• BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo is brand-new segment: innovative product combining spacious rear legroom of prestige saloon with headroom of SAV/SUV, and comfort of Gran Turismo (comfortable long-distance cruiser).
• BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo unlike fastback coupé-roof designs; size-wise between BMW 5 and 7 Series; looks completely different to 5 Series sedan; naming unconventional.
• Standard equipment extremely high for all 3 models: 530d, 535i and 550i; technology-rich features lists head-up display, active cruise control, interactive electronic owner's handbook, brake energy regeneration, self-levelling pneumatic rear suspension, Driving Dynamic Control, rear-view camera, panorama glass sunroof, ambient interior lighting, 80 GB hard-disc for navigation data and music storage; options include high-beam assist, lane change warning, lane departure warning, surround-view cameras, and night vision with pedestrian recognition.
• Frameless doors; slightly elevated seating for comfortable entry/exit; rear seats recline; vast legroom and headroom in back; BMW trademark corona daytime running light rings in LED for the first time.
• All-turbo engine line-up; impressive outputs, speed and consumption; 535i introduces first combination of turbo technology with high-precision direct injection and BMW Valvetronic variable valve timing and lift; 8(eight)-speed Steptronic automatic.
• BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo has ingenious practical solutions: small hatch within big hatch tailgate; flexibly adjustable interior has rear seats backed with walled partition; when in place, isolates rear passengers from unpleasant acoustics or weather; rear seats fold flat with or without rear partition; rear seats can slide forward/backward, with reclining backrests.
• Pricing between 5 and 7 Series, from R 733 000 to R 959 500 (base); typical buyer - someone who wants something different; luxurious, high-tech cruiser with performance, comfort; radical, practical layout.
Quick Launch - BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo
Bored in normal sedan land? Can't get the SUV-type? Need plenty space and comfort, but not sheer bulk? BMW is once again building a car that refuses to stand in the same line as other cars. Meet the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo, or 5 GT, with which BMW invents a defining brand-new segment in the automotive market as an innovative product that combines the rear legroom of a BMW 7 Series with headroom of a BMW X5 and the comfort of a long-distance cruiser. BMW says the GT combines characteristic features of a prestige saloon, a versatile Sports Activity Vehicle, and a classic Gran Turismo (a car that can travel vast distances in great comfort).
One might initially think that this is BMW's interpretation of the 5-door fastback coupé-roof designs that are the latest trend, yet once you see this car in the metal for the first time, it is surprisingly large and high, clearly sufficiently different not to compete with any of those cars, as this newcomer follows no rival. The Gran Turismo is a future-orientated extension of the BMW 5 Series, gliding in size-wise between the 5 and 7 Series ranges, yet looking completely different to the new 5 Series sedan, save for a few BMW trademarks. Even naming is unconventional, as the only BMW with a name (5 Series) plus sub-name (Gran Turismo), badged as GT on the left rear, across the BMW roundel from the model names 530d, 535i or 550i.
Model/Spec - BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo
Standard equipment levels are extremely high for all 3 models, namely 530d, 535i (seeing the return of a revered BMW model name) and 550i, listing technology-rich features (some from the flagship 7 Series) such as head-up display, active cruise control, interactive electronic owner's handbook (in iDrive screen), brake energy regeneration (with blue instrument gauge), self-levelling pneumatic rear suspension, Driving Dynamic Control (Comfort, Normal, Sport and Sport+ modes that affect ), rear-view camera, panorama glass sunroof, ambient interior lighting, 80 GB hard-disc for navigation data and music storage... more time and space is needed to go into an in-depth features list. Options include high-beam assist, lane change warning, lane departure warning, surround-view cameras, and night vision with pedestrian recognition.
Interestingly the 5 Series Gran Turismo has frameless door windows for a coupé look and feel when the doors are opened. The slightly elevated seating affords comfortable entry/exit into/from the 5 GT, sitting somewhere between sedan and SUV height. The media launch drive gave the opportunity to experience the in-between height, and to assess the car over a variety of road types ranging from highway to town driving and winding coastal roads - the 5 Series GT excels in all areas with superb comfort and performance. The chauffeur ride back to the airport also gave the opportunity to recline the rear seat, stretch out legs, and feel pampered in a business-class seating position with vast legroom. Switch on the optional rear DVD entertainment system, lean back, and travel in style.
