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 GT. Gran Turismo. As far as the definition goes , a GT is essentially a high-performance and luxurious automobile which takes pleasure in turning your long distance journeys into the most comfortable and enjoyable form of travel. If we look at the history of BMW (and the company’s tag line) , the Munich automobile is nothing short of ‘Sheer Driving Pleasure.’ It has been proven time and again that the exciting Beemer has always been a saloon. However , in recent times the German giant has started making cars that fit in quite a few other segments and some of them even try to be a mix of various purposes (read X6). Continuing its attempt to make something different and exciting , BMW has come up with the GT. Yes , Gran Turismo. We are quite thrilled about this new car and in fact about this new avenue that BMW is trying to explore. We are looking forward to a rather exciting and luxurious drive in the GT.
However , even before we reach the wheel and pedals , what we are looking at is a car with weird dimensions , proportions and a confused posture that our eyes are not really used to looking at. The front end of the GT is a combination of the imposing snout like that of the X family (though a slightly toned down version of it) and the new 5 Series. Looking at the side profile , as you move toward the rear , the swooping roofline reminds you of a coupe like design. The GT is tall (taller than a saloon though shorter than a SUV) , lengthy (with a wheelbase equal to that of a 7 Series) and wide in order to provide all the luxurious cabin space that can be squeezed in. What is most important and surprising here is that it looks unmistakably like a BMW even with its unusual  design theory. The wraparound headlamps and the bold , reverse-raked grille at the front add aggression to the GT. At the same time , the tail section is a bit of a debatable issue. Some might find it beefy , modern and awesome while i am still stuck at the fact that this design doesn’t quite suit my taste. Nonetheless , I have this honest feeling that it will grow on me with time.
Let me rest this external design factor here and look at how things have been laid out internally. First things first , the GT has enormous space inside , enough to compete with the 7. Two rows of two seats each add up to a total capacity of four people. Nevertheless , you can lift up the armrest at the rear and make space to accommodate a fifth person. However , the beauty of the cabin space is that even the rear seats have an option of moving to and fro and the backrests of the rear seats are electronically adjustable to recline. In fact , if you push the front passenger seat forward , you have enough room at the rear to stretch out and sleep comfortably. Even the headrest of the rear seat is designed in such a manner that you can adjust it to hold your neck in its position even when you fall asleep. Interesting. Additionally , the rear seats’ backrest can be folded flat to maximize the boot space to 1700 litres! Talking of the boot , it features the twin-gate opening like what we have seen on the new Skoda Superb , however , it’s more straightforward than the Czech with two separate buttons – One for just the boot lid and the other for the boot lid plus glass (like a hatch).
Coming back to the cabin , electronic playgrounds are standard on cars of this stature and the GT is no exception. Key proximity ignition starter , iDrive , six-CD changer , television function , two displays at the rear  (optional entertainment package) and an electronic tail gate opening switch , the list can go on. In short , like any other high-end Beemer or for that matter , like any other high-end car , the GT has techy interiors. So it has an unconventional design and awesome interiors. But how does this thing drive?
The GT comes powered with a 3.0-litre oil burner that produces a peak power of 245PS at 4000rpm. What is more interesting here is the humongous propelling torque of 540Nm that starts acting from 1750rpm and keeps you excited all the way up till the tacho reads 3000. The straight six motor is quiet and humble and won’t make a noise to disturb you unless you have the pedal floored. And once that is done , 0-100km/h comes in 7.18 seconds. It feels much quicker in the car than what the figures suggest. The powerplant of the GT is mated with an eight-speed auto ‘box that does the job of shifting through the gears smoothly , quickly (almost like a twin clutch ’box) and efficiently. To add to that , the transmission is amazingly responsive to the throttle operation and this keeps the drive lively when you mash the pedal. Eight ratios also mean that high speeds come at low rpms. The GT delivered an efficiency of 12.5kmpl on the highway. Superb.
Coming to the more important factor of the drive , is the GT as dynamic as a typical BMW? There are a couple of things that need to be noted here. The seats of the GT are higher than a regular 5 Series (which definitely gives a much more commanding driving position , something like a SUV). So is the roof. But if you see , the floor , suspension and the engine are still low. In short , the GT’s centre of gravity is neither as low as a sedan nor as high as a SUV. This lends it driving characteristics that are a compromise between the two. A double wishbone front suspension and  multilink rear with self-leveling air suspension come from the 7 Series and they give the GT an impeccable drive quality. The suspension is slightly on the stiffer side like a typical Beemer. This gives you all the necessary sportiness you would want from your GT.
