The Ultimate BMW Family Machine? - 2014 BMW 328i xDrive Gran Turismo Long-Term Road Test
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The Ultimate BMW Family Machine? - 2014 BMW 328i xDrive Gran Turismo Long-Term Road Test
BMW makes a variety of vehicles that could be used by families. Is the 2014 BMW GranTurismo the best of the bunch?
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Cargo capacity pretty small. I would go for an X3 instead. Or a 5GT.
But frankly, since manual transmission is not available, I don't see the point. Just get a minivan.
For me, it begins and ends with the single most unique part of the car, and no, it's not the hatch. The wagon has a nice tailgate and folding seats as well. It's all about the back seat and I still don't understand why this hasn't been more of a focus. You can put two adults in the back of a 3 sedan and pretend they are happy back there, and maybe they are if they are maybe 5 foot eight or less and so is the driver. With this car, putting two adults or tall teens in the back is a non-issue. You don't have to worry about moving your seat forward or even asking if anybody has enough room back there. Yes, the car is compromised in terms of appearance, though I still don't consider it that off-putting. It may not be quite as sharp as a 3 sedan, but its sharper than an X3. For an overall family vehicle which still drives more like a BMW, and doesn't cost $70,000, this is probably the best.
I agree -- this is the ultimate BMW family machine. I've posted here before that the long wheelbase makes this very attractive to me. I like the look of LWB cars, and I tend to keep my driver's seat pretty far back making extra rear-seat legroom very valuable. Until BMW offers a long-wheelbase 3-series wagon, this is the one for me. I would instantly choose the 3GT over an X3.
Must be because I'm starting to see these all over the place. Unlike the 5 Series GT which thankfully I see only rarely, the 3 Series GT is popping up like crazy. It must be resonating in the marketplace for some reason and maybe the family appeal is it. The standard 3 series (even in wagon form) really isn't the right size for families once you start installing the car seats and loading up the strollers but maybe the extra wheelbase here makes the difference.
I actually like the looks of the 3GT. The 5GT is ghastly, but somehow, scaled down for the 3, it works.
This was a car that was on my short list. But all the BMW's I compared either hadn't done the small-overlap or had severely injured drivers. I'd just been in a similar wreck so I wasn't going to invite lighting to strike twice. I think this car could look a lot better, the softness of the window lines top and bottom and the hofmeister kink do the proportions of this car absolutely no favors. It's very similar to that awful accord suv thing that Honda sells. The utility of the car is fantastic though, and it's priced pretty much equal to the wagon.