BMW's trademark corona daytime running light rings are, for the first time, in LED. Headlights are bi-xenon, with an option of adaptive headlights (variable light distribution and “bending” beams). In describing the taillights, the media release says it beautifully: “The rear light clusters merge far into the side panels, ensuring that the full width of the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo also comes out clearly in the car's night design. Rows of lights fed by LED light units provide a homogenous light pattern, again giving the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo a distinctive look on the road and making sure that the car is always clearly recognisable.”
Engine/Gearbox – BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo
The 5 Series Gran Turismo is another BMW range with an all-turbo engine line-up. The 3-litre in-line-6 engines are the 530d and 535i. The V8 engine displacement is 4.4 litres for 550i GT cars. The impressive engine outputs, speed and consumption can be seen in the table above.
Some prime examples of BMW Efficient Dynamics at work: the 530d Gran Turismo stats are 0-100km/h in 6.9 seconds and a 6.5 l/100km average fuel usage. The 535i engine may seem to be the familiar 135i/335i engine (winner of multiple World Engine of the Year awards) when looking at its configuration and 225kW/400Nm outputs... however, this is a significant introduction of a new straight-6 power unit that, for the first time, combines turbo technology with high-precision direct injection and BMW's Valvetronic variable valve timing and lift. That healthy 400Nm is now on tap from just 1200, right up to 5000 r/min. As this is an improved engine, is this another World Engine of the Year? Go for the 550i if you want it all. Both petrol engines also sound terrific!
Only an 8-speed (yes eight-speed) Steptronic automatic is fitted, as first seen on the BMW 760Li. The launch drive put this advanced adaptive transmission through its paces properly, succeeding in absolutely seamless gearshifts and having the optimal ratio for any situation. Unfortunately BMW doesn't offer gear paddles, with override only via the space-age joystick-like gear selector...although the transmission is so clever that this is hardly needed.
New technology – BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo
Ingenious practical solutions are big talking points on the 5 GT. A hatchback is convenient for loading large luggage, but what if you do not need/want the big door at the back, for when loading just a bag or smallish item? Then lift only the small hatch within the big hatch tailgate – think of it as a small pet door inside a house door, but in different dimensions. Clever! The tailgate can also be ordered with automatic (electric) operation.
But wait, there's more. Flexibly adjustable, the interior of the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo enables driver and passengers to vary the generous space inside the car to their individual, personal requirements. Rear seats are backed (uniquely so) by a walled partition that separates the passengers completely from the luggage compartment – this means the smaller hatch can be opened with rear partition in place, isolating occupants from unpleasant acoustics or weather. That is clever too! Rear seats fold flat individually, with or without the rear partition, while these seats can slide forwards and backwards, and the backrest incline can be adjusted. 3 rear seats are standard, but to meet even greater comfort demands, 2 individual comfort seats are optionally available.
Price and Market positioning - BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo
Favourite line from media release - BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo
Pricing positions are between 5 Series (new shape due in SA soon) and 7 Series, starting at R 733 000 for 530d, 535i at R 737 000, with the V8 550i at R 959 500, while Innovations packs can also be order optionally, wrapping several high-tech options.
As you can see this car really is something quite extra-ordinary. The typical buyer profile would be someone who wants something different. Really different.
"Establishing an unprecedented, absolutely innovative car concept, BMW is setting fascinating new highlights in the upper midrange segment. As the world's first model in a brand-new segment, the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo combines essential features of a prestige saloon, a modern Sports Activity Vehicle, and a classic Gran Turismo. The vehicle is expected to set the cat amongst the pigeons as it makes its South African debut."
Rivals - BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo
If you are thinking along the sloping rooflines of Audi A5 Sportback or Porsche Panamera as 5 Series Gran Turismo rivals, you haven't seen the 5 Series Gran Turismo yet, as those cars are much lower, and are more fastback hatches.
Finding
The BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo stands out of the line as a luxurious, high-tech cruiser with performance and comfort clad in a totally new layout of radicality and practicality. As the 5 GT ad line asks: "When is the last time you experienced something for the first time?"
: David S:
Full member of the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists
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