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Coast to coast in four-cylinder luxury liner
In the US, there are 12.000 McDonald's stores. About 10.000 Seven-Eleven gas stations and almost every corner there are prejudices that want to be refuted. Like the stupid idea of driving 6.000 miles across the US in a plug-in hybrid.
Day 1 - “it never rains in southern california”
It only became clear later that the rainy start in the dream factory, in lively LA, on the magnificent Santa Monica Boulevard was only the beginning of a winter storm in spring 2018. Of course, one would have preferred to photograph the 740Le xDrive in the warm, soft light of a sun slowly setting in the sea on the west coast. Instead, uncomfortable temperatures in the single-digit Celsius range and heavy rain. On the other hand, such frustrating weather only makes it easier to say goodbye to the big city that vibrates on 12 lanes until it comes to a standstill. Eastward for seven days. Alone in the seven-series BMW with only four cylinders. Why do you do this to yourself?
Driving away to find yourself
There should be people who drive from A to B just because they have to go to B. For me, driving is always a way to find inner peace. And no other country is better suited for a road trip than the USA. No other nation is so geared towards individual mobility by car. No other country unites a greater contradiction than this currently divided nation. But this is not intended to be an article about the division of this United States in the times of Trump. It is also not intended to be an article that portrays the coastal regions better than the "middle" of the USA.
Before I set off, I did not know what story it was going to be.
Starting point Santa Moncia Pier - actually a destination
Day 1 - The speedometer shows 3132 miles
Santa Monica Pier is officially the destination of Route 66. The wooden pier is a magical attraction for tourists. And as the end point of the legendary route across the USA, the jetty into the Pacific has a certain magic. On this day, January 8, 2018, it is unusually wet, it rains nastily in the North Sea manner and instead of a picturesque sunset atmosphere, the sky is not stingy with cloudy gray. Time to be on your way. Freshly arrived from Germany, a manageable distance of 230 kilometers should be sufficient on the first day of the trip. Even the longest journey begins with the first step. From Los Angeles the route leads me towards Las Vegas. However, I will leave out the sinful metropolis this time. Barstow is the destination halfway to Las Vegas.
With a plug-in hybrids through the US?
Seven days in a BMW seven. Sounds tempting. Seven days in a four-cylinder with electric auxiliary drive? Sounds completely different. And yet, precisely this renunciation of motor gluttony turns out to be an exciting challenge. In California they can charge e-cars - and the battery of the 740Le xDrive iPerformance is no challenge in LA. But what will the rest of the USA answer to my question about a power outlet? I suspect I know the answer even before I ask this question for the first time. It will therefore also be an efficiency trip with obstacles. A plug-in hybrid without sockets is only half as useful.
On the evening of the first day, 135 miles were driven, $ 10 for the first burger at Five Guys and an overnight stay at the Ramada Inn in Barstow. A socket for the seven? The friendly blonde behind the reception counter smiles strange. "This germans - always different".
From Barstow to Flagstaff in Arizona
Day 2 - Hildeguard is given a name
The second day on the road is marked by the ubiquitous insignia of the tourist route 66. Route 66 - let's be honest, who doesn't click their tongue and who hasn't dug up the country music playlist right away? Meanwhile, I got rid of the cumbersome name of the BMW 740 Le xDrive iPerformance and christened it Hildeguard. Because Hildegard fits the classic look of the large limousine. Light beige leather in the interior and the technology armada for the safety of the driver. Hence Hildeguard. The brake assistant saved me on day 1 when an old Ford pick-up was looking for alternative facts at the 4-way stop. Thank you Hildeguard.
It is hard to understand immediately that, of all things, a plug-in hybrid turns gas stations into travel's best friends. However, drivers of full-size pick-up trucks in the USA can only smile pitifully with a maximum tank capacity of 46 liters. And that you can continue to slide up to 50 km electrically, who does it help if the battery cannot be charged when starting the journey. Hildeguard gives the impression of being the wrong choice for this trip just when it gets lonely, between Amboy and Oatmen.
Traveling the US Interstates may feel like you have a Deja-vu on all 30 miles. The ever-recurring collection of gas stations, fast food restaurants and truck stops makes you feel trapped in an endless loop of boring road trip B-movies. But those who are off the beaten path may even feel as if they are traveling alone through the wild west on such a sacred site of road trip tourism as Route 66. And there are 50 miles to the nearest gas station a problem if you only have 30 miles remaining range.
