2010 BMW 550i Gran Turismo
Even through the dark economic downturn, and the auto industry subsequently floundering as a whole, it's sort of amazing the variety of vehicle species we continue to enjoy. And they seem to just keep coming.
Enter the 550i Gran Turismo, a seemingly whole new automotive genus-visually at least. What is it exactly, what does it do? Haul you, three of your best friends, and your things for a weekend or week-long getaway? Yes. Haul kids, groceries, IKEA, ass? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Is it an SUV? No. Is it a crossover, sport sedan, or both? Sort of, sort of, and most likely, yes-it's a crossover sport sedan. Or something like that.
Confused? Don't be. At its core the 550i GT remains distinctly a BMW automobile-not a BMW SAV. It's based on the new 7 Series platform, as will be the new 5 Series sedan.
Even so, it seems something entirely different from either the 5 Series or the line of BMW SAVs-and a rather distinctive, and when you come down to it, rather deft grafting of the two. You might not like the way it looks at first-I have to admit I still think it looks kind of weird-but in the words of that old cliché, it really seems to offer the best of both those worlds.
Granted, it's probably not quite as utilitarian as the X5, but seems at least as good as an X6. And in fact, it's said that the GT actually has more headroom than an X5-and headroom can be an issue in the X6. And the seating positions are lower and more sports-car-like than either of those two vehicles.
And it drives like a car, because, well, it basically is, just one with a generous ceiling profile and a big, hatch-like rear end.
