2010 BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo

BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo

Critics aren't crazy about the looks of the 2010 BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo, which replaces the BMW 5 Series Sports Wagon in the U.S. (An all-new BMW 5 Series station wagon has been unveiled, but it won't make the trip Stateside. The Gran Turismo is now the sole 5-door option.) Autoblog.com gently describes the 5 Series GT as "far from a traditional beauty," while the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph newspaper bluntly declares that it "looks like a box of frogs." Most testers agree that this big, high-riding hatchback drives quite well, but they wonder who's going to buy it.

The BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo shaves the normal boxy wagon shape into a sloping fastback. Some reviewers praise its utility, but others take a closer look and find problems.

Despite midsize-wagon cargo capacity, "the slope of the roof precludes the storage of truly substantial Antiques Roadshow fare," The Daily Telegraph's Anthony ffrench-Constant writes. Uniquely, the back of the car can open either as a trunk or as a hatchback. This design is supposed to allow occupants to stay sealed off from noise, cold air and traffic fumes they might be exposed to with just a hatchback. "Whatever; in the end, it really just adds weight to this already heavy machine," Car and Driver's Jens Meiners says. And thanks to all of the extra trunk mechanisms, "what's left is a mail slot of a rear window," Autoblog.com's Chris Paukert writes, summing up a problem other testers have noticed. "Plan on becoming BFF with the excellent backup camera."

Inside, testers say the 2010 BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo is roomy and supremely comfortable for four, "but the fifth person might as well take a seat on a wooden plank," says Meiners at Car and Driver. A console can be swapped for the middle back seat, making the car a four-seater. The 2010 BMW 550i Gran Turismo comes loaded with a leather-and-wood cabin, panoramic moonroof, HD radio, navigation and more. Plenty of options are available, from a $150 ski bag to $3,950 for heated-and-ventilated back seats. "The 550i I drove starts at $63,900 but surges with alarming ease into the $80,000 range with optional equipment," plus a $1,000 gas-guzzler tax, writes The Wall Street Journal's Jonathan Welsh. Fuel economy is an estimated 15 mpg city/21 mpg highway/17 combined. The six-cylinder turbocharged 2010 BMW 535i Gran Turismo (Base MSRP: $56,000) is just coming to market as of this update. The EPA rates the 535i GT at 19 mpg city/28 mpg/22 mpg combined.

The rear-wheel-drive 550i Gran Turismo gets 400 horsepower from its 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 engine. The eight-speed automatic transmission includes sport and manual shift modes. Despite its two-ton bulk, testers say it handles curves athletically, particularly in the sport setting of the adjustable suspension. The 535i Gran Turismo's turbocharged inline-six is rated at 300 horsepower and is matched with the same 8-speed automatic transmission.

BMW's new genre-bending hatch/wagon had not yet been crash tested by either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or Insurance Institute for Highway Safety when we checked. It does carry the usual complement of standard safety features -- front, front-side and curtain airbags, antilock brakes, traction and stability control -- plus active front head restraints and a crash sensor that automatically unlocks doors, turns on hazard and interior lights and disconnects the battery from the alternator, fuel pump and starter.

Technical specifications

    * BMW 535i Gran Turismo

          o Straight-six gasoline engine with TwinPower Turbo, High Precision Injection and VALVETRONIC
          o Capacity: 2,979 cc
          o Max output: 225 kW/306 hp at 5,800 rpm
          o Max torque: 400 Nm/295 lb-ft from 1,200-5,000 rpm
          o Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 6.3 seconds
          o Top speed: 250 km/h (155 mph)
          o Average fuel consumption to the EU standard: 8.9 Liter/100 kilometres (31.7 mpg imp)
          o CO2 emissions to the EU standard: 209 g/km
          o Emission standard: EU5

    * BMW 550i Gran Turismo

          o V8 gasoline engine with TwinPower Turbo and High Precision Injection
          o Capacity: 4, 395 cc
          o Max output: 300 kW/407 hp from 5, 500-6,400 rpm
          o Max torque: 600 Nm/442 lb-ft from 1,750-4,500 rpm
          o Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 5.5 seconds
          o Top speed: 250 km/h (155 mph)
          o Average fuel consumption to the EU standard: 11.2 litres/100 kilometres (25.2 mpg imp)
          o CO2 emissions to the EU standard: 263 g/km
          o Emission standard: EU5

    * BMW 530d Gran Turismo

          o Straight-six diesel engine with aluminium crankcase and third-generation common-rail direct fuel injection (piezo-injectors)
          o Max injection pressure: 1,800 bar
          o Capacity: 2,993 cc
          o Max output: 180 kW/245 hp at 4,000 rpm
          o Max torque: 540 Nm/398 lb-ft from 1,750-3,000 rpm
          o Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 6.9 seconds
          o Top speed: 240 km/h (149 mph)
          o Average fuel consumption to the EU standard: 6.5 litres/100 kilometres (43.5 mpg imp)
          o CO2 emissions to the EU standard: 173 g/km
          o Emission standard: EU5