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Administrator
Drives: E90 M3
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: IoT
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More BMW 3 Series GT Reviews Roll In, Both Good and Bad
 BIMMERPOST NEWS More BMW 3 Series GT Reviews Roll In, Both Good and Bad 
More first drive reviews of the 3 Series GT [ official info] are now in, now from Edmunds and the other from The Telegraph. One likes it plenty, the other... not so much. It seems that the 3 Series GT is polarizing, even after hands-on driving experience.
Here are some of the notable things Edmunds had to say:
Quote:
A Sharp-Handling Hatchback
And you can feel this balance on the road. The 335i arcs into bends with a confident zeal that's heightened by our car's optional sport steering gear and its quicker-acting rack. Even with the adaptive dampers at their softest setting, the GT's body control is kept well in check.
Our test 2014 BMW 335i GT's optional 19-inch rims, which do a great job of filling out its arches, doubtless heighten this agility, which steps up a notch when you engage Sport via the rocker on the center console. It stirs the engine and gearbox to greater efforts, even though they hardly felt lazy in the standard setting.
The turbocharged straight-6 revs with an even, eager urge that climbs unabated to 7,000 rpm before upshifting, and with a smooth-pumping beat that makes you want to do it all again. This engine isn't quite the electrically smooth revver that Munich sixes have been in the past, as there's too much of a mildly coarse roar for that, but it's tuneful enough to make you want it over a four, and it's plenty quick. BMW claims a 0-60-mph time of 5.4 seconds and a 155-mph top speed.
And the chassis is good enough to encourage such wanton behavior. Tight damping, strong body composure and fine chassis balance make this a car you'll enjoy swooping about in, even if your passengers might not thank you.
There are some blemishes in the GT's behavior, though, both of them ride-related. Sharp-edged lumps generate loud thumps in the cabin that are a bit unexpected. Crests can be its undoing, too, as the suspension sometimes sends the car into a curious vertical bounce that's particularly emphatic at the rear. All of which is a surprise, since the 3 Series sedan suffers neither of these issues.
Will it take a significant bite out of 3 Series sedan sales? We wouldn't bet against it. Although many 3 Series buyers count themselves squarely in the enthusiast camp, the price of BMW's most popular model puts it in a demographic that needs space for a family. The 2014 BMW 3 Series GT fills that space quite nicely and does so in a way that is not likely to be objectionable to anyone looking to have it both ways. Full review at Edmunds.
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And from The Telegraph:
Quote:
Verdict: What a disappointment. With a great basis provided by the 3-series chassis and an initially promising body style, BMW has squandered the opportunity to make a highly desirable machine by jacking up the body with all that means to the detriment of ride and handling
Telegraph rating: Two out of five stars
If you cut through the overexcited hyperbole of the 3-series Gran Turismo, this hatchback version of BMW's best-selling saloon essentially revisits the premise of the Signum, viz, a reproportioned car which prioritises rear-seat accommodation over luggage space. Or, as I put it to Ingo Lasslop, the head of production management for BMW's 1- and 3-series, this is a jacked-up, stretched 3-series hatch for those who find the saloon too sporting, the estate too useful, the coupé too good looking and the X3 SUV too able off-road.
It drives pretty well, but since a 3-series should drive magnificently there's a problem here. The diesel is gutsy, reasonably refined and gives a decent amount of low-down torque, which actually gives the £1,525 automatic option a hard time and changes aren't as gentle as they should be.
The extra height and weight (at 1.61 tons, it's 165lb heavier than the equivalent Touring) require more roll stiffness in the chassis, which makes bump absorption more abrupt, while there's a trembling, fizzing quality to the ride that makes the GT feel nervous and gauche. With the £750 M-Sport suspension pack, it clambers slightly over bumps and, while the Servotronic electrically-assisted steering is accurate, it feels unresponsive and strangely weighted.
Turn-in to corners is flat and notchy and as the side loads build the nose feels as though it wants to roll over the top of the 18in wheels. The single-piston caliper disc brakes are powerful, but the pedal feels wooden and requires a firm shove. For useful fuel savings, BMW's EfficientDynamics has on-demand pumps for oil and water and alternator charging only on over-run, all which are barely noticeable.
A subsequent drive in the six-cylinder petrol model with the variable-ratio steering (£250) and 19in wheels proved to have a much better ride and body control, with a nose which tracked more faithfully around corners. As with a lot of BMW models, wheel and suspension specification is crucial to the ride and handling; it's easy to up-spec into a poorer car. Yet, even in this form, the GT is a far cry from the Touring or saloon models with their greater agility and heightened responses. Full review at The Telegraph.
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