BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo hatchback: luxurious drive

Price: £38,045 - £60,460

Pros: Loads of front and rear cabin space, excellent build quality, comfortable cruiser

Cons: Awkward styling, expensive to buy, difficult to manoeuvre

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4.3/5, Carbuyer "The BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo is basically a

hatchback

version of the 5 Series saloon, with a slightly raised seating position. It's meant to offer a bit more practicality and comfort than the saloon, with more room for rear passengers.Positioned as a high-spec flagship alternative to the usual luxury SUVs, it's available with powerful 3.0-litre petrol and diesel engines, as well as a 4.4-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol. It's comparatively expensive, but in a bid to tempt the lucrative fleet market, BMW offers the 520d GT, powered by the same efficient diesel engine seen in the 5 Series saloon and estate. And its that BMW 520d GT that is our top pick – the other models in the range are simply too costly to buy and too expensive to run. The BMW 5 Series GT was supposedly designed without compromise – promising the interior space of a 7 Series and the driving dynamics of the regular 5 Series. However, in reality, the cumbersome Gran Turismo doesn’t

drive

has sharply as the 5 Series saloon and Touring estate – plus it's boot is smaller than both."

3/5, Auto Express "With its split rear tailgate, arcing roofline and impressive dimensions, it certainly stands out as something decidedly new – even if it is fair to say the styling won’t appeal to everyone."

3/5, What Car? "An interesting alternative to the usual luxury SUVs, but we can't think of a single thing that the GT does better than the best of them. The driving experience is especially disappointing."

4.5/5, Parker's "On the move the GT feels very much as BMW describes it - as a cross between a normal saloon and a 4x4. Its real forte is effortless motorway cruising which it does supremely well, feeling incredible stable and reassuring at high speeds."