Refueling stop 1 at 291 miles, refueling stop 2 at odometer reading 508 miles. The fact that you only fill up 10 gallons of fuel in this big car may irritate many - but after day 2 made an impression with a detour "back" to a gas station, after the second refueling stop, they no longer wait to refuel until Hildeguard screams "hunger". Then it would be better to pull out another $ 1 coffee a little earlier, stock up on 10 gallons and stretch your feet for a moment. Whereby, you can't actually do your time more comfortably than in Hildeguard's lap.
From Flagstaff to Amarillo
Day 3 - The winter storm caught up with me.
On this third day, after the Touri sites on the 66 route were ticked off the day before, we set off on a real road trip distance. 615 miles to Amarillo or 984 miles to the first real steak.
Unfortunately, there was no outlet for Hildeguard at the La Quinta Inn in Flagstaff. For this, the sevens must be freed of 3 centimeters of fresh snow in the morning of day 15. Thank you, dear "Winterstorm Inga".
To the east of Gallup there is an impressive weather spectacle. The almost endless expanses of the prairie show you what weather you can expect tomorrow. You can see it on the horizon. After 20 hours of pure driving time in the car, somewhere between New Mexico and Texas, overwhelming solitude overwhelms you. The vastness that can be seen seems almost surreal. After the impressive canyons in Arizona, New Mexico kills you with endless expanse.
Wind turbines as a sign of change
Ironically just before Texas suddenly pave hundreds of wind turbines on the prairie. A sign of change. While you're in a plug-in hybrid and you're always desperately looking for a power outlet. There's the other end of the socket, a pinwheel, a great icon image. Something's going on. Also in the USA.
In general: "The USA". With just two words, just six letters, you're doing an injustice to an entire country. There may be "the USA" on paper. But actually you have to talk about a country of differences, cultural contrasts, contradictions. Whereby one thing unites the people. No other country in the world shares my love for cars so much. Like this USA. Completely free from envy, you will get appreciative looks for your car. People get involved in a “small talk” without wanting to examine you beforehand. Even on a 7-day trip, alone in the sevens, you are not alone. Open the door, find a place that has coffee or burger or both and you are part of this nation. Thinking without limits, it can be so easy. And yet, it's so hard.
Drury Inn and Suites in Amarillo, of course there are no power outlets either. And if you want to eat a steak in Amarillo, you would rather choose something different than the Hoffbrau Steak & Grill House. No. I didn't mean to whine and complain. But if after 14 hours on the road, after 1.000 km, a 100 gram meat sample pack is sold as a main course, then you can crawl into your hotel room with two cans of Miller Lite and cry.
From Amarillo to Little Rock
Day 4 - meat, history and another 1.000 km on the road
When the winter storm on the third day over the New Mexico prairie was unable to keep up with Hildeguard's pace, he greeted me on the morning of day 4 with cold 2 ° and violent gusts of wind. A weather that would not send a dog outside the door. The pre-dinner steak experience is being processed by visiting "The Big Texan" in Amarillo and getting a 250 gram breakfast steak with two fried eggs. That's how Texas goes. That's how steak goes. That's how Roadtrip goes. That's how the USA goes.
On this day, 10 hours drive through the granary of the USA. Oklahoma has so few of us on the screen when it comes to holidays because there is nothing there. Nothing but land. Much land. Flat land. Land with fields. Land without fields. In between individual farms and huge grain silos. The right time to swap your own "BMWRT playlist" for the first time for an audiobook.
Those who orientate themselves on the original Route 66 will meet again and again the silent witnesses of a great hike. Buildings that are steeped in history right down to the foundations. Sometimes the patina is not particularly old, but if you don't allow yourself to be distracted, you will find evidence of a time that was different. Shaped by hope.
From Little Rock to St. Louis
Day 5 - no place for racism
After 1917 miles on the road, after 30 hours with Hildeguard, day 5 starts in Little Rock, Arkansas. Before I leave the city, once again to be able to charge without Hildeguard, I experience the spirit of a city that stands for change like no other. At Little Rock High School in 1957, African American youth went to the same school as white youth for the first time. Still, three years after the desegregation in the United States, it wasn't something that was taken for granted. The then governor of Arkansas had the National Guard deployed to prevent this. President Eisenhower eventually had to send the 101st Airborne Division into town to end the turmoil and give the nine students safe access to Little Rock High School.
For the rest of the day, Hildeguard and I, lost in thought, glide through the Mark Twain National Forest. A beautiful area. Small streets. Wonderful tracks, as made for the active 740 Le with all-wheel steering. How a big car can be so handy. It remains the secret of the BMW engineers.
