THE BMW 5 Series GT is not the first car to be condemned based solely on its appearance in photographs. Truth be told, it’s not the first BMW either, but what makes the GT’s case unique is that its damnation remains almost universal even when the car has been seen in the metal.
This says a lot about the challenge that faces BMW to achieve the model’s sales targets. But herein lies the key. BMW does not expect the GT to sell like hot cakes. In similar fashion to its other awkward-looking sibling – the X6 – the GT cost relatively little to develop, seeing as it shares almost all its underpinnings, features and powertrains with existing BMW models (mostly the 7 Series).
Developing and building its unique body was just about the only big cost. So, considering the GT’s modest sales targets and its parts-bin make-up and the car’s existence is easier to fathom.
BMW expects to sell only about 2 000 of these cars annually in the United Kingdom, for example, and worldwide targets are similarly low. Yet the company expects the project to be profitable.
But who is going to buy the 5 Series GT in the first place? According to BMW, there is a small but growing pool of buyers that want a car with easier access and a higher driving position than a normal executive saloon, but without the look of an SUV. The 5 Series GT certainly offers that.
The GT is probably best viewed from the front three-quarter, an angle that hides some of its less elegant lines. From the side there are certainly traces of X6 in the sweeping roofline. It’s worth pointing out that the GT is the first four-door BMW in history to have frameless side windows, done in an effort to lower the roofl ine and to improve access.
It’s also in profile that the sheer size of the machine becomes evident. It is just about 5 metres long, 1 901 mm wide and 1 559 mm tall. To put this into perspective, the GT is 158 mm longer, 61 mm wider and 94 mm higher than the 5 Series saloon that is about to be replaced in South Africa. Crucially, it also offers a wheelbase that is a massive 180 mm longer.
At the rear things get very controversial. As a result of packaging requirements the GT has a rather bulbous back end featuring a sloping two-piece tailgate that can open in two ways – a smaller opening in which the bottom end of the tailgate pops open, thereby avoiding creating a draught in the cabin, and the traditional way, in which the entire tailgate lifts up as in a hatchback.
Do this and you’re presented with a 280 dm³ boot, expandable to1 064 dm³ with the rear seats folded down. These figures alone elevate the GT above the normal 5 Series saloon in terms of practicality, but it has to be said that the boot’s size isn’t particularly impressive given the fact that there’s no spare wheel.
However, the size of the boot itself can be manipulated to some extent (280-400 dm³) – a partition wall is positioned between the cabin and the luggage bay when the seats are in place to cut down any noise that could come from the boot. When the seats are in their normal “upright” position, the partition can be moved forward, increasing boot space.
The GT’s dimensions give it startling accommodation, perhaps rivalling the 7 Series in terms of lounge-like space. But it does so while adding more headroom to the equation, too.
Available in four- and five-seat configuration, it caters particularly well for rear passengers, with seats that strongly remind one of those found in business class on airlines. Offering backrest angle adjustment (33 degrees) and loads of legroom (adjustable by up to 100 mm), there really is stretch-out space available back there. BMW also offers individual Comfort Seats (R17 200), in which case there’s only space for two, but with the option of adjusting seating comfort in a myriad of ways at the push of a button or two.
Also featured is a rear entertainment system (optional) that includes high-resolution screens mounted in the backs of the front headrests, and four-zone climate control, which is standard on the 550i.
The sensations of space and light are evident in the front, too, reinforced by a huge standard panorama sunroof. A big target for the 5 GT was a higher seating position. BMW says the driver’s hip point is exactly halfway between a 5 Series saloon and an X5 SUV.
The seats themselves are superb, and the ergonomics of the facia a definite step forward from other BMWs of recent memory. iDrive is now intuitive to use, and the facia’s hangdown section is more sharply angled towards the driver, as it used to be with BMWs of the pre-Bangle era.
As per usual, BMW offers a vast range of features for GT buyers, some standard and most optional (depending on the model). Take your pick from head-up-display (standard on all), active cruise control (R17 200), lane departure warning system (R5 700), lane change warning system (R6 800), rear view (standard) and surround view cameras (R12 600), night vision (R22 700), rear entertainment system (R21 500 or R29 000, depending on level), Active front seats (R11 600), soft-close doors (R8 000), rear seat ventilation and heating (R8 000) and electric rear side blinds (R7 800), to name a few.
Technically the 5 Series GT shares a lot with the current 7 Series – a good thing, considering that vehicle’s refi nement and ride comfort. It rides on MacPherson struts in front and a multi-link set-up at the rear (from the upcoming 5 Series Touring), with air springs. Buyers can choose between BMW’s standard hydraulic steering or on active steering system (R19 500) that is particularly beneficial during lowspeed parking manoeuvres.
Standard on the 550i are BMW’s Adaptive Drive and Driving Dynamic Control systems. Electronically controlled dampers are used to actively inhibit body roll, while Dynamic Drive allows the driver to select the appropriate driving setting by using a button on the centre console to scroll through the options (Comfort, Normal, Sport and Sport+), which then adjusts throttle response, steering assistance, gearchanges and driver assistance settings.
This 550i, the top model in the line-up, makes use of the marque’s impressive twin-turbo direct injection 4,4-litre V8 engine, developing 300 kW from 5 500 to 6 400 r/min and a colossal 600 N.m of torque from 1 750 to 4 500 r/min. The engine is mated with the superb eight-speed automatic transmission that performs so impressively in the 760Li grand saloon.
Considering the GT’s bulk (it weighs over two tons), the 550i GT certainly puts in an impressive showing against the clock – we recorded a 0-100 km/h time of 5,83 seconds and the one kilometre sprint was completed in a low-fl ying 25,12 seconds. Top speed, as per the usual German gentlemen’s agreement, is limited to 250 km/h.
All of BMW’s marketing theory goes out the window when you start driving the 550i GT. This is a proper BMW, and a very impressive continent crusher. Interior comfort levels are probably unrivalled at the under-R1 million mark, and everything the car does from a dynamics perspective reinforces its touring credentials.
With the Comfort setting of Dynamic Drive selected, the ride quality is similar to what you’d find in a 7 Series- refi ned, cossetting and quiet.
Move up to Sport and the GT lets its BMW genes kick through even stronger, with a determined resistance to body roll that is startling considering the car’s bulk. It’s so good to drive, in fact, that we’d have liked shift paddles on the steering wheel to be even more involved in the driving exprience.
The onlything we as driving enthusiasts do not like about the GT is its optional active steering. Give us a proper hydraulic system, any day.
However, we do understand that, for a significant portion of GT drivers, the enhanced manoeuvrability and lighter feel around town will be worth the extra outlay and entertainment penalty in the (high-speed) corners.
But there can be no denying that the 5 Series GT is at its best at gobbling up vast distances at considerable speed, its occupants cocooned in one of the most spacious and comfortable cabins around.
This, according to BMW, is the essence of a “GT”, short for Grand Tourer. Pity, then, that the boot isn’t deeper to make its practicality argument a more convincing one…
TEST SUMMARY
Towards the end of its tenure with the CAR team a small number of testers started warming to the 5 Series GT, but the majority was still convinced that it is a) ultimately too ugly to succeed, or b) pointless.
We suspect the feeling will be similar in the marketplace, where the 5 Series GT is likely to appeal strongly to a very small group of people while at the same time turning the majority away.
We predict very few sales in the local market, but those who do take the plunge will be very happy with their purchase. Perhaps the majority doesn’t always know better after all.