However , there is one thing that gives us every reason to crib. The GT weighs almost two tonnes. It will not show any body roll in a given corner , but set it through a couple of quick right-left combination of bends and the switchback is not as smooth and easy as you would expect. Pushing the GT through tight corners might introduce you to some understeer. To tackle this issue , BMW has installed the Dynamic Drive facility on the GT which allows you to choose from three driving modes – Normal (the best for day-to-day driving conditions) , Sport (which gives you an option to add sportiness to either your transmission or chassis) and Sport+ (radically improves the transmission , suspension and handling though at the cost of the plush drive quality). The Sport modes address the understeer problem to an extent of making you wonder if you even faced it!
At the end of the day , where do we stand? I have spent about 300km blasting on the highways and some more crawling around in the city. The GT’s unconventional shape grabs all the attention on the road. The drivability of the 3.0-litre diesel is unquestionable. It shows great performance when the pedal is floored on the highways. I have spent some time in the rear seats to pamper myself with the luxury on offer. I even loaded a lot of camera and testing  equipment along with some personal luggage to impress myself with the car’s boot space. It all sounds so good , but there are some grievances as well. The rear windshield hampers visibility to a good extent. It’s better than the X6 , but definitely makes you rely a lot on the camera especially when it comes to parking lots. Secondly , the frameless doors are a pain to shut. You have to literally slam them to shut them properly. And of course , if you fail to do so , your car doesn’t move (as a safety measure of course). Even worse , if you park the car and try to remote lock it and walk off without being adequately observant to check if the car is locked or not , you might end up leaving the car unlocked in case one of the doors is not slammed properly. Also , it really pains your heart to slam the doors of a car that’s worth Rs 70 lakh (approximate price of the base model , OTR , Pune).
Talking of the costs , the electronic seats at the rear come in the optional package worth Rs 1.5 lakh. Want the rear displays? Add another entertainment package of Rs 1.5 lakh. However , even at that price you are buying something that has no competition whatsoever in the market as of now and you are assured of driving a vehicle that is pretty much exclusive on the Indian streets. All in all , the GT is a good combination of a high seating , performance oriented and luxurious vehicle that a rich businessman would want to be driven in to office on the weekdays and then take his family for getaways on the weekends – just as the Gran Turismo name suggests.
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However , even before we reach the wheel and pedals , what we are looking at is a car with weird dimensions , proportions and a confused posture that our eyes are not really used to looking at. The front end of the GT is a combination of the imposing snout like that of the X family (though a slightly toned down version of it) and the new 5 Series. Looking at the side profile , as you move toward the rear , the swooping roofline reminds you of a coupe like design. The GT is tall (taller than a saloon though shorter than a SUV) , lengthy (with a wheelbase equal to that of a 7 Series) and wide in order to provide all the luxurious cabin space that can be squeezed in. What is most important and surprising here is that it looks unmistakably like a BMW even with its unusual
design theory. The wraparound headlamps and the bold , reverse-raked grille at the front add aggression to the GT. At the same time , the tail section is a bit of a debatable issue. Some might find it beefy , modern and awesome while i am still stuck at the fact that this design doesn’t quite suit my taste. Nonetheless , I have this honest feeling that it will grow on me with time.
Let me rest this external design factor here and look at how things have been laid out internally. First things first , the GT has enormous space inside , enough to compete with the 7. Two rows of two seats each add up to a total capacity of four people. Nevertheless , you can lift up the armrest at the rear and make space to accommodate a fifth person. However , the beauty of the cabin space is that even the rear seats have an option of moving to and fro and the backrests of the rear seats are electronically adjustable to recline. In fact , if you push the front passenger seat forward , you have enough room at the rear to stretch out and sleep comfortably. Even the headrest of the rear seat is designed in such a manner that you can adjust it to hold your neck in its position even when you fall asleep. Interesting. Additionally , the rear seats’ backrest can be folded flat to maximize the boot space to 1700 litres! Talking of the boot , it features the twin-gate opening like what we have seen on the new Skoda Superb , however , it’s more straightforward than the Czech with two separate buttons – One for just the boot lid and the other for the boot lid plus glass (like a hatch).
