The Road to Philadelphia – the BMW 535d’s Final Journey and Review – The Diesel Driver – The Joy of Diesel Driving

For the 5er’s final drive outside of the New York metro area, we took it for a cheesesteak at Pat’s, King of Steaks, a fraternity party (sorry, BMW), and a 1950s era drive-in.

THE DRIVE

On a sunny Saturday morning, we set off for Philadelphia from New York. Following the navi’s instructions for the least traffic and fastest route, the drive took us across the Throgs Neck Bridge and onto the Cross Bronx Expressway. While the Cross Bronx itself was somewhat backed up, it was smooth sailing once we hit the upper level of the George Washington Bridge and crossed into New Jersey.

The 535d is the ultimate Autobahn cruiser, and while the New Jersey Turnpike is no Autobahn, the roughly 120-mile (193-kilometer) highway is one of the most heavily travelled in the United States. First planned in the 1930s, it’s a major connector between New York City and points south including Pennsylvania, Delaware, and beyond.

We entered it at its northern terminus after exiting the bridge and continued south on the multi-lane highway.

Much of the turnpike from Exit 14 south is divided into two sections of highway in each direction, one for cars only and one for car and truck traffic. Between exits 14 and 11, there are a total of 14 lanes, seven in each direction, and as of quite recently, 12 lanes between Exits 6 and 11, thanks to a major expansion project between Exits 9 and 6.

Continuing south for roughly 37 miles (59 kilometers) we entered the new and widened section. Last October, the turnpike authority opened a 35-mile-long (56-kilometer) stretch of the highway after five years of construction. The $2.5 billion project added three lanes in each direction between exits 6 and 8A and one lane in each direction between exits 8A and 9. At its peak, the project was the largest roadway project in the Western Hemisphere, according to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

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