Executive Hot Hatch

At first sight I was not really sure what to make of the styling on BMW’s GT series 5er. It had a similar look to a BMW X6 and was quite different from either the previous or current F10 5 series; I guess you could classify it in the new ‘Crossover’ style that has started doing the rounds at many of the major auto manufacturers, half car, half SUV. Would it appeal to the BMW faithful? Only time would tell. When I spied this particular example I have to admit I had to take a second look and check it out. It had an aggressive look that caught my attention and made it worthy of further investigation. Maybe it just worked in the Dark Graphite Metallic color, but it sure looked good to me. Let’s face it, the car is either one you love or hate but this article is about the driving experience, one that will tell us whether the car is worthy of the BMW roundel or not and where in the marketplace it is positioned. The GT was a brave move on BMW’s part; they created a new market segment in North America when they decided not to bring the new generation 5er Touring to the American continent. BMW’s plan was to unleash a car that could act as a luxury sedan but have the benefits of a wagon when needed. You could say that is what SUVs like the X5 are about. After all there are not really off road vehicles are they? The GT was designed to provide a more car-like experience to owners with that preference but with the additional fringe benefits that the hatchback and great rear access brings. Although designed as a hatchback the GT has the plus of also having a trunk lid that can be accessed when you need to get into the rear of the car quickly or with smaller items. The car we drove was a 550i GT 2010 version with 18,000 kilometers on the clock. It was modified but modifications were limited to software, springs and wheels but these are enough to make this particular car individual and standout from the crowd. My first impression of the car was how quiet it was, especially for a hatchback. That is partially accomplished by BMW segregating the hatch from the cabin area with a divider and it does rather a good job of minimizing the noise that is normally associated with a hatch or a SUV. A huge plus for those living in colder climates is being able to access the trunk space without exposing the passengers to sub artic air simply by using the trunk lid on its own. When you need full access, the powered hatchback gives more than enough room to deposit larger items. A perfect driving position is not hard to find with the electrically adjustable seat and your view out of the car is very good for a hatchback. This is part due to the four frameless doors, which is a first in a full size four door BMW. I was initially worried about the seeing out of the severely sloped rear window but that was not an issue due to the curved nature of the upper edge of the window. Car and Driver said the rearward view was nonexistent but I dispute that fact and was pleasantly surprised by how good the rear view actually was. The door mirrors could be a little larger but do the job required and the tinted feature is a joy on Toronto’s crowded highways at night.

The 550i GT is no lightweight (kerb weight - 4707 lbs. / 2139 kg) even with the copious quantities of aluminum used in its build. The lack of doorframes reportedly saved twentyeight kilos or sixty-eight pounds which no doubt helped matters. Even so, the car is nimble about town and really does not really feel that big. Bare in mind that the car is based on the new seven series platform and you realize that it is indeed a large car. It certainly feels big inside the car, with lots of room for passengers to stretch out in the front or back and with headroom that is just shy of that found in an X5. The reclining rear seats in the rear would make a road trip a delight for rear seat passengers, but make sure you go for the powered versions. Legroom is as much as the 7 series but becomes a little less when the seats are moved forward to allow the seats to recline. You can choose to configure a new car in four or five seat format. Our GT was set up as a four-seater with fixed armrest and glove box and with this spec the gap between the rear seats looks a little odd but has to be there to allow the seats to fold almost flat and match the center console. When folded the space available in the rear is actually more than the previous 5 series Touring but marginally not as usable as the seats do not fold completely flat. If you were considering buying a GT, bare in mind the five-seat option can only really be called an occasional seat for the fifth person. I would not want to go on a long journey having been assigned the center seat. However the outboard passengers will feel, as they are relaxing in an easy chair at home. A panoramic sunroof adds to the homely feel of the car and provides a light airy environment perfectly suited to long journeys where this car will excel. BMW claims the 550i GT will get to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds, which is impressive for a car of this weight and size. Fuel economy is not the greatest but it is a big car. The GT comes equipped with BMWs new Brake Energy Regeneration system. The GT is the first North American model featuring BER, which is designed to improve fuel efficiency by up to three percent. Additionally it disconnects the alternator when the throttle is pressed and the engine is available to provide all its power without the parasitic loss of the alternator. The alternator is then re-activated when you take your foot off the accelerator or apply the brake pedal. If this sounds complicated, don’t worry, BMW monitors the Brake Energy

