2015 BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo Review

BMW apparently acknowledged the fact that the rear end of their initial GT-named vehicle was a little too boxy and they addressed it with this facelift. Gone are the huge optic blocks and the rectangular shape of the boot lid, both being replaced by smoother, more rounded off lines that seem to give the car a more acceptable look.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a huge 5 Series and the hatch is worthy of adjectives like ‘gargantuan’ but it now feels smaller and more refined “in the metal”.

While the rear end received most of the attention, the front end ended up getting more subtle changes. Basically, the only different items are the headlights, that now seem a bit slimmer with different corona rings, while the rest of the alterations that would set the models apart are limited to the bumpers and the equipment lines you go with.

Our tester was fitted with the M Sport package that adds a redesigned front bumper to the mix, with decently sized air intakes to the sides along with bigger wheels and a stiffer suspension. It’s not exactly what you’d wish on this car though, especially if you think about what it’s supposed to be.

Inside the cabin there’s luxury like you’re bound to expect from such a car. Everything feels like it’s coming from a class above, like a 7 Series. As a matter of fact, BMW claims that this car is built on the flagship’s chassis and you can actually feel it.

There’s plenty of room both up front and in the back. The seats are welcoming and possibly the most comfortable ones we tested in a BMW and, if you go with the Executive Package you’ll get individual ones in the back, to accommodate exactly four people in the utmost comfort. Our tester didn’t have this option ticked but still, the rear bench was better than expected. It would still be a push to sit 3 people in the back though.

Even in standard guise, you get to slide your seats forwards and backwards no matter whether you’re up front or in the back. You can also recline them for a more fitting position, depending on your mood.

The driver will be welcomed by a high seating position, atypical for a BMW wearing the 5 Series badge, and a raked dash, heavily inclined towards the windscreen. However, this is not a regular 5er or a regular Bavarian machine. This is a car that wants to be a chameleon of sorts.

At the same time, the body style is supposed to be similar to a coupe, with a sloping roofline towards the back and frameless doors that are simply spectacular. However, since the space inside had to be on par with the X5, a ‘hunch’ appeared. It’s not terribly bad looking but it does create a peculiar effect.

As I was saying, the driving position is elevated, offering you a commanding view of the road thanks, in part, to the big windscreen in front of you that required three spray nozzles to cover decently. Due to the sheer size of the thing, you’ll also be feeling like you’re driving an SUV around town and not a bigger 5 Series.

All those downsides for the driver turn into upsides for the passengers. Beyond any doubt, BMW created this hybrid to be best experienced from the rear seats. ‘7 Series legroom and X5 headroom’ is not just a marketing phrase, it’s actually a true statement that applies in this case.

You’ll be looking hard and with seriously squinty eyes to try and find a car with more interior space than the 5 Series GT in the current line-up. To be honest, if felt more spacious than the X5, especially in the legroom department. It might also be due to the panoramic sunroof but even without it, we’re sure that you wouldn’t be claustrophobic inside.

Since it measures 5 meters (196.7 inches) in length, is 1.9 meters wide (74.8 inches) and has a wheelbase of 3,068 mm (120.8 inches) you can imagine this car and narrow streets are not best friends. The visibility on the sides and back is limited and we reckon it could’ve been fitted with bigger side mirrors. Get the surround view cameras when you’re configuring it along with the Adaptive Drive option as they are two of the ‘must haves’ on this car.

What Adaptive Drive brings is no less than five driving modes, the one you’ll be using most being Comfort+. That’s right, the 5 Series Gran Turismo comes with a Comfort+ driving mode, just like the 7 Series it’s based. Other than that you get Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport and Sport+ modes as well.

Doing exactly what it should, our preferred mode turned the car into a perfect cruiser both in and outside town. It takes everything into a Zen state of mind and bumps and cracks will be absorbed as best as possible in car fitted with a blue and white roundel on the bonnet. Even the 7 Series could be challenged here in terms of comfort.

The transmission will also be toned down and the shifts will seem seamless thanks to the brilliant engineering of ZF’s 8-speed auto but also due to the perfect implementation of BMW. And that’s only to be expected since the exact same cog-swapping unit is used on none other than the Rolls-Royce Ghost.

While driving inside the city will require you to brake and swerve from time to time, getting this car on the open road reveals a whole new experience.

Frameless doors usually mean that the road noise will be quite hefty at higher speeds but we didn’t notice such a thing. As a matter of fact, this was one of the poshest experiences we’ve had in a BMW, the doors keeping the noise out perfectly while the ride kept us comfortable the whole time. You basically feel like you’re inside a cocoon, well protected, comfy and oblivious to the outside world.

The 3-liter diesel under the bonnet of our tester was more than potent with its 258 HP and 560 Nm (413 lb-ft) of torque, even though the car itself weighs a little over 2 tons. Reaching into triple digit speeds is not an issue and fuel consumption is more than decent.

Of course, you won’t get close to what BMW claims but at 7.5 l/100 km (31.3 mpg) you can’t really argue that it’s too much, especially after the inner-city numbers were fixed around 21 mpg (11 l/100 km). It’s not the least thirsty model out there but you’ll need a 6-cylinder engine.

It should be mentioned that the 5 Series GT is also available with a 2-liter diesel in Germany but knowing how that plant sounds and the power it makes, we simply can’t recommend it for this body style, especially considering its weight.

