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The following day we rise early and head to the incredible Winter Palace on Palace Square, which is home to the Hermitage Art Museum – one of the largest in the world.
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Despite the early hour, it’s busy, but it’s worth the crowds to get a flying tour of the incredible halls, with their ornate and luxurious decorations, and the artworks contained, which include two paintings by one Leonardo da Vinci. And very nice they were too.
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From there, it’s a short walk, past a local policewoman in a very short miniskirt…
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…and a stretched Bufori (of all things) to another boat. This time, a faster one. One that take us out of the beautiful centre of St Petersburg and past the faded, industrial shipbuilding area…
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…and across the path of a speeding hydrofoil…
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…towards a yacht club, where we’ll finally have a chance to drive the new 7 Series.
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On arrival, I’m handed the keys to a Havana brown 750Li, which is likely to be the mainstay of Middle East sales.
As suspected, it’s visually little changed from the older model. But the new lights look cool in a jewel-like way, and the revised bumpers give a slightly more chiselled look. Inside, we’re rocking wooden trim and cream leather seats. They’re new, and I’ll be honest, though I can’t really remember what the old ones are like, these ones are pretty darn comfortable. They adjust every which way electrically and the headrest is beautifully pillow-like. However, it does feel the slightest bit too high, even on its lowest setting.
A punch of the start button and the 750Li’s engine, a revised version of the V8 found in the existing model, purrs into life. It’s a turbocharged 4.4-litre unit and pushes out 443bhp at 5500rpm, and 479lb ft between 2000 and 4500rpm. Which should be plenty for the combination of single lane country road and motorways laid out on our 300-odd kilometres of test route.
I’m paired up with the always amusing Gautam Sharma of Autocar Middle East, and we set off along the bumpy road adjoining the lake. Immediately I notice two things. Firstly, the dampers make considerable effort to soak up the bumps and potholes, but secondly, thin side-walled run-flat tyres come close to undoing all that good work. It’s no surprise to learn from a Russian former colleague that locals tend to stick bulbous-walled rubber on their cars as a matter of course.
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We head out of the city on winding roads through forest and past myriad lakes. It’s all very Scandinavian – hardly surprising as we’re only a couple of hundred kilometres from Helsinki. It’s a stunningly beautiful day, with clear azure skies and temperatures approaching 30 degrees – an ideal day for a drive in the country.
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Unfortunately, it seems everyone else in the district has the same idea. The roads are rammed almost constantly with trains of cars stuck behind lorries, and the numerous bends and blind corners make it very difficult to overtake. All of which means, as we crawl past villages full of excitable kids heading to swim in the lakes and surly teenagers with dubious haircuts, that the opportunity to push the car is limited to the occasional squirting overtake. Thanks to all that grunt and the speed of the new eight-speed auto gearbox, this is easily achievable. A squish of the pedal, a slightly raised voice from under the bonnet and the 750 swells forward. There are no wheel-mounted paddles for manual shifting, which is a shame, but the delay in mash-to-go is minimal even in auto mode, with all settings turned to comfort.
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With hooning off the agenda for now, it’s better to enjoy the comfort, which is excellent. The cabin is quiet, plush and very comfortable. Build quality in the 7 Series is a clear step above the 3 or 5 Series, with solidity that’s close to rivalling the likes of Audi. The sound system is also excellent. I hook up my iPhone using Bluetooth and we listen to music, before deciding that time could be better spent learning Russian. Handily, I have a Teach Yourself Russian podcast. After an hour, we’re proficient at saying “I speak a little Russian. Sorry, I don’t understand”.
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And while we’re waiting for the traffic to move, Gautam uses the 7 Series’ side facing front cameras to perve surreptitiously at passing ladies. The dirty old man.
