2014 BMW 335i xDrive GT Test Drive by BMW Blog

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BMW Blog gets the opportunity to test drive the BMW 3 Series GT and ends up not being completely impressed. They say that the car is good in all things, but master of none. Here is an excerpt of their review:

At speed, the BMW 335i xDrive GT proved to be more accurate than initial feedback through the wheel would have led me to believe. Turn in for a corner and electric steering proved to be accurate and easy to correct when exiting a turn. As always, the 8-Speed ZF gearbox was a perfect pairing for snapping off rapid gear changes but even better when left to its own devices to choose shift points for you in Sport mode – allowing for a satisfying hold of each gear before continuing upward.

Overall, the suspension felt compliant and never let the 3 GT put a wheel wrong even on the occasionally less than perfectly even back roads of the Pacific Northwest. Through the bends, thanks to the adaptive suspension from the M Sport line coupled with the Dynamic Handling Package, body roll was kept to a minimum with the N55 motor providing enough poke to quickly propel us down the road to the next corner.

Everything was good, then, it seemed.

But not quite.

The 335i xDrive Gran Turismo is a good car overall, a jack of all trades but doesn’t champion any one area. Dynamically, the 3 GT falls somewhere between an F30 3 Series Sedan and F10 5 Series Sedan– not as communicative or fun as an F30 but not quite as remote as an F10. Paired with xDrive and the additional weight of the deep rear cargo area, the N55 feels like the right engine pairing while the N20( I was unable to drive the N20-powered F34) could potentially be a bit underpowered for the chassis. The ride height is a bit awkward as well, sitting somewhere between a 3 Series and an X3. From the driver’s seat the 3 Series GT just doesn’t quite get me to a point of buying into the Ultimate Driving Machine moniker.