The Car
If you’re accustomed to driving in North America, Sixt provides ample car, sedan and SUV options with the latest navigation system and all the automatic features that can be difficult to find in Europe. The BMW Series 3 I reserved was excellent and familiar. The navigation system was so quick to recalculate that I only blinked and it had a new route prepared, unlike the thinking pause the system hiccuped through in previous vehicles I’d rented. From the placement of the windshield wiper switch to the ease of automatic transmission, it took little time adjusting. If this is your first experience driving in Britain with all the road rules and left-hand drive, Sixt makes the car the least of your worries.
The Service
The reason I chooses Sixt in Europe is because of convenience and service. I’d had a great experience renting from them in the Azores (Portugal) years ago. When I picked up the rental in Birmingham, the staff were friendly and well-versed in the company’s structure, assuring me that because it is family owned and operated the company culture is less corporate with much more personalized service (they really said all this not just to me but to other customers picking up and dropping off vehicles). I was given a brief orientation and directions and was on my way. Dropping off the car at the airport in London was a breeze. I just had to drive up to what looked like a car wash, the car was scanned and then I dropped the keys with an agent. The attendant, hearing that my companion was struggling with the luggage, kindly offered help without fuss or prompting. Within hours I received an email acknowledging the car drop-off.
The Route
Picking up the car in Birmingham, I wound my way through the Cotswolds leading up to the border with the New Forest and then back up to London for drop-off. Along the way, there was little to no wind shear on long drives through the Cotswolds countryside because the BMW is so sleek and well-designed. Britain is not known as a road trip country, at least not as we know it, but weaving through these stone towns was seamless.
This original article first appeared in the WINTER 2024/2025 issue of City Style and Living Magazine.
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