The first time you see a GT in the metal, BMW’s objective with this car becomes clear. From the front it has the road presence of an X model (toned down a little for our more environmentally conscious times) and at the back the swoopiness of a coupé. Whether anything with four doors and an elevated ride height can be likened to a traditional coupé is debatable, though.
As is the overall success of the styling, which we found split opinion. What is clear, though, is that even despite its unusual proportions the GT is unmistakably a BMW.
The ‘Gran Turismo’ tag tells you a lot about the car’s aspirations, BMW claiming it offers the comfort and space required for long-distance touring. The rear cabin, according to BMW, provides the leg room of a 7-series and head room of an X5, while the luggage compartment offers the flexibility of a twin-boot arrangement, like that of the Skoda Superb.
The suspension is based on that of the 7-series, with double wishbones and steel springs at the front and a multi-link set-up with air springs at the rear.
Dynamic Drive (which adjusts steering, throttle and gearshift maps) is standard. Combined with the optional Adaptive Drive, this also manages the variable dampers and active anti-roll bars.
Other than the 530d model we are testing here (currently the only diesel), there is a choice of two turbocharged petrol models: the 3.0-litre, six-cylinder 535i (now with direct injection) and 4.4-litre V8 550i. All three are mated to a ZF-developed eight-speed automatic gearbox, until now seen only on the V12 760Li.
