Everyone loves driving fast cars. There is rarely any car enthusiast who won’t get a high by shifting gear paddles, redlining the engine and squeezing the last drop of bhp possible from the motor. As an auto journalist, we have driven a fair number of cars in the country. These include the best in terms of performance, handling and even fuel efficiency. Of course, we get many duds to drive too but then its part and parcel of the profession.
A quick vote of the best handler in the country and BMW sweeps away all the votes unanimously. It is their sheer character which makes them the best when it comes to performance and handling. I might not share the same opinion when it comes to their interiors but then I am too young to spend my time ogling premium feeling interiors of competition cars instead just settle in the driver’s seat and take it for a spin to enjoy its famous performance.
Thus, I was very quick to accept BMW’s Driving Experience plan in Maisach. This has to be one of the most interesting places I have ever driven in my life. A former airport has been converted into 130 hectares of driver training ground. Initially house to military and civil aircrafts, this vast landscape is now BMW’s training centre to train drivers face different challenges as well as prepare them to tackle emergency situations.
Anyone who has been to Germany will agree that it is a cold country. Precision is a universal code everywhere be it the coffee vending machine or these mammoth monsters. Even people residing here will not indulge in any sort of extra conversation unless need be so. After a scrumptious breakfast at Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, we headed to their Driver Academy in Maisach.
Materialistic pleasure is not good as some say but then they haven’t seen a line up of M3 and M4s parked along with a host of other performance cars like the 3 Series M edition etc. Before we could let the kid in us jump out and start fiddling with these cars, the good people at the academy gave us a technical briefing. This briefing included many aspect of mundane driving which we fail to pay attention. From something as basic as the proper steering holding technique to the exact scheme of behaviour in emergency situations, all the minute details of everything were properly highlighted.
After making sure, we have understood each and every word of our trainers; we were finally made to drive 3 Series M edition cars on this test track. The instructors had prepared different set of challenges to practically explain everything taught to us during the theory training.
Each challenge taught us new things. The slalom challenge taught us how to manoeuvre the vehicle quickly across cones. This helped us learn how to better our reflexes and steer the vehicle swiftly without touching the cones. Then it was emergency braking. We were made to brake after travelling at a high speed in front of a cone. The nearer we got to the cone, more points we scored. We were also taught how to steer the vehicle away from the obstacle in front. Even manoeuvring the car during oversteer and understeer was taught to us. With the correct input and steering control, it seemed easy.
The driving experience was fantastic but then BMW also took us on a trip down the history lane. We were made to experience BMW’s historic museum which has cars that made the brand a cult to concepts which take technology to the next dimensions. There were many one off concepts which not many have seen. It was an enthusiast’s dream come true.
This was also followed by a detailed plant visit showcasing how these masterpieces are made. The precision with which these guys make cars is truly inspirational. Above all, words can merely describe this amazing experience and BMW was kind enough to make sure we enjoy every bit of it.
