BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo - Heavier, Pricier And A Bit Uglier

We ask all the important questions after driving BMW’s new genre-straddler

So, what’s the point? Is that what you’re thinking? Us too. We asked this question previously of the simply unfathomable 5 Series GT and now here we are, asking it again of the 3 Series. Here’s the pitch: the 3GT’s back bench is roomier than that of a 5 Series, its loading deck eclipses a 3 Series Touring, and its panoramic visibility is on par with X1 and X3. You sit higher up than in a classic saloon, the wheelbase virtually matches the X5, and the rear-seat layout is almost as accommodating as in the much more expensive 5 Series GT. Persuaded?

Brief to design: make the 3 Series heavier, pricier and a bit uglier.

If not, driving any BMW usually sorts it out. But sadly, not in this case, because the dynamic parameters have been compromised. The GT carries a 145kg weight penalty over the saloon, courtesy of a hefty, complicated boot lid and that, coupled with an elevated center of gravity, makes the handling a little less enthusiastic. Responses to steering inputs are a touch more ponderous than in the saloon, the poise through fast S-bends is less determined and there’s more pronounced body roll. Sounds like a bad thing but, when looked at in context, not necessarily so.

Perfectly nice cabin, but it’s those lounging in the back, enjoying the extra legroom, who are having most of the fun

You see, the 3GT rides with an extra dash of compliance, it protests less against B-road ruts, and even the 19-inch wheels no longer relay the excessive stiffness BMW’s Run Fat tires were once notorious for. If you regularly travel four-up, the other three occupants will tell you it’s the best 3 Series you can get.

the 3GT rides with an extra dash of compliance, it protests less against B-road ruts, and even the 19-inch wheels no longer relay the excessive stiffness BMW’s Run Fat tires were once notorious for.

Speaking as the driver, though, I can’t agree. I drove two variants, starting with the 320d, which BMW says will be the best-seller. The 2.0-litre diesel is neither quiet nor refined, but will reward deft-footedness by only consuming 5.0ℓ/100km and still achieve 8.0sec to 100kph. It’s actually as good in the rain as the beefier straight-six-powered 335i, the two of them being so close on torque (380Nm vs. 400) that they feel almost matched in the cause of hauling this beast around corners and up hills. Of course, if you get sorted into Sport Plus mode, crank the eight-speed auto controller into Manual and give it a real bootful, the 225kW 335i is still a plaything to knock spots of many a more sport-minded rival. But even I must acknowledge that this isn’t what the 3GT is built for (especially when you see the simply calamitous effect such behavior has on the fuel consumption).

The 2.0-litre diesel is neither quiet nor refined, but will reward deft-footedness by only consuming 5.0ℓ/100km and still achieve 8.0sec to 100kph.

While it might make sense in China, not so much in in Europe where it’s inexplicably pricier than the Touring, which costs more than the saloon. So basically they’re asking you to pay extra for a smidge more rear legroom and less of everything else. With no 3 Series Touring wagon available in SA to blur the picture though, perhaps the 3 GT will find a bit more favor than its larger 5GT sibling ever did on local shores.