I was set with the challenge of helping a family member move 853km south of Dublin. To be exact, they were moving to another country altogether, France. Just far enough to get away from Dublin City and it’s rising traffic/health/political/social issues but not so far as to be completely removed from society. France called and said they had a low cost of living, high quality food & air and weather that couldn’t be beaten. North of Bordeaux and South of Cognac, Chevanceaux, with a population of just under 2,000 people, was to be our destination.
The vehicle with the task of moving a household worth of luggage was the BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer, a highly competent MPV. It was about to be put to a test, which would not only show the car for what it was but importantly what it was really made of.
Most cars in this class are fully capable of going to the shops and picking up children from school. Where the others fall behind is when they’re tasked with chores that don’t come along often but when they do, really show you where your money is going.
Having packed up two cars in Dublin, the Gran Tourer easily handled the load it was given. Of the two cars involved in the move, one car had household things like kitchen ware, an overnight case for a ferry, and it also had two dogs, a cat and their accompanying belongings.
The Grand Tourer had luggage containing clothes, kitchen ware, two big boxes of books (I’m buying my aunt a kindle for Christmas!), and other necessary bits and pieces. Packing was made easy with the flat folding rear seats in the GT. With a wide open luggage bay, 720 litres of space and a rear bench which slides forwards, a copious amount of room is available.
With a last minute check of everything, the house in Dublin was locked up and we set out on our way to Rosslare for the ferry at 9:30pm. Attempting to miss the Friday rush hour traffic, we hit the road running at 3pm to give us more than enough time to get there without too much stress. Arriving at Rosslare we soon discovered it’s lack of amenities, there’s a capable SuperValu just beside the docks, a petrol station, a few B&B’s but that’s pretty much it. Knowing that the prices on board Ferries are pretty extreme considering their captive market, I loaded up on some food to get us through the crossing without having to spend a fortune on board. After loading up, we headed down to the docks to join the queue for boarding.
Having pets meant that we were assigned a specific lane and once on board were directed to the kennels on the upper car deck. Grabbing our bags and the dog & cat we settled them down for the trip. It helped that the vet had prescribed some valium to ease the stress of the strange environment and travel in general. The cat had the cattery to herself and the dogs were in fully subscribed kennels.
We were very lucky with the crossing considering the two big storms that had recently battered everything in their wake. It was smooth sailing and we headed to the overpriced restaurants for a late meal. During the crossing we were allowed access at predetermined times to visit the kennels. The dogs were comfortable in their kennels, we were allowed to take them out for a small walk around to relieve themselves in makeshift areas. Cleaning up after them where we could, we loaded them back into the kennels and repeated 3 more times before the crossing ended.
Landing at Cherbourg we needed to let the dogs out for a run and apply the headlamp converters for France. Once on the motorway, it became clear there was a problem with the second car. It was loosing power and we weren’t going to make our planned first overnight stop of Nantes. We were just outside of Rennes and had to make alternative plans as it was clear my aunt’s car wasn’t going much further. A quick bell to the Campanile call centre was met with a friendly bon soir and within a few minutes they’d found us a hotel for the night nearby which accepted pets with a €5 supplement per pet. We were calling it a day, tired and a little frustrated we needed a nights sleep to plan our next step the following day.
Sunday, not a day where much is open in France, let alone a garage. Another call, this time to the AA in Ireland and a transfer to their European call centre. We were helpfully put in touch with a tow truck who would get the car to a Hyundai garage. The call out charge on the phone was €210. When he arrived, he halved the costs to the relief of my aunt.
And so, the biggest game of Tetris I’ve ever played was taking place in the Gran Tourer while the mechanic and my aunt worked out logistics. The remaining important pieces of luggage from my aunts car, now had to be transferred to the BMW. This included the most precious cargo, the pets.
As well behaved as they were, I wasn’t taking any chances with the seats, the back seat was covered in towels and the pets set up in their individual places. The boot had pockets of space and was rearranged to accommodate everything. I was delighted it fit everything in easily but was a bit worried how it would affect the handling with so much extra weight on board. I needn’t have been concerned. The Gran Tourer is it’s name, and thoroughly in it’s nature. It was brilliant. Handling and dynamics were barely affected. It went. And went. And went. It didn’t complain once. It pulled that entire load as if it were going on a regular Sunday drive and not an 853km epic house move.
Because our first stop was a lot earlier than we had hoped, the remainder of the journey was now a 4 hour ‘jaunt’ away. A couple of rest stops thrown in for good measure, and 405km later we arrived fresh as a daisy in Chevanceaux. No sore backs, necks, arms or legs. Not a bother. I was already looking forward to the return journey a few days later. Knowing full well that I could count on the GT to not only get me there but that I wouldn’t have to endure unnecessary physical complaints due to being sat in the same position for 6 hours.
With my aunt set up in her cosy new digs, I set off on the return journey few days later. Having had quite the experience, I was impressed with how well the 2 Series Gran Tourer accomplished this mission. It’s one of those things that makes you forever hold a car in high regard. Like the time a car got you through floods or it started when you really really needed it to. When I needed it the most, The GT came through in spades.
Special mention : Ability to handle everything thrown at it.
Needs work : Outward impression v’s inward style. May not stand out from the crowd looks wise but by god is it talented. Needs more USB’s. Who uses 12v chargers? Simplify i Drive menu’s. One too many steps to access content within iDrive menu.
Specs:
| Max Power 150ps | Diesel / Auto |
| 0-100 kph in 9.5s | Road Tax €190.00 |
| Price €36,950 starting price | Economy 54.3 mpg (on board data) |