On the other hand, to really live up to its ‘GT’ nameplate, the 4.4-liter V8 in the 550i version would be the obvious choice, with its 450 HP and 650 Nm (479 lb-ft) of torque. It’s also blazing fast but it will take the price and fuel consumption figures upwards by a considerable margin.

No, the ideal pick of the range is the 3-liter in the 530d in Europe or the 535i in the US. They both have plenty of grunt to keep things lively while also being considerate to your wallet.

They won’t turn the car into a slouch either. The 530d will do 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.2 seconds, regardless of whether it’s fitted with xDrive or not, while the 535i, with its 300 HP and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque will be just 0.1 seconds slower.

By comparison, the top of the range 550i xDrive model is actually blazing fast at 4.8 seconds, which is hot-hatch territory and comparable to older M3 models. Therefore, don’t let the exterior fool you, this thing can be fast.

What it can’t be, though, is agile. That 2 ton weight will be felt every time you decide to approach a tight curve with some speed. The car will show body roll, even with the Adaptive Drive set on Sport or Sport+. After all, not even Bavarian engineers can defy the laws of physics.

So yes, this isn’t the sharpest cat in the savannah but it’s not trying to, either. This was a car thought out for cruising in comfort, in a more than relaxed state of mind, together with your family and their luggage. The only thing that we wouldn’t recommend are wheels bigger than the standard 18” ones. While the suspension setup and the dampers are working really hard to absorb bumps as easy as possible, bigger rims will send shocks in the cabin every once in a while, as it happened with the 19” ones on our tester.

The choice will eventually come to picking between a better looking car (as 19” or 20” wheels will surely improve it visually) and a more comfortable ride for the passengers.

Speaking of which, the Gran Turismo doesn’t offer you the most room for your luggage either. The thing is, while there’s plenty of space inside, the boot isn’t all that generous. Due to the hatch, when the rear seats are up, the luggage space is limited to 500 liters, 60 more than on the pre-facelift version.

Slide the rear bench as forward as possible and you get 650 liters, still not all that much. The real trick is to fold the seats completely and that’s when the GT shows its full potential at 1,750 liters which is more than what the Touring model can offer.

You can also open the boot lid in two different ways, to fit your needs. While we did find this particular feat rather redundant, most of the time using the full tailgate for loading and unloading things into the car, BMW has a good explanation for its choice.

Therefore, when arriving at an airport terminal, for example, the driver can open the boot in a similar fashion to a sedan and get the luggage without opening the full tailgate and revealing who rides inside. Quite nifty.

However, we wouldn’t like to be in the shoes of the driver that will have to resort to all sorts of gymnastics to get the aforementioned luggage through the letterbox opening.

Being so close to the 7 Series, the 5 Series GT gets almost all of its amenities inside. The touch-sensitive iDrive controller and the digital instrument cluster come as standard in the US, even on the entry-level 535i.

Other standard features include rain-sensing wipers, Hi-Fi speakers, Dark Wood trims and Dakota leather upholstery, a luxurious panoramic sunroof, power tailgate, climate control, park distance control (but we’d recommend getting surround view cameras), ambiance lighting, Bluetooth connection with audio streaming, USB support, and BMW Online amongst others.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You can basically deck your car with anything from Night Vision to soft-close doors and even a rear-seat entertainment system as well as the exclusive Bang & Olufsen speakers along with the Individual treatment. A fully decked model, however, will take you well over the 100k price limit which would be pushing it, even for a luxurious, comfortable and posh car like this.

The facelift didn’t bring any changes in terms of safety. However, the regulators in the field have yet to test the 5 Series in Gran Turismo guise so we’ll have to use the results for the sedan.

The European governing body, NCAP, gave the F10 5 Series a five star rating, showing good protection in almost all scenarios. The IIHS on the other hand, said that in their trademark small overlap frontal test, the car only showed a marginal protection level. That’s because even though it provided great protection for the head, neck, chest, hip and thighs of the occupants, it scored poor in keeping the dummies’ lower leg area and feet intact.

Even so, the 5 Series GT comes, as standard with two dual stage front airbags, two thorax airbags for the front passengers, two head airbags, ABS brakes, DSC, cornering brake control, emergency brake assist and even adaptive brake lights.

What BMW tried here was to offer a perfect combo of space, comfort and luxury while keeping the dynamics of the sedan in check. Did they manage?

Well, you can call the Gran Turismo luxurious, you can call it spacious and you can definitely say that it’s comfortable (probably the most comfortable car the Germans are making right now when driven in Comfort+) but if there’s one thing you can’t say is that it’s on par with the sedan or the Touring dynamically.

Even worse is the fact that its biggest threat is BMW’s own line-up and we’re talking about the X5 and the 5 Series Touring here. Those who want better dynamics will surely go for the Touring model that is both cheaper and offers around the same amount of space in the boot. They will have to drop the claims for comfort and rear headroom however.

Others will insist on more headroom and luggage space and they will turn to the X5 which is dangerously close in terms of pricing, making it the perfect rival for the GT.

However, if you don’t want an SUV-sized car and your aim is comfort, there’s no better offering that the 5 Series GT in BMW’s current line-up. Starting at $60,700 in the US and €52,300 in Germany, if you can keep the optionals to a minimum, you can get a lot of car for a decent amount of money. The choice is really hard to make though.