Seville to Stansted in a soft top
Motoring editor Peter Carroll recently made a 1,800 mile journey from sunny Jerez, near Seville, to Stansted via Dover, to put the BMW 120i SE soft top through its paces.
Motoring editor Peter Carroll recently made a 1,800 mile journey from sunny Jerez, near Seville, to Stansted via Dover, to put the BMW 120i SE soft top through its paces. Check out his pics from the trip!nextpage
Pete's journey took him through the winding streets of Seville to the regions of Caceres and Salamanca. A quick stop near the snow-capped Pyranees shows the 120i in all its glory. Pete says: "There's often more than a touch of 'hairdresser' about a soft-top but the design team has worked hard to give the 1 a muscular look."nextpage
Peter stretches his legs after navigating his way around the twisting mountain roads of rural Spain. "The 1 handles well for a soft-top with less flexing than other cabrios and decent driving dynamics, as we found when we took a detour in Navarre, near Pamplona, to drive along some superb, deserted roads in the foothills of the Pyrenees."nextpage
The route took Pete and his co-driver through Bourg, the northern-most extremity of the Bordeaux wine area on the South Coast of La Rochelle, where they stopped to watch Wales beat France in the Six Nations grand slam match.nextpage
Another stop in La Rochelle, France, this time near the harbour. Pete says: "The fabric soft top can be retracted or put up at speeds of up to 30mph - which is very useful if you get caught in a rainstorm, as we eventually did! The procedure is electronic and takes 22 seconds."nextpage
At Calais, Pete discovered a novel way to remember where he parked the car - slot it near a Beetle with an enormous Red Bull can on the back!nextpage
Stocking up on Bordeaux wine at Calais - a good opportunity to test the BMW's boot space! "You get a decent 260 litres even when the roof is down," says Pete. "And there's plenty of room in the back, which was a pleasant surprise."
