2014 BMW 335i xDrive Gran Turismo - Car and Driver
Enthusiasts winced when they heard BMW would subject the latest 3-series to its Gran Turismo treatment. With all the recent talk about offering front-wheel-drive cars and electric vehicles , not to mention the Pillsbury Doughboy–as-wagon-replacement 5-series GT , haven’t we been subjected to enough BMW market-segment experimentation lately. Our feelings notwithstanding, BMW’s goal never was to pull yet another genre-bending derivative off a perfectly fine sedan. This one is designed to offer a lot more space and versatility than the sedan does, while avoiding the station wagon look that—inexplicably—is dreaded by customers outside Europe. So here comes the 3-series GT that, like the larger 5-series GT, tries to be a master of all disciplines. To make the new GT, BMW took the long-wheelbase chassis from the Chinese-market 3-series , raised the seating position, and added a large rear hatch. That’s a difficult brief to work with, and the team around BMW designer Page Beermann has endeavored to mask the GT’s considerable bulk. The 3-series GT, we submit, is a far-better-looking car than the 5-series GT, and it does make good use of its larger dimensions. Thanks to its swollen body, the trunk holds between 18 and 57 cubic feet of luggage, more than does the 3-series sport wagon it joins in BMW’s U. S. lineup. Source: www.caranddriver.com
