BMW has achieved extraordinary success with its 3 series. It seems the world can’t get enough of the Bavarian mix of sport, luxury and relative practicality. It seemed there was a 3 Series for everyone; if you had a dog you could buy a 3 Touring – the station wagon. But South Africans don’t buy wagons for reasons that are still quite mystifying to me, and that’s why BMW has brought the 3 Series GT to the local market. Arriving to fetch the new BMW 3 Series GT, I’m immediately impressed by the exterior. It’s in a racy red with big sporting wheels – that’ll be the Sports trim package perking things up on the outside. The front end has received a very unique treatment. It is immediately familiar, sitting somewhere between the 5 Series and 3 Series in looks, but the vertical nose and wide kidney grilles make it altogether unique in the BMW line up. It has good presence this car, with a muscular stance I had underestimated. Towards the rear, things get a bit bloated, but it is packaged cleverly and the designers have managed to make the whole car look smaller than it is. The GT's whole exterior is actually a bit of an optical illusion. Once inside, you realise that this is an incredibly spacious car.
Increased interior space over the 3 Series
The whole reason for being with the BMW 3 Series GT is increased interior space. And it is impressive. I know I’m not the tallest driver in the world but I was quite astounded at the legroom behind my driver’s seat. John Cleese would be comfortable back there. For driver and front passenger, it’s very much a three series experience, but it feels roomier due to the slightly higher ceiling. The windscreen is a bit closer to your nose in this than it would be in a normal 3 Series, and the seating position is a bit more upright, but because of the high shoulder line, you still feel like you’re sitting in the car, not on it. The boot is particularly large, at 520 litres with the rear seats up, or 1600 litres with the seats folded flat. It is a tall load space as well – obviously not as tall as a touring would be, but it seems like you could load a lot more in there than your average sedan. The tailgate is a large object indeed – my test unit was fitted with a motorised tailgate, but at R7200, this doesn’t seem necessary. On that note, it is a bit difficult to park this thing. Visibility of the corners of the car isn’t terrific and I would recommend the optional multi-camera parking system.
3 Series GT Engine specs and performance
I drove the 328 GT which in the old days of BMW’s numbering system would mean the engine displaced 2.8 litres. This used to be a big deal in South Africa as for a while that was the biggest engine you could buy in this range; after that was only the M3. These days, the digits 2 and 8 are used more to denote power and place in the range, rather than engine specifics. The petrol power plant is now a 2.0 litre turbocharged inline-4, offering a healthy 180kW and 350Nm. BMW has done extremely well to minimise turbo lag, or in fact, any feeling that the 3 Series GT is a turbocharged car at all. Peak torque is available from as low as 1250rpm, and the 8 speed auto’box does an excellent job of responding to your right foot, holding each gear for what feels like the perfect amount of time. The shove is linear and progressive, which means that the whole package doesn’t feel particularly fast, but 0 – 100km/h acceleration is claimed at 6.1 seconds which will worry most hot hatches.
Ride and Handling
That said, it doesn’t feel like the sort of car you’d want to tear about in. It feels like a cruiser, a big comfortable lounge that you could quite happily devour the open road with. However, on the swooping roads of Durban’s hillside estates, the 3 Series GT surprised me with its poise. It feels more like a 5 Series than a 3 Series, but that’s not bad thing. BMW have managed to dial out the “wallowyness” that plagued the 5 Series GT, and while the ride is firm, it’s never uncomfortable. One thing I did find curious was the wind noise at highway speeds. It seems that either the steeper windshield, sculpted bonnet or a combination of the two has increased the light roar that you might notice in any car but just a bit, so that it is quite noticeable. It’s not something I couldn’t live with, but it is to be noted.
BMW 3 Series GT Conclusion
The new new BMW 3 Series GT is a success, if measured against the first of its kind, the 5 Series GT, which I felt was very out of line with the brand. It does offer quite wonderful space in the rear and very usable load space, and in many ways is closer to the 5 Series than it is to the 3 Series. If you are purchasing based on driving dynamics, the 5 Series does offer a slightly better drive, and more sporting feel, while the three is probably the most enjoyable of all, but with relatively compromised rear space. A normal 328 Sports Auto will cost you R500,670, the GT version R26,000 more, and the 528 Sports Auto at R592,283. With price taken into account, the BMW 3 Series GT hits the sweet spot between size, performance and price, and might be the best deal of the lot.
BMW 3 series GT Price
The model tested here was the 328 GT Sports Auto, which is priced at R526,475.
- Quick Specs – BMW 3 Series 328 GT
- Engine: 2.0 litre petrol turbocharged inline-4
- Power: 180kW between 5000 and 6500rpm
- Torque: 350Nm between 1250 and 4800rpm
- Fuel consumption: 6.4 litres/100km (combined cycle, claimed)
- Fuel capacity: 60 litres
- CO2 Emissions: 149 g/km
- Acceleration: 0 – 100km/h in 6.1 seconds
- Top Speed: 250km/h
