As impressive as the all-new 2019 BMW X7 xDrive40is 12.3-inch centre display screen is, it cant compete with the epic views of Howe Sound from the Sea to Sky Highway.Marley Hutchinson (Editor’s note: In the spirit of the summer road trip, we’re borrowing from the Travel section this week with a story about a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And don’t fret gearheads, there’s a sweet ride involved.)Call it the ultimate car-sharing experience.Two B.C. Fairmont hotels have teamed up with Sea to Sky Exotic Car Rentals to offer a memorable five-day road trip package called Life is a (Luxurious) Highway.That highway is the oh-so-scenic Sea to Sky linking Vancouver and Whistler, and is paired to perfection with the all-new BMW X7, a luxury sport utility vehicle purpose-built for road trips like this.The package includes a couple of nights at both the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver and Whistlers Fairmont Chateau in Gold Room accommodations with accompanying over-the-top pampering, an amazing drive up and down one of the worlds most scenic routes, and some seat time in the latest master werke from the exacting engineering minds of Bayerische Motoren Werke.The package name borrows from Tom Cochranes 1992 hit Life is a Highway, in which the Canadian rocker implores:‘Come ride with me to the distant shores,We won’t hesitate break down the garden gate,There’s not much time left today.’If that doesnt speak to the very nature of the quintessential summer road trip, I dont know what does. Throw in Luxurious to that mix and youve got a five-day adventure that will resonate with you for many summers to come (winters too). I was fortunate to do just that, and weeks later Im still humming the tune and thinking, Life is a highway, I want to ride it all night long.The Ride: BMW X7Its been 20 years since BMW launched its first X branded SUV, so its a bit of surprise it took that long for the German luxury automaker to enter the big-boy sport-ute marketplace, given that Range Rover, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac have had such offerings for years now. But as is so often the case with BMW products, the wait for the all-new X7 was worth it, as it takes all the best attributes of the X5 high-end cabin, clean exterior lines and excellent performance attributes melds them with the legendary 7 Series sedan ethos and super sizes them all (consider, for one, the BMW badge on the front grille had to be made bigger just to fit with the uber proportions). And so was born the ideal vehicle for the Life is a (Luxurious) Highway package.(The Fairmont) asked us to buy one for them, specifically for this package, says Sea to Sky Exotic Car Rentals owner Jonas Johmann, who also offers a number of supercars for his discerning clientele. The fact his business is located in the underground parking lot of the Fairmont Pacific Rim makes this partnership ideal for all involved. There are two versions of the 2019 X7 the six-cylinder xDrive40i and the eight-cylinder xDrive50i and Johmanns is the former, with a very fuel-efficient 3.0-litre engine producing a more-than-adequate 335 horsepower. How fuel efficient? On my drive up and down the Sea to Sky Highway, covering 268 kilometres, I squeezed a 9.7 L/100 km out of the twin-turbo beast.The Journey: Sea to Sky HighwayWhen you turn the corner where Highway 1 becomes the Sea to Sky Highway in West Vancouver, the view north of Howe Sound and the Coast Mountains is right out of a car commercial. Literally. The stretch between Horseshoe Bay and Britannia Beach has been the backdrop of countless commercials, and as the twisty road unfolds out the X7s front windshield, and surrounding mountain peaks through the SUVs gigantic panoramic sunroof, you yourself feel like your in a real-time car ad. And the X7 is perfectly cast in this role. While a two-seat roadster might very well be the perfect car for this iconic drive, the luxury SUV certainly rises to the occasion, with its sport sedan-like handling unwavering through the tighter twists on the undulating blacktop, its performance-tuned engine and seamless eight-speed gearbox providing more than enough power for the climbs, and its oh-so-well appointed and comfortable cabin a tranquil sanctuary from which to witness the wonders of the West Coast reveal themselves.Ive been driving this highway for nearly 30 years now, beginning with ski bum days coaxing VW Westfalias, Ford LTDs and Jeep Cherokees up and down the then-treacherous route, followed by piloting auto-journalist-era whips like Rolls-Royces, Porsches and supercars up and down the more stress-free, post-2010 Winter Olympics highway. And it never gets old.I can just imagine what it must be like for a first-timer, particularly one charting the course in a 2019 BMW X7 as part of the Life is a (Luxurious) Highway package.My only complaint? It was over too soon.The Destinations: Fairmont Pacific RimThe very essence of the summer road trip is that well-worn adage, Its the journey, not
Origin: Life in the Luxe Lane