Coming back to the cabin , electronic playgrounds are standard on cars of this stature and the GT is no exception. Key proximity ignition starter , iDrive , six-CD changer , television function , two displays at the rear
(optional entertainment package) and an electronic tail gate opening switch , the list can go on. In short , like any other high-end Beemer or for that matter , like any other high-end car , the GT has techy interiors. So it has an unconventional design and awesome interiors. But how does this thing drive?
The GT comes powered with a 3.0-litre oil burner that produces a peak power of 245PS at 4000rpm. What is more interesting here is the humongous propelling torque of 540Nm that starts acting from 1750rpm and keeps you excited all the way up till the tacho reads 3000. The straight six motor is quiet and humble and won’t make a noise to disturb you unless you have the pedal floored. And once that is done , 0-100km/h comes in 7.18 seconds. It feels much quicker in the car than what the figures suggest. The powerplant of the GT is mated with an eight-speed auto ‘box that does the job of shifting through the gears smoothly , quickly (almost like a twin clutch ’box) and efficiently. To add to that , the transmission is amazingly responsive to the throttle operation and this keeps the drive lively when you mash the pedal. Eight ratios also mean that high speeds come at low rpms. The GT delivered an efficiency of 12.5kmpl on the highway. Superb.
Coming to the more important factor of the drive , is the GT as dynamic as a typical BMW? There are a couple of things that need to be noted here. The seats of the GT are higher than a regular 5 Series (which definitely gives a much more commanding driving position , something like a SUV). So is the roof. But if you see , the floor , suspension and the engine are still low. In short , the GT’s centre of gravity is neither as low as a sedan nor as high as a SUV. This lends it driving characteristics that are a compromise between the two. A double wishbone front suspension and
multilink rear with self-leveling air suspension come from the 7 Series and they give the GT an impeccable drive quality. The suspension is slightly on the stiffer side like a typical Beemer. This gives you all the necessary sportiness you would want from your GT.
However , there is one thing that gives us every reason to crib. The GT weighs almost two tonnes. It will not show any body roll in a given corner , but set it through a couple of quick right-left combination of bends and the switchback is not as smooth and easy as you would expect. Pushing the GT through tight corners might introduce you to some understeer. To tackle this issue , BMW has installed the Dynamic Drive facility on the GT which allows you to choose from three driving modes – Normal (the best for day-to-day driving conditions) , Sport (which gives you an option to add sportiness to either your transmission or chassis) and Sport+ (radically improves the transmission , suspension and handling though at the cost of the plush drive quality). The Sport modes address the understeer problem to an extent of making you wonder if you even faced it!
At the end of the day , where do we stand? I have spent about 300km blasting on the highways and some more crawling around in the city. The GT’s unconventional shape grabs all the attention on the road. The drivability of the 3.0-litre diesel is unquestionable. It shows great performance when the pedal is floored on the highways. I have spent some time in the rear seats to pamper myself with the luxury on offer. I even loaded a lot of camera and testing
equipment along with some personal luggage to impress myself with the car’s boot space. It all sounds so good , but there are some grievances as well. The rear windshield hampers visibility to a good extent. It’s better than the X6 , but definitely makes you rely a lot on the camera especially when it comes to parking lots. Secondly , the frameless doors are a pain to shut. You have to literally slam them to shut them properly. And of course , if you fail to do so , your car doesn’t move (as a safety measure of course). Even worse , if you park the car and try to remote lock it and walk off without being adequately observant to check if the car is locked or not , you might end up leaving the car unlocked in case one of the doors is not slammed properly. Also , it really pains your heart to slam the doors of a car that’s worth Rs 70 lakh (approximate price of the base model , OTR , Pune).
Talking of the costs , the electronic seats at the rear come in the optional package worth Rs 1.5 lakh. Want the rear displays? Add another entertainment package of Rs 1.5 lakh. However , even at that price you are buying something that has no competition whatsoever in the market as of now and you are assured of driving a vehicle that is pretty much exclusive on the Indian streets. All in all , the GT is a good combination of a high seating , performance oriented and luxurious vehicle that a rich businessman would want to be driven in to office on the weekdays and then take his family for getaways on the weekends – just as the Gran Turismo name suggests.
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Nice review..what is the price of the top end model with all the needed optional packages?