There may be a better driving road in the world that the stretch of the A87 from Invergarry to Kyle of Localsh onto the Isle of Skye in the Western Highlands of Scotland but I haven’t yet found it. Curves to make Betty Page blush; vistas to stun even the most jaded CGI devotee; tarmac of a quality rarely seen in the States. With one caveat: The road is about the width of an average American suburban bathroom. (And I won’t mention the caravans.) It’s a drive that begs for a spirited car, one at once nimble yet contained, sprightly yet composed, and…well, manageable for Americans, in the sense of that whole right-hand drive thing, you know. And while I look at the local fella blasting along in his Aston Martin Vanquish with both envy and amazement (envy because Aston and Bond and sound and beauty; amazement because the car is as wide as a school bus), for those of us not from around these parts something a bit more compact is in order. And before you wisenheimers go shouting “Lotus Lotus Lotus!,” I hasten to point out the conveyance needed to swallow 12-days’ worth of luggage for both me and Dreamy Wife, as well as the inevitable spoils of commerce a vacation collects. What to drive?
Fortunately, Avis in Glasgow had just the ticket: A brand-new petrol-powered BMW 118i, which had the attractions of being quick (enough), handling brilliantly, practical to swallow our stuff, familiar in a familial way (we’re BMW fans), with the added benefit of being forbidden fruit to those of us from the Colonies (and thus novelty). It is, to be sure, what BMW classifies as “basic transportation,” but it’s basic transportation in the entry-level-luxury-aspirational sense, with the genes of the folks who make the M3 Coupe parked in my garage (and my soon-to-be M4 Coupe currently on a ship somewhere in the Atlantic). As one of the last lightweight, rear-wheel-drive BMW 1-series cars (they’re soon to go front-wheel-drive) , the 118i seemed the perfect companion for the trip. Thanks, Avis, I’ll take it!
A hard and fast rule I attempt to follow when I’m renting a car outside the US is to pick one that’s not available at home, either a brand (like Citroen or Peugeot or Seat) or a model (like the little BMW here). The BMW 1-series is one such “forbidden fruit” for us in the States. While the market for small, premium cars holds its own (thanks, Mini!), BMW and others haven’t allowed us SUV-loving Americans to have many of the cool little hatchbacks common in Europe. Thus, the 1-series, Audi A3 hatchback, and their kin have been off limits aside from in the pages of car enthusiast magazines. The opportunity to sample one of these little devils was golden.