From St. Louis to Chicago
Day 6 - The end of Route 66 is the beginning
On the sixth day of the road trip, only 298 miles or 477 km were on the program. Time to think about criticism of the BMW. Over 40 hours, over 2.300 miles, dismounted in 5 days. This can also be understood as a hardcore test. But Hildeguard, completely dedicated to the luxury segment, does not show any nakedness. Or hardly. Sure, those who set off in the dark in the morning, then use daylight and only arrive at their destination late after dusk, are wondering why the BMW technicians have not automated the brightness of the head-up display. So you adjust the brightness of the head-up display twice a day via the iDrive controller. During the day to maximum brightness, completely dimmed in the dark. Switching off is not an alternative, the head-up display has become too perfect. All the information you need, right in front of your nose, on the street. Perfect.
And also this one leather seam on the seat back. After more than seven hours a day, you either feel that this leather stitching is in the wrong place or your own butt is simply not compatible with Hildeguard's otherwise comfortable stools.
After 2.572 miles and 6 days, Route 66 comes to an end for me and Hildeguard in Chicago. It is actually the beginning. The road, which was actually 2.451 miles long, led from Chicago to the western United States since 1921. It was one of the first roads to be completely paved across the United States. “Route 66 as a simple, often winding and single-lane country road, as an important transcontinental link, has been unable to cope with the growing traffic over the decades. The route was constantly changed, bypasses were built, detours shortened or the entire route changed. Following the example of the autobahns that the ex-general and later US President Eisenhower (presidency 1953–1961) had got to know in Germany in 1945, Route 66 was gradually replaced by modern multi-lane, winding highways. On June 29, 1956, Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act, which contained an interstate highway system "(Wiki)
You should drive 7 days - to Detroit
Day 7 - The NAIAS in Detroit
It's a ridiculous 456 kilometers from Chicago to Detroit. A vacation day for Hildeguard. NAIAS 2018 is waiting for us in Detroit. But honestly: after this route, after this time, after these experiences, the largest and most important motor show in the USA this year is just a tired pastime. The novelties are limited. And actually, on the first morning in Detroit, I drive into the hotel garage. Back to Hildeguard. Because even when the seven days are over, of course it will continue. It must. After all, what is a road trip across the USA if you don't drive all the way to the east coast? Correct. Unfinished. And Hildeguard and I don't do half things. Day 7+ is waiting.
7 + 1 - The winter storm and the annual tires from Hildeguard
Winter tires are unimportant in California. In Pennsylvania in January, however, a good idea. The winter storm has got me cold, thanks to the two-night stay in Detroit. The 987 kilometers from Detroit to New York become the toughest test of the whole journey. And for the first time a kind of time pressure arises on this journey.
The return flight from New York is firmly booked. No delay planned. And yet, Hildeguard can rely on the xDrive all-wheel drive, on the long wheelbase of the L variant, and is definitely one of the safest representatives in its class. But at 100 km / h on freshly snow-covered interstates, the all-year-round tires from California give up.
For the first time, Hildeguard and I start to sweat. Trucks throw huge amounts of slush in front of Hildeguard's kidneys. We're rowing through lane grooves, letting the control systems of the ESP out of the computer brain on icy bridges and wondering what that's like in Pennsylvania. In January. If you had winter tires. New York disappears at dawn, 400 kilometers away, from our day's destination.
Bates Motel (supposedly a Quality Inn), is chosen for the cabin for the night. We rest. Hildeguard has to catch her breath. The all-year tires are to blame.
Day 7 + 2 - New York, New York
I have never been ...
6: 34 continues. Bates Motel offers breakfast, but Hildeguard has an order. She has to take me to New York on time. We can not afford another delay.
It stopped snowing. The interstate has been cleared. Hildeguard lets it fly. Cruise control 100. Not km / h, miles. The war chest for speed tickets is still full. We are on a mission. After a good 4 hours we reach New Jersey and the western tip of New York. It is time to face the facts.
After 66:55 hours together. After 3.514 miles together, once across the United States. Alone with Hildeguard, the boarding time for the return flight is getting closer. Hildeguard covered the grief with a success report. The average consumption since the rainy start in Santa Monica was 8.1 liters. 8.1 liters per 100 kilometers. I am proud of Hildeguard - I hide my sadness. I cover my pain of separation with a casual wave when I leave Hildeguard at the valet parking lot.