Cars today are so capable that it is sometimes really hard to explore everything they can do on public roads, and without putting yourself or others in harm’s way. So when BMW offered us the opportunity to attend their Snow&Ice Driving Experience, trying out some of their M cars in a novel setting, I jumped at it before they could even finish the invitation. And now you get to join me while I relive some of that!
It takes place on the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds, a state of the art facility close to Wanaka, on the South Island. So, after a quick flight to Queenstown, I was on my transfer to the accommodation. It was the first time I had someone I didn’t know waiting for me at the airport (with a sign and everything), so talk about getting that special treatment! The destination was the Millbrook, a beautiful golf resort close to Arrowtown, filled with amenities and surrounded by the prettiest scenery. I did the check in to both the hotel and the event, got to know some of the crew, have a few nibbles and then head to my room.
The Deluxe accommodation was very comfortable and spacious, with a bathroom and a toilet, a very big and comfy bed and plenty of room to kick back and relax. It was very well set up for those enjoying a cold weather getaway, with open storage spaces, a fireplace and a hot tub. I slept very well despite the anticipation for the next day, and went to one of their restaurants for breakfast the next morning. In my Brazilian culture, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and there Millbrook delivered oh so much.
To make our way up the mountain, we were treated with a luxury limousine service that BMW cars at their disposal, courtesy of the brand themselves. My choice was the familiar X7 M60i, but it only went so far, as the final part of the climb was done by Snow Bus. There, I had the last row entirely to myself, something always helpful when you’re jumping from side to side to get the best shots of the mountains as the sun was starting to rise. Not long after that, we got the first view of our playground for the day on the horizon.
The SHPG has everything you could ask for when testing cars over the white stuff. There are different kinds of tracks, surfaces and even accommodation, so very often brands will use this place to introduce “a second winter” to the year in their development cycles. And, of course, there is a view that’s hard to beat. So, on to the cars in question: for the activities of the day, we have the X3 M40i and the M3, both in Sedan and Touring form, all running Bridgestone Blizzaks, which was an important element to keep us on track there.
And learnings started quite early: we kicked off with a challenge to stop from a 50km/h drive in a box of cones, to learn how to judge how braking distances are affected by the slippery surfaces. After that, we changed from brakes to gas, doing three runs on a slalom course, first with all assistances on, then on M Dynamic Mode, and lastly with all nannies off, just so we could gauge how much work the car is actually doing behind the scenes (spoiler alert: it’s a lot).
The new M3 is now all wheel drive, and when powering the four wheels, it makes easy work of maintaining a predictable trajectory by cutting down power and braking individual wheels when necessary. The M mode gives you a bit more rope, so you can start using more of the throttle to steer the car, bringing a great balance between the fun you can have while still having a safety net to catch you. This safety net then leaves once you go “everything off”, and then you have to be ready to catch the oversteer when it happens.
After finding out how hard it is to keep these cars under full control on the snow, they humbled us even further with a hotlap with Mike, instructor extraordinaire. His ability to command the M3 over the bends and make slight corrections while having a normal conversation while the car goes 150km/h sideways, was absolutely impressive. It also highlighted how much it is about subtlety and smoothness in these situations.
Just in time for lunch! We went back inside where a buffet was waiting for us, and I was torn between going for seconds versus being the first on the snow for the next activities. By this time, the wind was blowing strong, and delivering on the forecast of rain. This, alongside the cars driving there on the morning, led to many icy patches that quickly recalibrated the confidence I had built during the morning time. Even with the snow tyres, driving on ice is no joke, and even walking around the cars on to swap drivers on those conditions was a struggle.
We did a barrel race where I got second place, beat by someone that ended up becoming a mate by the end of the day, and then it was time for the most fun activity of the whole event: Motorkhana. It was our opportunity to put everything we had learned to the test, mixing acceleration, braking, drifting and steering control to try and make it around the snowy course as quickly as possible.
Once all activities were finished, we had a get-together to crown the quickest motorkhana driver (not me, unfortunately), have a group photo taken and enjoy the closing ceremony. Looking to check on the view at every step, we boarded the Snow Bus once again and made our way down the mountain. During the ride back, I was let know that the flight back home, which I was supposed to board just a few hours after that, had actually been affected by a weather event in Queenstown. That meant my flight got rescheduled to the day after, in turn allowing me to spend an extra night at the great Millbrook hotel, and be at there for the attendee dinner. It was a great opportunity to connect with the other people BMW had invited, share some interesting stories and have more amazing food. I can now confirm this is the first time having a flight be cancelled made the trip way better.
However, something else this cancellation made was for the process of checking out and returning to real life hurt even more, but eventually I had to come back to Auckland. I’ll miss the hospitality and the mountainous backdrop, but now when we’re back into a BMW car for a review, I’ll know they are very capable not just on the tarmac.
Thank you so much, BMW Australia and New Zealand, for the amazing opportunity, and thank you for reading! Check our Instagram for more pictures and a reel on this event!
Some pictures are courtesy of BMW Media
