Once at JFK you need one of these...a BMW 650i Convertible

When you have spent the last 7 hours in a large business class seat crossing the Atlantic you need a special type of vehicle to continue your travels.

What better way to do this than with the latest BMW 650i convertible!

Having spent more than 7 hours in the latest British Airways business class seat I wasn’t too sure about jumping straight into a new car and driving over 100 miles to my destination in south Pennsylvania. It wasn’t the distance but more the thought of having the keys to a brand new $100k motor and having to find my way out of JFK, through the metropolis and out on the open road.

First impressions where good once I got the drivers door open. It’s nothing complicated and I put it down to all the travelling I had done….being used to right hand drive and being in a bit of a rush I first walked up to the right hand door! Quickly realising my mistake I made it look like I was checking the car over just in case anyone in the office was watching!

Open the driver’s door and along with that new car smell you are met with that typical BMW dash that curves towards the driver.

Navigating in a new city is bad enough especially when it is dark and the rush hour(s) have started. Having been travelling for over 14 hours and not one for instructions I pressed the start button and fired up the sat-nav. The iDrive is a relatively simple system to use even without reading the manual (I found it two days later in the boot!). Once the destination was set and the route calculated I fired up the V8 engine and headed for the car park exit barrier.

The 650i glides very easily on all road surfaces and with the 360hp engine I was soon nipping through the traffic and heading for the numerous bridges that take you towards New Jersey. After a few tweaks on the electricly adjustable seat I was soon feeling comfortable and relaxed even though all around me outside cars where bumper to bumper in the traffic chaos, heading home after a hard day at the office.

My saviour in this mission to drive such an expensive car out of New York was the Head Up Display, every car should have one. It makes life so much easier as your eyes never have to leave the road ahead. Your speed and navigation instructions appear a car’s length ahead of you  with smart animations showing the countdown instructions  for junctions – very useful around the complex road networks of NYC,  especially in a brand new $100k car you have just been given.