2004 BMW 545i 6-Speed Road Test

Slicing Through Thin Air in BMW's Time Machine

I hate to admit it, but not too long ago I actually drove faster than the posted speed. OK, I know what you're thinking.

Late for an international flight, good thing I had a 6-speed manual, V8 powered 545i at my disposal. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press)

That irresponsible sod disregarding the very laws that make our country a safer place for man, woman and child, how deplorable! I know, I'm bad, but I had a good excuse. I was late for an international flight. Of course, this just happened to be due to the fact that I slept past my alarm, ahem.

But then again, it was early in the morning and the streets were almost barren. And I was tempted! Yes, I was tempted by one of the most viperous sirens an import car enthusiast could ever hope to resist, BMW's new 6-speed manual, V8 powered 545i.

OK, now you understand. Am I forgiven? Thank you. The road from my home to the airport starts with a long, straight four-lane boulevard that stretches horizontally across a plateau for a handful of miles, mountains on one side and ocean down the hill a few minutes on the other. Normally the left lane

In order to make my flight I had to turn the usual 45 minute drive to the airport into a brisk 15 minute trip. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press)

would be occupied by horribly thoughtless daydreamers, moseying along at the speed limit no less, without a care for impatient motorists coming from behind. This morning, however, the roadway was free of such clutter and therefore my pace, commensurate with a need to turn a 45 minute drive into 15, was more brisk.

The lights were in my favor, keeping my nerves less frazzled and velocity constant, the houses and trees whirring by at a decent clip. Passing another green light the road ahead bends to the left and downward as it reaches the end of the plateau, winding circuitously through lush greenery before arriving at a super-sized shopping center - the earmark of suburbia.