running report
BMW 745Le xDrive MSport
PHOTO: GERRARDS
Lockdown learning! Paul Webb
I
SUSPECT LIKE MANY OF OUR CHAUFFEUR
readers, my car has basically been an expensive driveway ornament during lockdown. But even if the mileages are limited, it’s at least a chance to get behind the wheel on the driveway and explore some of the car’s features that you know exist, but you probably haven’t had the time to learn how to use. And the BMW 745Le has plenty of them. As the February snow came down, I decided to set the car’s defrost and warm-up feature using the key and the timer. It’s actually very simple, and with a bit of planning you could be setting off to your first client on a winter’s morning without the usual cold hands and suit covered in snow scrapings. Of course, cold hands are soon warmed with the heated steering wheel, heated arm rests and of course heated seats, front and rear. Winter warmers, indeed. In these odd times, your old service of a newspaper, bottled water and magazines will probably be replaced by a tube of hand sanitiser, face masks and wipes. We have been using a Highly recommended Covid-fighting pack that contains all the essentials and very handily fits
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perfectly in the storage box in the rear arm rest. Better still, it’s been put together by a chauffeur company, and is selling under the name of PPE Company Care. Even better, you can order it via the Professional Driver online shop, at www. prodrivermags.com/store/ Back to the technology! With clients in the car,
BMW 745Le xDrive MSport £87,680
PRICE VED BAND WARRANTY
C 36 months / unlimited mileage
performance ENGINE 3.0l inline, 6-cyl, petrol w/electric motor
8-speed steptronic, AWD 394hp TORQUE 600Nm COMBINED FUEL ECONOMY 134.5mpg CO2 EMISSIONS 52g/km ZERO EMISSIONS RANGE 32-34 miles TRANSMISSION POWER
dimensions LENGTH WIDTH HEIGHT WHEELBASE LOADSPACE
5,260mm 1,902mm 1,479mm 3,210mm 420 litres
using the voice recognition commands was pretty much a non-starter but the system is actually very good. After a short amount of practice, simple commands on navigation making calls and controlling what radio station you listen to become so much easier by just asking. It’s safer too, as your hands stay on the wheel, and you can use it to your heart’s content when there’s just you in the car. It’s good to have a sit in the back and familiarise yourself with the rear seat tech too. It’s a comfortable place for your client, but you can make it even better by running through some of the features they might not realise are there. There’s a massage facility from their heated seats. And there’s a clever tablet that unclips from the arm rest. This lets them control the cabin entertainment, from the screens where they can watch tv, follow the sat-nav or listen to the radio or their own music from their smartphone. It seems a shame that so many clients never really get to grips with what the car can offer to make their journey more pleasurable. The BMW745Le is London ULEZ-compliant, its running costs are comparable with a 740Ld, and you can buy it now. OK, work may be scarce at the moment, but when it comes back, and it will in the second half of the year, nobody is going to want to be seen in a diesel.
FEBRUARY 2021
