Remember when life was simple? When manufacturers stuck to what they did best? BMW made executive saloons (with the odd estate and coupé for variety), Land Rover made off-roaders and Renault the family hatchback.
Now, though, everyone does everything – and they’re all different from each other. BMW still makes saloons, but also SUVs (in whatever size sir would like), including one that thinks it’s a coupé. And now we have the 5-series Gran Turismo, a car offering the raised driving position of an SUV (but without the conspicuous looks and all-wheel drive), the versatility of a hatchback and the space of a full-size saloon.
To confuse matters further, the GT has the same wheelbase as a 7-series, with which it shares suspension components, but is badged (and priced) as a 5-series...
The BMW 5-series GT has no direct ancestry, but the Z22 concept provides proof that the idea has been in existence for more than a decade.
Revealed at the 2000 Frankfurt show, the Z22 combined elements from different classes of car to create plentiful interior space in a compact body.
The Z22 was designed to offer the cabin space of a 5-series in a car the length of a 3-series, and was based on a 7-series wheelbase. So does the 5-series GT live up to that car’s ethos?
