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WhatCar? reviews the 2013 BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo and confirms that this is not just another addition to the 3 Series family. Despite some issues they found upon driving the vehicle, they would still recommend people to buy one due to practicality and many more. Here is an excerpt of their review:
What’s the 2013 BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo like to drive?
It might be more practical than a 3 Series Touring, but the Gran Turismo isn’t as sharp to drive.
All of our test cars were equipped with adaptive M Sport suspension (a £750 option), which allows you to vary the stiffness of the shock absorbers. However, even in ‘Sport’ mode, body movements aren’t especially well controlled. This is not all that surprising, given the GT’s relatively high centre of gravity.
This isn’t a car that relishes quick changes of direction, then, but once settled in a corner there is at least plenty of grip.
You’re better off leaving the suspension in ‘Comfort’ mode, because although this means body control is even sloppier, you do benefit from a smoother ride. Sharp-edged bumps still tend to send jolts through the cabin at lower speeds, but high-speed comfort is impressive.
It’s just a shame you can’t combine the more reassuring weight you get from the steering in ‘Sport’ mode with the more forgiving ‘Comfort’ suspension setting. Whichever mode you choose, there’s also a considerable amount of road- and suspension noise over coarse surfaces, and the wind can be heard whistling past the door mirrors at motorway speeds.
The 181bhp 2.0-litre diesel isn’t the quietest four-cylinder engine we’ve tried, but it combines decent performance with fairly low CO2 emissions of 129g/km (the equivalent 3 Series Touring emits 125g/km).
We also tried the range-topping 335i model. Its 302bhp six-cylinder engine delivers seriously strong acceleration and an equally impressive soundtrack. Unsurprisingly, though, fuel economy isn’t quite so spectacular.
Both versions we drove were fitted with the optional eight-speed automatic gearbox. Our experience with the 3 Series saloon and Touring versions suggests this £1525 option is definitely worth considering, because the auto ‘box shifts smoothly and lets you accelerate gently from low revs without changing down unnecessarily early.
Should I buy one?
There’s no doubt the GT has some big practicality advantages over the 3 Series Touring, not to mention rivals from other manufacturers, such as the Audi A5 Sportback. True, the GT isn’t as sharp to drive as either of those cars, but it’s a comfortable cruiser that comes with more standard equipment, helping to offset that higher price.
