To Henry Cao, who was seated beside a window in the last compartment of the second car, the train seemed to float, describing long elegant turns and shuddering now and then with the whump of a train going in the opposite direction.
The entire BRABUS multimedia system is controlled from the passenger seat or the rear compartment by two iPads that also control the car's standard COMAND system with all functions such as radio, navigation system and telephone.
Those living in flood-prone areas might want to consider carrying a small hammer or specific car window-breaking tool in the glove compartment for this purpose.
We gather our luggage and our four small children, and make our way to the compact compartment fitted with two seats and a washbasin that will be our bedroom, dining car and playroom for the next ten-or-so hours as our train pushes south through the night towards Luxor.
The systems are integrated to include automatic emergency braking and passenger compartment crash preparation, which does things like closes windows and tightens seat belts if the car senses an impending crash.