[thompson134]

After several months of lockdown and a heavy work schedule, the driveway ornament finally got a chance to dance like a mountain goat. Six months I slipped by since i picked up the keys to the Brute, in that time I have only managed to cover 1,500 miles, 600 of those coming on a run from Newcastle to Cambridge and back in 3 days. So opportunities to familiarize myself with the car have been very few and far between. But at long last the planets finally aligned and I had the opportunity to take the car out on its first proper run over the weekend. I choose an old faithful route, one which compromises every type of driving situation, challenge and road type. I really like this route as it really allows you to dial into the car, quickly learning its capabilities. Starting from Newcastle, we headed west across the A69 to Haydon Bridge, joining the A686 Hartside Pass, before dropping down to Penrith, across the A66 to Keswick, looping down past Derwent Water on the B5289 to the tight, twisty challenging Honister Pass (challenging only by virtue of the poor decision making of other drivers) through Buttermere linking up with the B5292 past Winlatter Forest back to Keswick. From there heading north on the A591 to Bothel before heading back up the A595 to Carlisle and across the A69 back to Newcastle. Total trip of 210 miles with enough miles on each type of road to get a real true picture of a car. It is very easy on this route to find the positives and negatives of any car, by the end you feel 100% honed in.

However, the biggest takeaway was just how blessed we are, if lockdown has proven anything it’s the realisation of the simple things we all took for granted, it’s easy to become focused on the bad things in life, the struggles and hassles. But the one thing we have always had was our freedom, the ability to go where we want, when we want. Fill up a tank and off you go. I have been longing to get out there for a nice drive, some like to play Golf, others like to go to the football, for me it’s the escapism, jumping into a car, and seeing where the road takes you, it’s the planning, concentration, getting that perfect line, getting the car into a great flow, managing that weight distribution, power and picking that perfect overtake.

As for the car, I have a late 2019 G01 X3 M40D. As it was now nicely run in I was able for the first real time to fully explore this great machine to its full. I have already been deeply impressed at this car breath of ability but this was to be its ultimate test. What I love most about this route is that it slowly increases, dual carriageway sections filter into flowing single carriageway, which turns into more tight and twisty roads that increases with intensity. It allows you to progressively explore the car more and more. As the miles ticked by the Jekyll and hyde nature of the M40D really became apparent. From a hushed, sedate cruiser on the dual carriageways it slowly started to come alive in my hands, as it progressed across the Hartside pass. The car doing an amazing job at hiding its 1.9ton mass, turn in was crisp and sharp, the suspension damping at 7/10ths close to perfection. Torque and power superbly matched, as you’d expect of a car pumping out 326ps and 680nm. After crossing the summit of the Hartside you then descend across several miles of glorious smooth tarmac, the road opens slightly, with lovely open medium curves, you are able to attack this section, feel the car moving slightly all the while staying perfectly legal. The M40D danced through these sections like a mountain goat, showing a keenly driven Fiesta ST a clean pair of heels. For anyone familiar with a Fiesta ST you’ll know that these can be one of the best English B road cars, for a 1.9ton SUV to not only outperform but out corner shows just want an amazing machine BMW have produced.

After the excitement of the Hartside, your thrown along a flowing section of the A66 across to Keswick. In an instant, the Fiesta ST baiting SUV relaxes back into a refined cruiser, slipping into Eco Pro the coasting feature easily tots up an extra 5 miles. After a lap around Keswick you head down towards the Honister Pass and one of the true great scenic majesty in the UK. The road suddenly tightens to a single carriageway with few passing points. Unfortunately, there is no avoiding the onslaught of campervans and ditsy drivers. The road snakes up across the fell with a gradient of 1 in 4 in places. Speed limited by other said drivers to 10 – 15mph. But that doesn’t matter for the sheer beauty of the landscape, getting better and better with each turn. It was here that the relative narrowness of the M40D at 1984mm comes into its own, the elevated driving position, the ability to place the car exactly where you want, despite the constant fear of the low profile 21” slipping off the road or scraping against the rocks and boulders that litter the path ahead. You then head down across to the lovely village of Buttermere, before rising again and skirting the lovely Crummock Water, overlooking onto Mellbreak. The all-round superb visibility of the M40D paying extra tributes to be able to fully immerse in the scenes laid out in front of your eyes.

Once looped back over to Keswick you then head north, cutting across the A591, the road progressively comes tighter, narrower but retains a wonderful flow. For the Lake District this road is often slightly trafficked, allowing you to once again engage sports individual, with maximum attack from the engine, gearbox but retaining the comfort suspension. This setting perfectly suiting the car in these climates. 2nd, 3rd and 4th are the gears of choice, the ASD mimicking the tones of a V8. Some people positively detest this feature, I for one love it. ASD adds an extra dimension to party, the sound encouraging you to spin the revs to 5k, the power remaining linear and continuous. The road suddenly breaks free of the narrowness and feeds into an open delight, slipping the car into adaptive calms the attack and your transported back into a world of rapid progress with all the comfort and luxury one needs. The final part of the journey takes you back across Carlisle and over the A69 back towards Newcastle. The M40D easily dispatching of cars and lorries as they menander up and over the hills before opening up again to a dual carriageway for the final 30 miles home. Allowing the driver and car time to reflect on the previous 180 miles whist basking in the fact that we have consumed less than ¼ of a tank and averaged a shade over 40MPG. Sure there are more exciting cars out there, sure one would love to be in a Lotus Elise, Alpine A110 or 992 GT3. Even an X3 M40i, M3, M4. On there day, in certain sections they’d be more fun, engaging but would they be any faster, more enjoyable, better all-rounders, simple answer would be no. The G01 X3 M40D is one of the true great BMWs of today, devilishly rapid, smooth, comfortable, perfectly sized and when you want it amazingly economical and then at the drop of a hat a sports car baiting delight. I had become slightly concerned about the driveway feature of late, the lack of use and high personal cost but in one small 5hr window on a slight overcast Sunday I was reminded of what luxury we have. Hopefully, this will encourage others to put some time aside one weekend, fuel up the car and pick out one of your best driving routes. We may be in the midst of uncertainty and worry but do yourselves all a huge favour and enjoy the opportunities and beauty of the UK, now has never been a better time to soak it all up, all in the knowledge of remaining COVID safe, isolated in your own bit of luxury and hard work

[vampire81]

the G01 looks good in white.
more photos please!

[spangle1980]

Bloody awesome write up. Love the pictures too. That last one, is really a two way? I mean, where the hell do you go if something comes the other way :-|

Like the bit about the ST too. I had fun with one of those, I was actually behind on a very twisty turny fast road; I can only imagine his WTF when over a period of a couple of miles I gained considerably. Quite surprising how reactive the car is in proper sport mode.

[clivem2]

Great write up!!!

@spangle1980 I'm sure it's 2-way. You should see Hardknott pass...much narrower. When you drive over a crest you can't see which way the road goes next - invariably it's left or right as straight down is too steep. Making the correct choice can be gamble.

[teaston]

TLDR

Great car choice though!

[Admiral]

Great report, it is so good my Estate Agent would be proud of

[383vett]

Good write up. Car looks great.

[willjames]

Nice write up, very detailed. Car looks great in white

[abhidada]

A (proper all rounder) Bimmer owner oozing poetry and prose! You sir are a gift to mankind!

[Bristle Hound]

Great write up & great colour choice