Published: May 25, 2015, 8:25 PM
Updated: November 23, 2021, 11:58 AM
Left-coasting
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2015 BMW 740Ld xDrive
By Annette McLeod
A recent West Coast vacation had a little of everything: family, friends, sights and sites, two kids and more than a few kms to kover, er, cover. We were lucky enough to do it all in a 2015 BMW 740Ld xDrive, a $101,600 (base, $125,050 as tested) executive sedan with a 3.0-litre diesel engine.
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Left coast luxury
THE WHEELS: With 255 unremarkable horsepower and a more impressive 413 lb-ft of torque, the 740Ld might be the diesel you’ve been waiting for. With its wide-ratio eight-speed transmission, all that grunt is available virtually all the time, and taking off from a stop will bring a (perhaps smug) smile to the face of any driver.
THE JOURNEY: My partner, my son and I started our nine-day West Coast holiday in Vancouver, where we spent our first couple of days doing family things and rarely going farther afield than Starbucks. One night cruising through Gastown brought a particular awareness of the ultra-luxury feel of this car, both in manners and in aspect.
WHAT TO DO: Eat out. A lot. Wherever you go, at least the valet will be impressed. We tried Cardero’s on Coal Harbour Quay (yachts to gaze upon, excellent seafood), Seasons in the Park inside Queen Elizabeth Park (good if dated menu, older crowd) and Miku Waterfront (sensational sushi, harbour views, pricey).
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It’s what inside that counts
THE WHEELS: Even with its impressive launch power, the 740Ld is awfully well behaved. It’s lively enough to engage, and its steering feels surprisingly like that of a smaller, more maneuverable sedan. Still, it is what it is, which means it’s a little more ponderous than sensuous. But that’s OK; it only helps make it an ideal family cruiser. Its elegant exterior is nothing compared to the vast interior, with a comfortable spot to call one’s own for each of a clan of four.
THE JOURNEY: Just turning a corner in Vancouver can bring unexpected (at least to a Torontonian) vistas. Hard to imagine you get used to it. We were careful to stay away from rush hour, but generally found the city easily navigable and fellow drivers as mild as the temperatures. We heard nary a horn, and saw few bothering to race the yellows.
WHAT TO DO: Mind the green. If you, like me, hail from a part of the country where a flashing green traffic light means it’s all yours, full steam ahead, you’ll quickly discover that it ain’t so here. A blinking green is a pedestrian-controlled light in that if someone wants to cross, they have to push the button and wait for the change. This means drivers on cross streets can still turn left in front of you, so be cautious.
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Sea to Sky
THE WHEELS: This is the beginning of our car-centric days. The comfort quality of the ride continues to prove itself hour after hour. No sore bums or backs for us. The thigh-extender is particularly appreciated. As drivers, we find the comfort isolates us from the experience somewhat — so quiet, so refined — and on a road like this, a sportier car might be more enjoyable, but with our wee charge and no schedule to follow, this is hard to beat.
THE JOURNEY: We took our nearly-six-year-old with us along the Sea to Sky Highway, a section of Hwy. 99 north of Vancouver that goes through lovely Squamish up to Whistler and on to Pemberton. We went as far as Whistler on our only rainy day. The Sea to Sky Highway is legendary for being one of the country’s most beautiful drives, and it doesn’t disappoint. It hugs the coast for a good portion, and when it moves inland loses little in the way of spectacular views. It’s twisty enough to keep things interesting, too.
WHAT TO DO: Visit Whistler, BC’s renowned ski town, for a little tourist action. The pedestrian-friendly chalet-heavy village features a number of tempting but overpriced restaurants and shops, and I’m pretty sure it’s law that you have to be Australian to work in one of them. It’s full of flowers, and worth a wander even off-season.
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Ferry-land
THE WHEELS: The 740 purrs along from our Vancouver digs to the Tsawwassen Ferry terminal, then from Swartz Bay Terminal to Victoria and our night’s accommodations, showing off its wonderful diesel powertrain. This car fits right in a place where the population’s median age according to the Greater Victoria Development Agency is 43, expected to hit 47 and change by 2028.
THE JOURNEY: We book a deal through BC Ferries that included the round-trip ferry fare and a night at the Inn at Laurel Point, which turns out to be a very nice, modern hotel less than about 10 minutes’ walking from Government Street in one direction and Fisherman’s Wharf in the other, which stokes my long-held float home fantasy. Prices vary seasonally, but the package will save you a buck or two.
WHAT TO DO: Make it there on time. We pay an extra $18 to book a specific ferry time, for which we are warned to be there 30 minutes ahead. They say they’ll give away our spot if we aren’t, and they aren’t kidding. We get there at 11:35 for our noon crossing, and our spot is gone. Fortunately, sitting in the BMW for the extra hour doesn’t prove too taxing.
