent but a pro at the time - the lower USD/Euro ratio helped save a ton of money. I think it's gone back up now though.

Cons:

Weather. Probably 25-30% of the time it was a bit cold, cloudy and rainy. Planning your trip around the weather if possible will increase your enjoyment considerably! You want to be driving those mountain roads with the sun out. 
Weather again. We drove by the Swiss mountain passes such a Susten, Gotthard, etc but they were all close until June or later, still covered in snow. You get to drive through a 17km long tunnel instead, which is kind of crazy by itself.

Germany's expenses weren't too bad. There is a 19% tax on all food/restaurants. You tip maybe 10% or so. Austria is about the same if I recall correctly.

Switzerland is pretty expensive. The hotels were not, being offseason, but the food is crazy expensive. For instance - a quick stop at McDonalds for a chicken sandwich and a drink cost about $15. If you sit down at any restaurant, you're paying between $35-50 per plate. This can be a small lunch. It does include all tax and tip though (you don't tip). This is because Switzerland's laws make sure that anyone working gets paid a good wage ($20-25 per hour or more).

Gas is expensive (relative to the US) everywhere. It was between 1.50-1.70 Euro per liter. Between that and the exchange rate, that equates to close to $7-7.60~ USD per gallon. Get ready for those $100+ fill ups. Along the Autobahn though you can fill up with really high octane fuel though which is cool.

As I think of more I'll post it. If you have questions about ED or the car let me know and I'll do my best to help![/QUOTE]

I can echo these sentiments, but would have killed for your weather. I am still on my ED trip (day 6) with one sunrise and one sunset clear, and lots and lots of cold weather and rain. 2 days on Lake Como, average 61 degrees and a total of 3 hours of sun - rest raining windy and overcast. If you come in the shoulder season, be prepared to spend more time in each place to get a chance at decent weather.


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## SJAPoc (Apr 14, 2007)

Great report and the pictures are amazing! Love the color combo :thumbup:


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## Judy G (Jan 27, 2011)

I just started my lease in December, but your pictures are making me want to plan ahead for the next car already.


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## nitinkarkhanis (Sep 9, 2007)

Great pics and report. Congrats on your new car!


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## frank325 (Dec 29, 2005)

Wow, those are some fantastic pics! Looks like you had an awesome time, thanks for sharing!


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## frank325 (Dec 29, 2005)

shiftmr2t said:


> View from our hotel on the lake.


Incredible view.


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## alee (Dec 19, 2001)

Fantastic write up! Giving me that European Delivery "itch" again!


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## RDL53 (Jun 5, 2013)

*Como*

I gotta chime in here but Como rocks!
Glad you had the experience my brother.


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## shiftmr2t (Mar 26, 2015)

ChicagoBigHouse said:


> Lichtenstein not covered per my research


Well I'm glad nothing happened there then up to the top of that mountain. The country is so small it's literally a couple exits off the highway then you're back in Austria or Germany.


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## shiftmr2t (Mar 26, 2015)

vonmayr said:


> I can echo these sentiments, but would have killed for your weather. I am still on my ED trip (day 6) with one sunrise and one sunset clear, and lots and lots of cold weather and rain. 2 days on Lake Como, average 61 degrees and a total of 3 hours of sun - rest raining windy and overcast. If you come in the shoulder season, be prepared to spend more time in each place to get a chance at decent weather.


Sorry to hear about your weather. I think a lot of it comes down to luck. We were checking Weather.com and Accuweather.com for weeks before heading there and all it said was rain and cloudy for that whole area of Europe. Then the sun came a good amount. I guess my point is that the weather reports felt like they had no validity as to what conditions were actually going to be. Hoping for some sun for you!


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## Hound Passer (Feb 2, 2007)

Nice summary and amazing pics. Glad you were able to squeeze out SO just in time. It's one of the more unique standard M colors that doesn't completely scream at you but still lets you know it's an M. One thing I hate about BMW is their lack of diverse color options. Very envious you had the balls to go M.

Anyway, you said you traveled over 2K miles, so way over the break in requirements. Were you able to really let it out on the autobahn over 115mph? If so how was that experience? I think that's what I need to do next time -- just take a gentle 1500 mile tour THEN attack the autobahn. So frustrating cruising 110-115 then a supercar quickly advances. Punch the accelerator for dear life (can't change lanes). RPM's and heart rate jack up past 4500 RPMs -- loving the speed but also sick its screwing up your just-born engine.


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## AndrewZ (Feb 1, 2006)

Great write up, thanks for sharing. How many miles did you drive in total?


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## Kief (Dec 6, 2007)

Thanks for sharing. Great write up

Reminds me of last year this time when I was eagerly preparing for my M4 ED. It really is a terrific experience. Can't wait for the next one!


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## jtuds (Mar 29, 2012)

Every time I go to Europe I wonder why I didn't move there 10 years ago. I may not have been able to buy a BMW but I'd be on ED every day, and with the affordability of car rentals and trains over there you can see something amazing every weekend.

I remember during my ED I'd drive through a several places on my way to my night's accommodations and think "I want to spend a week here" while only getting to drive through.

Maybe some day...


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## CapHill1er (May 14, 2010)

ChicagoBigHouse said:


> Lichtenstein not covered per my research


We went to Lichtenstein in 2010 -- it is allowed because although technically independent, they follow the rules and privileges of Switzerland which is covered.


