Photo: Catalin Garmacea
BMW has made it a sort of tradition lately to bring out facelifts that are mostly focused on technical details and less on the actual design of the cars. Therefore, in some cases, you’re left wondering what has changed and what didn’t. The 2015 BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo we tested might seem like one of these cases but it really isn’t.
Up front the headlights are basically the same and so is the overall styling of the car. The lamps seem a bit sleeker in appearance but nothing changed by a huge amount. The big changes happened in the back though, where the rectangular taillights have been replaced by more rounded off versions that are, simply put, a thousand times better looking!
Inside, the dash kept its raked styling but new materials are now being used and the panoramic sunroof became standard on all markets. Admittedly, that’s a big plus as it makes the cabin feel airy and well illuminated and, combined with the ambient lights, it creates a beautiful, cosy environment for longer trips. Yes, this is turning out to be a proper GT car.
And you wouldn’t be disappointed sitting behind the wheel either. Get the Adaptive Drive option together with the xDrive system and maybe the 550i badge on the boot and you’ll be reaching 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.8 seconds despite the car’s weight that goes over 2 tons. Don’t expect all of that to be overlooked in tight corners but this is definitely no slouch.
Some might say that BMW migrating to digital instrument clusters is a fallacy but in truth, it makes sense in a lot of ways. I would’ve agreed if the resolution of the display would’ve been similar to what Porsche uses, for example, but in this case, you won’t hear me complaining because these counters look flawless and they get the job done perfectly.
The rear seats is where the experience is complete however. As BMW admits, you might’ve not suspected it from the outside, but the 5 Series GT was designed for experiences involving chauffeurs and a laid-back, relaxed way of living. That’s why the transmission is taken off the Rolls-Royce Ghost and you get the Comfort+ driving mode in it and that’s why you get to slide your seats forward and backward as well as tilting them to your needs.To put it short, this the car you’ll be wanting to cruise along the Mediterranean or the Californian coast. There are a couple of downsides as well but for those you’ll have to read our full review that also has plenty of 2015 BMW 5 Series GT wallpapers.
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