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The kids are all right
THE WHEELS: If the performance is impressive, the interior is truly mind-blowing, perhaps especially for our nearly-six-year-old boy and just-turned-eight-year-old niece. They may not have the experience to discern exactly what degree of luxury they’ve happened into, but whether they’re plugged into the entertainment system (we watch Bee Movie approximately 17 times on this trip) or noodling away on their own tablets, we hear not one complaint out of either of them the entire trip.
THE JOURNEY: We cover a lot of ground over our nine days, and the backseat becomes a second home to the wee ’uns. We could scarcely have done them better. The rear seat entertainment system is simple enough that they can control it themselves, although we find the audio stumps us. Even with the improved iDrive, we can’t figure if there’s a way to have separate audio for front and rear, but it’s easily remedied by plugging an iHome speaker into the system, leaving the front cabin to the grown-ups.
WHAT TO DO: Stock up on drinks and flicks for the kids, and you will gain yourself a level of vacation peace you never imagined. Say what you will about using technology as a babysitter — we feel no shame.
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Bug out
THE WHEELS: There’s a juxtaposition afoot in this charming, elegant city of just over 78,000. Both the architecture and the vehicles populating local driveways seem to be split between sophisticated retirees and eclectic youngsters. The polished, composed 740 puts us solidly in the former camp, but that doesn’t seem to bother the backpack-bearing 20-somethings that hit us up in parking lots for cigarettes and spare change.
THE JOURNEY: It’s well worth just taking to the city streets to watch the demographics change and, especially if you’re from a part of the country where brick bungalows reign supreme (yes, I’m looking at you, Toronto), enjoy the architectural journey.
WHAT TO DO: As a friend once said of Nova Scotia, there isn’t much to do here but there’s a lot to see. Relax and take your time (easily done in a car like ours), and enjoy the abundance of sunshine you may be lucky enough to experience here before heading back to Vancouver.
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Hipsters prevail
THE WHEELS: We spend the day touring beautiful Victoria, happy just to peer out the car windows (complete with electric rear sunshine and side sunshades as part of the $5,950 Executive Package). With a lot of starting, stopping and idling going on, the lack of any noise infringing on the quiet cabin is especially notable.
THE JOURNEY: Take a stroll along Menzies Street from Michigan to Simcoe for a taste of eco-friendly coffee (unless you prefer your Joe from the nearby Starbucks), a perusal of used books and thrift shops, and a gander at some beaten up but well-enjoyed classic cars.
WHAT TO DO: Eat, drink and be merry at Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub, where they’ve been pioneering the local, seasonal and sustainable trend for three decades. They use their own deep-well aquifer mineral water to brew the beer that goes into the artisan breads as well as the taps.
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As tourists will
THE WHEELS: It’s becoming apparent that 740Ld is a relative sipper in the fuel department, as we haven’t yet come close to having to diesel-up. By the end of the holiday, we’ll have put on close to a thousand kilometres and averaged just over 8 L/100 km.
THE JOURNEY: Victoria is right-sized for walking, so you may want to actually get out of the car.
WHAT TO DO: Check out the famous neo-baroque parliament buildings, of course, which include 33 copper domes. See if you can spot all 14 of the sculptures of historical figures that include explorers Captain James Cook and Simon Fraser. That’s Captain George Vancouver atop the main dome, pointing to his namesake city. There are also murals decorating the rotunda, if you like that sort of thing.
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Stop and smell the flowers
THE WHEELS: The scenery can be a little distracting, but no worries in the 740. Pay attention, mind you, but at the least you’ve got on your side grippy 20-inch tires, plus with the $4,500 Technology and Vision Package, active blind spot detection, Driving Assistant Plus (camera-based lane departure and pedestrian warning systems with City Brake Activation, which preconditions brakes when a collision is likely) and the very cool Surround View, which gives you a 360-degree, bird’s-eye view of the vehicle.
THE JOURNEY: Our April trip was a welcome change from the frigid east, and Victoria is awash in flowers.
WHAT TO DO: Butchart Gardens is the place to really revel in the blooms, but a drive down just about any street will be fragrant and colourful. Butchart also features live entertainment, including a visit this coming August from Jann Arden.
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Eat, drink and buy souvenirs
THE WHEELS: The big BMW manages its bulk well, even at a crawl. We took our time cruising the pedestrian-friendly Government Street area, and although “agile” would be a stretch, it’s more easily maneuvered than you might expect. Getting in and out to buy all the needless things one buys on vacation is made easier by the nifty soft-close doors.
