2014 BMW 328i xDrive Gran Turismo Long-Term Road Test

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2014 BMW 328i xDrive Gran Turismo Long-Term Road Test

The 2014 BMW 328i xDrive Gran Turismo's hatchback was a great feature during our recent last-minute road trip.

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smudge12

To me, these modern day GTs are what Saab 900s were in the 90s. This car reminds me of what Saab could have been instead of what it became.

markinnaples_

Ugh, still ugly as sin.

noburgers

And WAY better looking than a Crosstour!

ajac03

Coming from a guy who loves hatchbacks and generally thinks BMW's look great, I honestly think this is one of the ugliest hatchbacks sold on the market.. talk about awkward looking..

ocramidajzj

Dan, you may talk about this in another post but how did you feel about the interior quality (plastics, fit and finish, rattles, buzzes)? I sat in GT at a recent auto show and felt like it cut more corners than previous BMWs. But I have to say that I did like the look of the car, especially in profile. Although both the 5 GT and 3 GT have a heavy but, the 3 seems to pull it off better with a more slender backside. I will say that I do like the new steering wheel design, though I did feel like the plastics were a bit cheap- especially the silver spoke.

zimtheinvader

I always wanted one of the first generation Mazda6 'hatchback' they were pretty stealth and you generally had to look close to see that the entire back opened.

expensivehobby

I need to see one in person to really tell, but I can take a little hit in the styling area if the function does enough to make up for it. This model intrigued me from the beginning for the extra room in storage and the supposed extra rear-seat legroom. I'm sure we'll hear more about that as the test goes on. Fact is, unless they are short or children its hard to justify having a 3-series if you want the ability to take an occasional trip with back seat occupants--short trips, sure, but not much more. 5-series are only getting more expensive and while this certainly isn't cheap, the extra room suggests getting a little more than what a 3 can do while still having a car. I am concerned, though about whether cheapening the interior closes the gap too much with, say, the VWs I presently drive.

fordson1

"I'm not sure about the butt-heavy styling, though. All I can say so far is the 3 Series GT looks better than the 5 Series GT because there is less of it to look at." That damning it with faint praise.

bankerdanny

The upcoming 4 series Gran Coupe, which is functionally the same as Audi's beautiful A7 but slightly smaller, will be the BMW hatch to get, assuming of course it makes it to the US.

cjasis

Ok, but how does the interior space compare to the proper 328 wagon that is still sold in the US?
Unlike this ugly thing, the 328 wagon is actually very nice to look at.

desmolicious

"Ok, but how does the interior space compare to the proper 328 wagon that is still sold in the US? Unlike this ugly thing, the 328 wagon is actually very nice to look at."

Exactly. The 328 wagon looks great, and will have more cargo space than the Gt

quadricycle

@cjasis: I don't know how much cargo capacity the 3 Series Wagon has with the rear seats up, but I do know that it has a total of 64.9 cubic feet with the seats flat. That's 8.4 more than the GT's 56.5. Where the wagon owner really scores; however, is, as

stovt001_

Even though the heavily sloping roof line takes away from maximum cargo space compared to a more traditional hatchback/wagon body style, I love how accessible this kind of sedan-ish hatchback body style makes the trunk area, both from inside and outside the car.

rmiranne

I also love hatchbacks. I own an 07 Mazda 6i 5-door (hatchback) and love it. I can't afford the Bimmer, but I wish Mazda still made a 5-door 6 or Ford would build a 5-door Fusion in the USA.

kyolml

i dunno man, will take the 4 series gran coupe hatchback any day of the week.

X4, 3 GT, 3 Wagon, X3, and maybe somewhat related 4 series gran coupe, all have a hatch, and what's the actual difference in function? BMW is seriously over populated with 3 platform to make anything that they can think off to fill that "10 people will buy it" segment" thus I am betting it's not very expensive to make all the models, and why the cheapening interior is happening.

juddholl10

@bankerdanny

Uh, the 4GC is coming to the U.S. Where've you been?

camrydriver69

The styling has grown on me. It's not a look people are used to seeing. I think it looks great.

allthingshonda

I like hatchbacks and think more car makers should offer them. But this thing looks hideous. Honda Crosstour hideous. This car would work better as a properly designed wagon. Most car makers think that buyers in the U.S. don't like wagons but I don't think that's true. Subaru Outback. Take a wagon, lift it a few inches, put some aggressive body cladding on it, throw in some big all terrain tires, advertise it driving through deep snow and muddy off road trails with a young couple (no kids) and a couple of kayaks on the roof rack, never refer to it as a wagon or SUV allowing buyers to decide what it is and you have a money maker.

allthingshonda

And one more thing. Yes BMW quality is going down IMO. There is something to be said of their former design philosophy of same sausage different sizes. Material quality from 7 series to 3 series was exactly the same then. Not anymore. The 3 series looks cheaper than it's big brothers. This car just doesn't look BMWish. The headlights even look cheap now. Just regular halogen lights. And looking close at them they aren't really round headlights. BMW doesn't even bother with projector lenses any more.

legacygt

Maybe it's the angle but the open hatch looks really tall. I'd like to see this with some perspective (such as in a garage) to see if the open hatch risks hitting the ceiling or garage door.

redxsage

I'm wondering if this is the car that Tesla Motors intends to target with its Model E in a few years. Or will it be the Cadillac CTS-V instead?