Regeneration system and the battery level and will if required charge the battery during acceleration to prevent the complete discharging of the battery. A gauge located on the dash displays the BER system performance. The GT benefits from having three modes to choose from in the Driving Dynamics Control system. Normal, Sport and Sport Plus sets throttle response, transmission shift characteristics, the level of powersteering assistance and shock absorber firmness to the corresponding mode. I preferred the Sport mode to the Sport Plus, which I felt was too aggressive for everyday use. But then again, that is my personal preference and is the reason BMW gives you three choices. I absolutely loved having a heads-up display on this car, even though it took a little getting used to, I tended to tilt my head down to check the speedo but then went duh as I remembered the HUD and my eyes would return to the windshield. I personally would like to see a large gear selection indicator in addition to the current speed, as it can be a bit difficult keeping track of the eight speeds in the ZF transmission when running in manual gear selection mode. The HUD may have that choice available, but I would have had to spend the time going through the myriads of programmable options but as I only had the car for one day and was enjoying myself too much driving it, I did not think it was worthwhile. Incidentally the ZF is the same one used in the 760Li and shared with next-generation Audi A8. The transmission works well and any of the three selectable modes but I preferred using Manual to Sport Auto or Auto in regular driving and once in the city it was thrown into Auto where it performed admirably. The dash combines the standard gauges found in any BMW with Black Panel technology. To those who have not heard of it, Black Panel is exactly as it sounds, the dash is black until the car is powered up and all the numbers and needles seem to appear out of nowhere. At night everything changes to BMW’s trademark orange. To the right of the dash is the I-Drive display. The new larger 10.2-inch screen allows the driver to easily interface with the display without having to spend too much time taking your eyes off the road. The screen converts to a camera screen when reverse gear is selected and the rear-view camera comes into operation. Green and red lines indicated the trajectory the car will take if it continues on the path the wheels are pointing. SideView uses cameras installed in the front fenders enabling the driver to peek around blind intersections to check on oncoming traffic. By all accounts everyone is impressed how improved the I-Drive controls are. There is no more delving into layers and layers of menus to accomplish a task, plus the hot keys that surround the I-Drive knob make returning to root menus much easier. The climate controls have been moved to the

lower dash making adjustments must easier than when incorporated with the I-Drive and that annoying experience of losing the Nav screen when you changed the temperature is no longer an issue. Executives and people like real estate agents will love the capabilities of turning their car into a mobile office. All major social media sites can be interfaced with using BMW’s ConnectedDrive and BMW Apps by using speech-to-text posts, which can be read or posted on the likes of Twitter and Facebook. This really is a

car for the 21st century! The one negative I have about the parking distance control (PDC) is that when trying to park the car in my garage overnight I could not complete the task as the transmission kept jumping out of reverse into park when there was still ten inches available to me and I only required another four inches to close the garage door. Moving the crap stored at the rear of the garage out of the way, was an option but not one I wanted to pursue at 11 p.m. at night. I understand the car taking control but sometimes too much, is too much, maybe an override would be a good option for this issue. So who really is the target audience for this new segment? The GT is ideal for the business owner who spends a lot of time working out of their car. Anyone who would consider an X5 should really look at the GT, it gives them the same flexibility but is much easier to live with in everyday life. Real estate agents can Tweet about their hot bargains and at the same time effortlessly pull out ‘Open House’ signs just by accessing the trunk lid. It has the real feel of a sedan and benefits of a hatchback without the negativity of noise that is normally associated with hatches. Is it worthy of that BMW roundel? I for sure feel it is! As a new market segment will it catch on? I don’t know, but the day I spent with the car put a grin on my face that only got wiped off by my next road test, a X5M. There is a place for this car and if you have any spare time on your hands next time you are having your BMW serviced check out a GT!

SPEC AS TESTED 2010 BMW 550i Gran Turismo 12137 Km Exterior: Dark Graphite Metallic Interior: Black Dakota Leather Automatic Transmission BMW Certified Series Executive Package Sports Package Rear Comfort Seats Dinan Stage II Software Enkei 20” Wheel Package H&R Lowering Springs

$73,403.00 CAN plus applicable taxes

HOT HATCH PLUS

Now to the modifications! The 550i GT comes with 400 h.p as standard accompanied by 450 ftlbs of torque developed at 1,750 rpm. Steve Dinan’s software gurus have upped that to 501 h.p and 580 ft-lbs @ 3500 rpm. The Stage II software is invisible until the extra power is called upon. The car is perfectly docile around town and on the highway, behaving like a regular 550 GT but press on the loud pedal and all those extra ponies are released and the performance is spirited to say the least on a car weighing as much as this one does. The horsepower gain, slots the car in between Porsche’s Panamera Turbo and Turbo S in what I feel is a far more attractive looking package, even though the two cars are not really direct competitors to each other. With Dinan having no suspension solution for this car yet, it was fitted with a set of H&R progressive rate springs that lower the car two inches which gave it the nice stance that first attracted my attention. The ride is on the firmer side but not harsh or uncomfortable. Obstacles like railroad crossings are taken without an issue but a pothole or sharp edged manhole cover hole has the rear end emitting a bang that is a bit on the harsh side. This is however an issue with the self leveling air springs on the standard car too, according to one report. The reason given is that the spring rates are set up for the full rated load. Without having the car fully loaded I could not testify to that fact being true or not. Undulations on a good paved road cause no concern and the car tracks as if it is on rails, going exactly where you point it. This car was upgraded to 20” Enkei Lusso black faced rims with polished lip and they suited the car to a tee, perfectly complementing the Dark Graphite Metallic exterior. The Enkei’s are wrapped in Goodyear Excellence 245/40R20 & 275/35R20 Y rated run flat tires.