It remains to be seen whether the BMW 5 Series GT and the later somewhat watered down 6 Series GT have what it takes to become classics. With the Gran Turismo, which in itself isn’t one, BMW introduced its new 5-series generation and thus caused a lot of conversation. Limousine, station wagon and crossover were already known – the crossing with a noble version as well. But the 5 Series GT caused just as much of a stir as the first BMW X6, especially with its massive rear end, as it looked completely different from similar concepts in the form of the Mercedes R-Class or the Chrysler Pacifica.
The Bavarians from Munich have always been brave with their concepts such as the X5, 2002 Touring, Z1 and i3. The best example is the BMW 5 Series GT, optically and technically a true symbiosis of 5 Series and 7 Series, upper and luxury class. He should score with details such as the two-part tailgate, which could be opened completely or just for the luggage compartment. So it should stay warm inside, especially in cool temperatures, if only the small flap was opened. It’s just a pity that the Skoda Superb anticipated the always practical detail a few months earlier in a similar form in a much cheaper segment. The cargo space swallows between 500 and 1,700 euros – that’s always station wagon level.
No question, the 5 Series GT was a real noble model and not only available with the lavish equipment package of the subsequent 5 Series sedan and station wagon version, especially at the market launch. Because if you wanted, you not only got fine leather, navigation, a head-up display, but also an electric individual seat system in the rear. This was otherwise only available on the longer BMW 7 Series and was ordered so seldom that BMW secretly removed this and a few other equipment details with installation quotas in the low single-digit range from the order lists.
Noble inside, plus the impressive amount of space in the second row with electric seats (1,950 euros at the time), panoramic roof (1,700 euros), rear air conditioning and, if desired, screens in the backrests of the front chairs – the 5 Series GT is pure luxury and nobody sees it. This also applies to the feeling of space, which was always impressive thanks to the arched roof at the front and rear. In itself a real crossover of the luxury class – but unfortunately hardly anyone understood the car and its approach, because there were not too far away in-house competitors such as the 5, 6, 7, X5 and X6. In particular, Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the board at the time, did not want to take the 5 Series GT out of the program again, despite its consistently very moderate sales figures; after all, it was one of the first complete vehicles that he had to decide on after taking office. No wonder that after the introduction of the 8 model series consisting of a coupé, convertible and Gran Coupé, the 5 Series GT became a stopgap in the form of the 6 Series GT. There was a little less luxury here, but still an impressive amount of space and in the end even a little coherent four-cylinder. With the downgrading of a car, its end is usually sealed.
You can hardly fault the elaborately developed BMW 5 Series GT with chassis refinements such as air suspension, all-wheel steering and roll compensation, because the engines also fit perfectly into the portfolio. The small four-cylinders were left out for a long time and so the customer who was keen to experiment had the choice between powerful six and eight-cylinders from the upper range of the 5-series portfolio. The initially 245 hp BMW 530d was a perfect fit because of its strong torque and frugal consumption, but the 306 hp 535i was also very decent and if you really wanted to shine, you could order the 550i with all-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic transmission and 300 kW, which cost over 71,000 euros at the time / 407 hp.
Just as it was when it was new, the BMW 5 Series GT is not a bestseller as a used car either. The offer is quite stately and so everyone should find what he prefers. The first generation in particular is often particularly lavishly equipped, especially as an eight-cylinder. The 530 diesel is perfect in itself, but if you don’t want to have any problems in environmental zones, the two petrol engines 535i and 550i are the best choice. The prices for well-equipped models from the early 2010s with less than 150,000 kilometers and a correspondingly complete maintenance history start at around 15,000 euros. Even late models like a BMW 530d GT xDrive with lavish comfort equipment is hardly more than 25,000 euros. A lot of luxury for manageable money.