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## shiftmr2t (Mar 26, 2015)

Hound Passer said:


> Nice summary and amazing pics. Glad you were able to squeeze out SO just in time. It's one of the more unique standard M colors that doesn't completely scream at you but still lets you know it's an M. One thing I hate about BMW is their lack of diverse color options. Very envious you had the balls to go M.
> 
> Anyway, you said you traveled over 2K miles, so way over the break in requirements. Were you able to really let it out on the autobahn over 115mph? If so how was that experience? I think that's what I need to do next time -- just take a gentle 1500 mile tour THEN attack the autobahn. So frustrating cruising 110-115 then a supercar quickly advances. Punch the accelerator for dear life (can't change lanes). RPM's and heart rate jack up past 4500 RPMs -- loving the speed but also sick its screwing up your just-born engine.


Thanks on the SO. Normally I agree that orange is an obnoxious color but then I saw SO in person at the local dealer and was only getting the M4 with that. Maybe mineral grey but would have been far less excited.

Yes I was no where near a BMW dealership for most of the trip and let my dealer know I was going over break in. I did however keep it under 5500 the whole time (maybe once or twice above while playing with the paddle shifters briefly).

I think my fastest on the Autobahn was about 126mph. That was good with me for starters.. It was still very solid and could have very easily done much higher. That was also not even close to going over 5500 in 7th gear. I've heard The crank horsepower is really closer to 480-485 and not the 430 or whatever BMW says. I believe it from the power this had and also they dyno in at the 420-430hp range stock anyway. The torque is insane and puts you back in your seat in the 2500-3000rpm range. The thing is a monster.


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## jsublime (Mar 4, 2009)

Awesome, simply amazing. Beautiful photos and great car. Congrats!


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## Alteclover (Dec 23, 2014)

*awesome pictures*

wow I have never seen that side of the world so close and personal, I felt like I took the trip with you lol. Im afraid to ask what a trip like that could cost, I have always wanted to go to that side of the world. I have a question about the car Im looking right now at the Car&Driver Aug 2014 issue that pairs up the BMW M4 to the Porsche 911 and the M4 beats it by just a few points. Needless to say the M4 is 20k less expensive. Was it everything and then some like the magazine says?


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## shiftmr2t (Mar 26, 2015)

Our round trip flights were about $1100 each (coach) from the U.S. and then figure maybe $200-250 a day if you stay in $100 per night hotels (breakfast included!). Not that bad I thought and again over a couple weeks it adds up to about what the ED discount equates to anyway in this price range. 

As for the 911 vs M4, I can't tell you from experience as I've never driven a 911. From the M4 forums there is some serious respect for the 911 in terms of track performance and handling. The M4 is great but the 911 is superb type of thing - on the track. Design, interior, engine, sound, and the rest I suppose might be subjective. I think the Cayman GT4 is also a pretty close competitor to the M3/M4.

It's my only car therefore the large trunk, two back seats, and the ability to flip some switches and go from comfy touring car to track monster has my preference vs a 911. I think it depends on what you need and/or would like in a sports car.


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## RKA (Dec 1, 2002)

Thanks for sharing...wonderful pics!!

@Alteclover, in our case (just my wife and I) the ED discount covered the cost of airfare and hotels. Food and daily entertainment is on our dime. Really not a bad deal at all, if you were thinking of taking a 2 week vacation anyway.


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## Northcar (Sep 21, 2005)

Enjoyed the photos. Looks like you at least had some great weather for photo taking.


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## shiftmr2t (Mar 26, 2015)

RKA said:


> Thanks for sharing...wonderful pics!!
> 
> @Alteclover, in our case (just my wife and I) the ED discount covered the cost of airfare and hotels. Food and daily entertainment is on our dime. Really not a bad deal at all, if you were thinking of taking a 2 week vacation anyway.


Plus you obviously don't need to rent a car so there are those intrinsic savings also.


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## fishskis (Dec 18, 2004)

Great post. Brings back a lot of memories of previous ED's. When I drove around Lake Como, it was terrifying; driving a fat 550 on 1.5 lane-width two-way roads; I can not believe I made it without a scrape and with my mirrors intact.

Also, this is the first full Silverstone interior I have seen. I have an M4 vert with full Silverstone arriving in two weeks, so this was a great preview. Are you happy with the car in general, and the interior specifically?

Looks like you had an awesome trip, congrats!


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## shiftmr2t (Mar 26, 2015)

fishskis said:


> Great post. Brings back a lot of memories of previous ED's. When I drove around Lake Como, it was terrifying; driving a fat 550 on 1.5 lane-width two-way roads; I can not believe I made it without a scrape and with my mirrors intact.
> 
> Also, this is the first full Silverstone interior I have seen. I have an M4 vert with full Silverstone arriving in two weeks, so this was a great preview. Are you happy with the car in general, and the interior specifically?
> 
> Looks like you had an awesome trip, congrats!


Yes I'm definitely happy with the car overall. Going from my 335i and test driving S5's, GT'R's, etc along the way this was better than all of them for my wants/needs. I LOVE the full leather silverstone interior. All black would have worked but the white ("silver") leather contrast against the other colors inside really bring out the luxury in my opinion. The white contrast stitching across the dash looks great and I noticed there is a lot more leather covering everything than expected, like even having it below/along the gauges on the dash.


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## beware_phog (Mar 7, 2003)

Great job and really amazing pictures. I couldn't agree more with your comments on the German roads. Best roads and drivers in the world that I've experience (not that I've been everywhere). But dang, was it good. 

The comment about the narrow roads were spot on. I experienced the same thing all over Switzerland and in Rothenburg. Navigating Rothenburg prepared me for switzerland. A few times i couldn't tell if it was a road or a bike paths.....and the cringe on some of the times whenever a bus or truck went by on the other side. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with being in a new car and not being totally comfortable with it yet. 

Loved where you went. Car looks great.


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