THE JOURNEY: Victoria doesn’t disappoint on any front. You’ve heard it’s gorgeous, and it is. Government Street is a tourist favourite, but that doesn’t mean stay away. The restaurants, pubs and shops you want are past the souvenir stands. Horse-drawn carriages are a nice touch.
WHAT TO DO: Have a meal at one of the neighbourhood’s many pubs. We stopped at Irish Times for lunch, which at that time was kid-friendly, and at least half of the grown-ups will appreciate the wee tartan kilts on the female wait staff. The food was good and drinks oversized. Nearby Bastion Square Market is now open for the season.
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On the way back
THE WHEELS: The gently twisting ocean-side roads of Greater Victoria showcase the BMW’s stability and comfortable ride. As part of the $5,000 M Sport Package, its Dynamic Drive helps make for zero body roll and excellent balanced reactions to the shifting load changes.
THE JOURNEY: A coastal drive before we head back to the ferry is enriched by lookout points and the opportunity to check out all the stunning waterfront homes and gardens.
WHAT TO DO: Take lots of pictures. You probably won’t ever look at them again (at least after you post them to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram), but you’ll be powerless not to. A stunning view awaits around every curve.
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Tuckered out
THE WHEELS: It’s easy to be lulled to sleep in the cavernous backseat, and although our small boy didn’t need it, the extra legroom afforded by the long wheelbase would be much appreciated by chauffeur-driven types. It’s heavy, at 2125 kg, but we’re reminded of its more than respectable acceleration in some light city traffic thanks to that low-end diesel grunt.
THE JOURNEY: It’s back to the mainland for us, and we’re more careful this time with ferry times. Sad to leave, but already thinking about when we’ll be back.
WHAT TO DO: If you’re from away and get anywhere near Vancouver Island, don’t miss it. I’d put Victoria right up there with Quebec for the nation’s prettiest, most European, least hoser-ish city.
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Bridging the gaps
THE WHEELS: With the click of a button on the console, you can switch the suspension from standard to comfort or sport mode (or even Eco), which lets you custom-set your driving experience for a more relaxed feel, softer ride and lower shift points (with start/stop technology helping your fuel numbers) or raise the shift points and stiffen up the suspension for a little more wahoo. In Sport , you can even deactivate the traction control, although why you would is a mystery.
THE JOURNEY: I’m always enamored of bridges, since we have so few of them in my part of the country, and Vancouver is lousy with them, including the Port Mann Bridge from Coquitlam to Surrey, which carries the Trans-Canada across the Fraser River.
WHAT TO DO: Nerd out with a little bridge trivia. The Port Mann Bridge is cable-stayed using just two towers. It’s named after Sir Donald Mann, who with Sir William MacKenzie was co-builder of the Canadian Northern Railway. It’s currently the second-longest cable-stayed bridge in North America, second to the John James Audubon Bridge, which crosses the Mississippi and is the longest in the whole darn hemisphere.
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Chill out
THE WHEELS: We wind down the trip with a little more family time, and head inland to Chilliwack, about 100 km away. If you grew up in the 80s, you’re already humming My Girl (Gone Gone Gone), so you may as well embrace the vibe. It’s not the most exciting drive of the trip, but we do throw around the BMW enough to be reminded of its near-perfect weight distribution.
THE JOURNEY: Chilliwack, predominantly a working class/farming community, is about as flat as anything we saw in BC, except in the distance where the reassuring mountains beckon. It’s a little over an hour from Van, and if it weren’t for family there, we probably wouldn’t have bothered. And yet …
WHAT TO DO: Cultus Lake, just south of Chilliwack, is gorgeous. Camp, book a cabin or just go for the day and enjoy the forested mountain views from the crystal-clear water. In Chilliwack, you can embark on a self-guided farm and food tour that sends you to specialty farms, heritage sites and vendors in the area.
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Time well spent
THE WHEELS: We couldn’t have asked for better weather or a better companion for our West Coast adventure. The BMW 740Ld xDrive offers the ridiculous comfort level you would expect from its segment, its price and its manufacturer. An ideal family cruiser or executive runabout, it surprises us with its litheness. Even with a mere six-cylinder under the hood, tons of low-end grunt from the smooth-running diesel give it plenty of power.
THE JOURNEY: Our family-oriented vacation let us see a bit of everything, from the best sushi around in downtown Van to Whistler, to the quaint and lovely Victoria to the workaday city of Chilliwack. I wouldn’t like to have missed any of it.
WHAT TO DO: The best driving road of the trip was the Sea to Sky Highway. Whistler doesn’t differ much from every other ski/resort town you’ve ever been to, but here it is definitely about the journey, not the destination. If you haven’t been to Victoria yet, you must.
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