BMW 5-series GT 535i Executive

What‘s it? Not only a new kinds of BMW 5-series GT 535i Executive with a totally different type of agenda to any we’ve seen before, but one having a new petrol engine too ; this is actually the new 535i Gran Turismo. The 530d GT has already impressed using its blend of performance, refinement, quality and class, and the majority of using its spacious levels of accommodation. Because the petrol-powered 535i has got the potential to better its diesel cousin on two of these counts, this should become a damned convincing car. Read our BMW 5-series GT 530d first drive hereIf you haven’t run into the BMW 5-series GT yet, allow us to plan to summarily describe it. Using its raised ride height seating position, you may consider it BMW’s answer towards the Mercedes R-class and Cadillac SRX.

But you’d be wrong ; this car has a far more spacious second row of seats than either of these cars, no third row, no standard (or indeed optional ) four-wheel drive and no conventional estate car silhouette either. Rather it features a roof line much like that of a giant four-door coupe, and also a gently-sloping liftback having a two-stage opening. Thankfully, the BMW 5-series GT 535i Executive’s new petrol engine isn’t so tricky to introduce. All new, it’s BMW’s first engine to combine high-precision direct injection with both mechanically driven variable valve timing and lift (Vanos and Valvetronic in BMW-speak ) and also a twin-scroll turbocharger. Albeit it’s only got one turbo, the new engine slots in where Munich’s twin-turbo petrol six may need during this particular model range, producing 302bhp and an incredibly accessible 295lb ft or torque, available all of the way from 1200rpm to 5000rpm. What’s it like? Just as fascinating to drive - or perhaps to ride in - as it‘s to contemplate. That’s because underneath the new 5 GT lies a similar mechanical platform (BMW calls it a ‘backbone’ ) that underpins the current 7-series, which will continue to form the idea of subsequent 5-series and 6-series. And it also makes this car a seriously sophisticated section of kit. As standard, this car has steel-spung double-wishbone suspension early on, an air-sprung self-levelling multi-link arrangement in the rear, and an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. Tick the choices boxes for ‘Adaptive Drive’ and ‘Integral Active Steering’ (delivering the service will cost you slightly below £3500 ) and also your 5 GT also will include a variable-ratio, variable-assistance steering system, rear-wheel steer, active anti-roll bars and adaptive dampers. The dampers are particularly interesting, BMW claims, because they’re the only real ones inside the world which will continuously and independently alter damping rates on both compression and rebound. And that they can perform so within lower than 0. 1sec. All those active systems could do more harm than good for this car’s dynamic performance were it not for the undeniable fact that they’re very effectively harmonised and marshalled employing a four-stage control system called Dynamic Drive Control.