Road Trip: 2008 BMW X5 4.8i
Story and photos by John LeBlanc
Mont Tremblant, Quebec - As the old Canadian joke goes, there are two driving seasons in this country: winter, and construction. Embracing -- rather than bemoaning -- winter behind the wheel of a car is the smarter and saner way to get from November to April.
During Life before Kids, for this driving enthusiast holding onto sanity through winter meant ice racing. For little money (and less skill), wonderful wintry weekends were spent bombing around in a clapped out Datsun 510, driving mostly sideways on a "road" course ploughed out of the frozen Lac Ste. Pierre de Wakefield, near Val des Monts, Quebec.
As many driving enthusiasts/parents can attest, Life after Kids can limit weekend hobby time. Big time. So after my first daughter turned six years old instead of speeding around frozen lakes when the snow started to fly, shortly I decided to accompany her and my wife on local ski slopes.
Learning to ski when one is 30-something is a bit daunting. Hurting one of my fellow skiers or my delicate pride were my two main concerns. Thankfully, my instructor was a bit of a car guy himself and when we got to the top of the hill before my first decent, he gave me some good advice.
"Just get down the hill like you're driving you're ice racer."
Just like in my 510. No sweat.
A winter road trip tradition is born
Ten years on and I still can't get down the ski hill with the efficiency and precision of my first born. But every year since, our family has made it a tradition of combining dad's past and present winter weekend hobbies with a road trip to ski at Mont Tremblant in the Laurentian Mountains, just north of Montreal, Quebec.
If you've ever stood at the top of Mont Tremblant's 875 metre summit (one of the tallest peaks in the Laurentians) when the wind is really blowing, you can appreciate the translation from French: trembling mountain.
Best known as a ski destination, Mont Tremblant also features a lake suitable for skating. In the summer months there are two golf courses in and of course, Circuit Mont Tremblant race track.
Driving there is half the winter fun
There are two primary ways to drive to Mont Tremblant from Ontario. If you want to take in a night in Montréal before hitting the slopes, from Toronto it's about a six hour drive east along four lane highways made up of Ontario Highway 401, which then turns into Quebec Autoroute 40. From there, Tremblant is a mere 140 km drive north along Autoroute 15, which becomes secondary Highway 117.
A shorter and more interesting route (and our family's choice for this trip mainly because we live there), is through Ottawa. This involves secondary two lane highways heading north from the nation's capital, crossing into la belle province at Gatineau, formerly Hull.
When you cross over to Quebec, just follow Highway 148 to Montebello for a little over an hour. If you've already spent the day driving up from Toronto, I highly recommend staying at the Fairmont le Chateau Montebello overnight. When snow is on the ground, the world's largest log-cabin resort offers extensive cross-country ski trails and a ski shop.
From Montebello, head north via secondary Highway 323 and you're only about 75 kilometres from Tremblant. It's here, as you begin your climb into the Laurentians, that the driving gets interesting. Especially the section between Lac-des-Plages and Brebeuf; A roller coaster stretch of road that will test the mettle of machine, driver, and even less-enthusiastic passengers (hint: bring the Gravol.)
Fewer people = packing pleasure
The first chairlift was installed at Mont Tremblant in 1939 but we've only been coming here for the past decade. Paramount in the travel planning has been the choice of vehicle. Is it big enough to handle passengers and the flotsam and jetsam of both winter clothing and ski kit? Can it handle potentially treacherous winter driving conditions? And perhaps most importantly, can it deliver an exciting drive?
The last time we did this road trip, our passenger and cargo requirements including two parents, our then two-year old daughter, her nanny, our teenage daughter and her best friend. Oh yeah, and skis and snowboards for six.
Needless to say, the Mercedes-Benz R-Class we drove was jammed to its headliner.
But this time, it was just the four of us. And our youngest had graduated out of her strollers, playpens and so forth. So despite the seven seat capacity of the 2008 BMW X5 4.8i at our disposal, we folded down the third row to make room for various overnight and sports bags and kept the skiing gear in the optional roof box.
The ultimate (winter) driving machine
As soon as we had crossed over into Quebec, the X5 4.8's drivetrain immediately impressed. When the second generation X5 was introduced a couple of years ago, the last model's 4.4-litre V8 engine has been upgraded to the newer 4.8L unit, with 35 more horsepower and 26 more pound-feet of torque for new totals of 350 hp and 350 lb.-ft.
After a quick stop at Parc Omega, a private nature reserve where you'll everything from buffalo to Alpine ibexes roaming the grounds, the BMW SUV was able to stretch its legs a bit.
With the standard six-speed automatic, this is one smooth drivetrain. Move the console shifter into Sport mode and the gears change in a snappy, aggressive nature that's near twin-cutch tranny quick. It blesses the X5 4.8i with an alertness that hides the 2,420-kilogram curb weight.
On some of the quicker curves along Highway 323 north of Montebello, the X5 4.8i's high-speed composure is further enhanced with its long wheelbase. If your passengers are up for the task, you can actually drive the X5 like a sports sedan. Brush the brakes, drop a gear, and nail the apex -- all with the ability to haul a weekend's worth of ski stuff.
Skiing was as fun as driving
Although the drive to Tremblant was stunning, our accommodations weren't too shabby either. We had booked a room at the Fairmont Tremblant, snuggled between the foot of the main peak, the high-speed gondola chair lift and the village.
While Fairmont's ski-in, ski-out privileges were appreciated at the beginning of a day of skiing, the outdoor pool after the last run at the end of the day was equally as welcoming.
One of Temblant's late night activities is the internationally acclaimed Century Ski Club, bestowed upon skiers who ski or snowboard for 100 continuous minutes and then consume 100 ounces of beer immediately afterwards.
Needless to say, our petite famille didn't become Club members on this trip. Maybe in, oh, about 16 years or so. Instead, all four of us stuck to the slopes, and the driving enthusiast in the family looked forward to the anticipated trip back home.
2008 BMW X5 4.8i
Base price/as-tested: $71,500/$83,500
Type of vehicle: Mid-size crossover SUV
Engine: 4.8L V8
Power/Torque: 350 hp / 350 lb.-ft.
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel consumption (city/highway): 15.9/10.2 litres/100 km, observed: 12.8L/100 km
Competition: Audi Q7 4.2, Mercedes-Benz GL 550 4MATIC