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E61 M5 - UK to Czech Republic

3K views 19 replies 11 participants last post by  zarnd1 
#1 ·
A week or so ago I left work to drive from the south east of the UK to go to the Czech Republic for a long weekend as my brother in law was getting married and I could also bring my wife and kids back home as well.

Normally we go in our Škoda as it is rather economical or the Range Rover previous to that.

This was pretty much my one opportunity to use the M5 to go there as I would be travelling out there on my own and it was not winter so didn’t have to worry about the roads as much.

I left work and my destination was



My fuel tank was empty but the cars mileage for the start of the trip was



I got to the Eurotunnel and there were 40 minute delays. I was hanging around by my car in the car park when someone who worked there said I could go through early. I did and got on a slightly earlier train



Normally we do the same route which is around 11-12 hours once we get off the train in Calais. For the last eight years we have been doing this the sat nav always suggests a different route which is an hour quicker so I thought I would try it. This meant being north of Frankfurt and Wurzburg and going through Dresden and Leipzig and dropping down into Prague. Great I thought, excited about driving the Touring and also a different route.

A couple of hours in and I stopped for a quick sleep. Please bear in mind I had been st work all week so was a bit tired when I started.



My first fuel stop was around Essen. I was sure I could squeeze a decent amount of mileage out of the tank with it being a tiny 60 litres but I managed a respectable 305.4 miles from my first tank



This was a sight that is familiar to us all [emoji23]



Decent consumption as well



Car rolled over 60,000 miles on the journey out



Next brief stop for sleep around Soest



Next fuel stop was in Naunhof. A little bit better than the previous tank, 305.8 miles from this one





After a nightmare journey and closed roads and diversions I finally crossed into the Czech Republic where my first stop was for a motorway vignette so I could use them. This was near Ústí Nad Labem






After the best part of 19 hours on the road I was only a few miles away from the in laws and seeing my kids for the first time in a week



First thing my daughter (who is 5) wanted to do was go karting. So after in packing the car we got straight back in it and another half hour drive to do some karting with her. The minimum age there was 6 but my wife had taken her earlier in the week and said she had done it before so they let her do it. We were lucky that we were the only ones there so got some great father/daughter time in the karts [emoji106] Also did the bobsleigh with both kids and then a bbq where the whole family came over to welcome me. A few beers later and I had a rather deserved sleep!

My brother in law got married and then it was time to come home the next day. But not before another round of go karting!

Filled up in the local town which is Chvaletice



Left and had a stop a couple of hundred miles later. Some people did double tales of the car until they realised it was real





Every time we stopped on the way back was early as my wife doesn’t like it when I run the tank right down and it is a bit of a risk with the kids as well. We used my e39 M5 years ago before we were married and went to the ring and then back into France and stayed at Deauville where he fuel Range read - - - and we nearly ran out.

Didn’t really use cruise control on the way back and sat at around 80-90 the whole way back.

My wife admitted how good the car was and was the most comfortable out of all of the ones we have. I love it and fuel consumption can be sensible for what the car is.

Another stop in Germany on the way back. We had to come off the motorway as there were no signs and the fuel warning light was on so my wife was getting nervous [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]





Our train was at 0620 but I knew there was an 0440. I pushed as hard as I could. One more fuel stop, then 20 minutes later we had to stop again for an oil top up. I was prepared and carry two cans in the boot so could nip out and do it. When I stopped for oil a Belgian man came up to me and asked if it was real, could he video the car and me revving it for him. Had it not been half two in the morning and my kids were asleep in the car I would have done it, but I had a train to catch. We had to be there at the latest of 0420 to get on the earlier train. We got there at 0416 and were checked in to our normal 0620 train! I drove round the car park and found someone who said we could go early so we got the 0440 in the end.




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#2 ·
My windscreen took a hit on the motorway and was cracked from one side to the other



We got fuel when we got off the train to get home



As we drove mostly through the night there weren’t that many flies



Seven stops for fuel and 6.25 tanks used



End mileage



Computer data for the trip



Total amount my of fuel purchased was around £527. Still had just over three quarters of a tank left.

I was a bit tired but made a call to my detailing guy. He used to work for me but left to start his own detailing business and seems to be doing very well. He shot over that afternoon and gave the car a wash







Brilliant car and nearly faultless. After our last German fuel stop the sat nav screen cut out twice and restarted itself both times but a bit of a concern. Other than that the car ran faultlessly. I did run over a hare when we left Czech and although no visible damage when the car was being cleaned we noticed the bumper has cracked. Repairable but a pain.

Can only recommend these cars for a long trip!

Cheers


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#3 ·
Great post

Great story

Great car

Would love to do a road trip in my saloon and do a cruise across europe like that. Just have to find an excuse. And good to see a positive post on the forum, i was half expecting to read a nightmare problem half way there or back......but no great reliable car!

Jamie
 
#6 ·
Amazing write up and journey! Well done!
 
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#8 ·
Thanks guys. It was a very enjoyable, if short, trip. 1711 miles to be there for two and a half days before coming back home [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


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#10 ·
Thanks for sharing. We use our m5 for 1000+ road trips all the time.




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#14 ·
Really? Always thought it was 60 and have. Never managed more than 60 litres into mine. Interesting. Still needs to be a 100 litre tank.

Cheers


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#17 ·
Nice write up. Love reading these travel stories.
 
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#20 ·
I have only ever seen three others since I have had mine. One in the UK, one in Germany and one in the Czech Republic in the next town over.

Cheers


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