Simplicity in car manufacturing is gone, and the BMW 5-series Gran Turismo is proof of this. Where BMW used to produce only executive saloons, now it also offers SUVs (in whatever size sir would like), including one that thinks it’s a coupé.

And now we have the Gran Turismo, a car offering the raised driving position of an SUV (but without the conspicuous looks and all-wheel drive), the versatility of a hatchback and the space of a full-size saloon.

To confuse matters further, the GT has the same wheelbase as a 7-series, with which it shares suspension components, but is badged (and priced) as a 5-series...

The BMW 5-series GT has no direct ancestry, but the Z22 concept provides proof that the idea has been in existence for more than a decade.

Revealed at the 2000 Frankfurt show, the Z22 combined elements from different classes of car to create plentiful interior space in a compact body.

The Z22 was designed to offer the cabin space of a 5-series in a car the length of a 3-series, and was based on a 7-series wheelbase. So does the 5-series GT live up to that car’s ethos?

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