THE temperature readout in the instrument binnacle says 16 deg Celsius and with the top down, I had to turn the heater up another notch to keep from shivering in the crisp morning air. Ahead is a flowing ribbon of undulating blacktop - over 60 km that winds its way from an elevation of some 5000 feet down to nearly sea level. Parts of the highlands are shrouded in cloud cover and our convoy of 15 cars is making good time because traffic is non-existent at seven in the morning.

No, this is not Sardinia, Italy, but Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. It is the second leg of two destinations chosen by Performance Motors Ltd for their annual BMW driveaway holiday. And the 600 km drive from Singapore to the highlands of Cameron is well worth it - you'll think you've driven 6,000 miles and ended up somewhere in southern Europe instead.

The weather is a cool 20 deg Celsius during the day and the high humidity means no chapped lips or dry skin - a boon for the ladies.

For the guys, the roads are some of the best in South-east Asia for driving - smooth tarmac with plenty of opportunity for overtaking, perhaps the perfect place to put the 'ultimate driving machines' through their paces.

The 335i Cabriolet I am driving has twin turbos and 306 hp, yet it is not the most powerful convertible on the trip; a 645i Cabriolet and an M3 Cabriolet are among the 40 odd cars that made the pilgrimage from Singapore to Damai Laut, the first leg of the trip. A quick stop at Yong Peng for breakfast at Anthony's famous fish ball noodles allows the convoy to continue up north on the North-South highway until Seremban for lunch.

With the roof in place, the 335i Cabrio is as rigid and comfortable on a long-haul journey like this as a fixed roof coupe. There is little wind and road noise even when cruising at highly illegal speeds. This is the first - and only - BMW convertible with a steel roof and the engineers (and stylists) have down a remarkable job. The car looks almost as good with the roof up as it does with it down, and the retractable hardtop takes a mere 22 seconds to deploy as we found out during a sudden rain shower.

From Seremban, we exit the highway and progress on smaller trunk roads that meander through small quaint towns where the simple life is still being lived. Palm and rubber plantations dot the countryside and here where the roads are not as well maintained, the ride of the firmly sprung convertible can be a little jarring.

But no complaints about the six-speed automatic gearbox though. With steering wheel-mounted shifters to aid manual gear changes, the transmission is intuitive and smooth when left on its own, yet responds rapidly when called on to downshift - important when overtaking slower traffic on the single lane roads. Of course, having 400 Newton-metres of torque from just 1,300 rpm helps as well.

Damai Laut is a seaside resort located on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia about 100 km north of Kuala Lumpur and after two relaxing days spent splashing around in the South China Sea, test driving different models of the BMW range, and playing golf (yes, a golf bag will fit in the trunk with the roof up), it was off to Cameron Highlands for strawberries and tea.

At 1,700 metres above sea level, the temperate climate draws flocks of visitors wishing to escape the oppressive heat of the region and is home to a bevy of tea and strawberry farms.

But for motoring enthusiasts, the best part must be new sinuous roads that lead up to Cameron Highlands. The 'old' more direct route is still there but due to traffic, you'll probably spend more time looking at the tailpipe of some beat-up pickup truck rather than enjoying the drive.

The new route runs the gauntlet from low speed (30 kmh) corners to high-speed bends that can be taken in excess of 120 kmh. Here, the extra heft of the 335i Convertible can be felt.

With the roof down, the delightful engine note of BMW's famed straight-six engine can be enjoyed unfiltered.

The four-day 1,200 km roadtrip turns out to be a relaxing affair and the only quibble is how thirsty the car can be - we average just nine km per litre for the entire trip. But still, it's a small price to pay to escape from it all.