BMW 530d Grand Tourer retains the Executive crown
1 BMW 535d GT
2 Jaguar XF
3 Audi A6
4 Mercedes-Benz E250
5 BMW 520d
It’s different – and to some commentators, it’s “Marmite”. You either love the BMW 530d Grand Tourer, or you hate it. Fortunately for BMW, the chauffeur market is starting to fall in love with the unusual, innovative car – and it retained the crown it claimed on debut last year.
The 5GT’s looks are still the biggest bone of contention – but even those who don’t like the taller, more upright stance of the car compared to the regular 5-series can’t fail to be impressed by its sheer usability.
There’s so much room in the back – it combines the legroom of a standard-wheelbase 7-series with the headroom of an X5 sports-utility. And fit and finish is every bit as good as that of the 7-series. Add in a commanding and comfortable driving position, a brilliant sat-nav system and flexible twin-door tailgate/boot lid and the 5GT’s a hell of a package.
And on top of that, it’s available with keen pricing as part of the BMW chauffeur programme – the monthly lease price more than cancels out the relatively high list price. The only improvement we’d suggest is a 520dGT version, combining the 2-litre diesel of the 5-series saloon with the GT body. That would be some package.
The big 2011 newcomer, the Audi A6, performed creditably. Most of the judges were impressed with its ‘mini A8’ style, though it lost out to the 5GT in terms of rear seat space, and some judges felt the new car’s styling wasn’t that great a departure from the old A6. It’s on the excellent Audi chauffeur programme, though, and this ensured that it finished ahead of its main rivals, the BMW 520d and the Mercedes-Benz E250.
But this wasn’t enough to grab second spot, held by Jaguar’s newly-facelifted XF. This car again won vast heaps of praise for its driveability, finish and styling. Where it falls down is in the back seat – the legroom is acceptable, but the roof feels low. Some judges simply felt the car wasn’t suitable as a chauffeur car – though we think it’s OK – just not the class of the field.
