This is the car that you never knew you needed, unless you’ve always hankered after a 5-series saloon, estate and X5 all rolled into one. The 5-series GT has, according to BMW, no direct competitors and if you think the 535 petrol and 530 diesel versions are niche products, then this range-topping 550 should be even more exclusive.
What it amounts to is a halfway house between executive car and SUV. It is 8cm higher than most saloons, with a coupe-like roofline and side window graphic, X5 rear headroom and 7-series legroom, but with a twin-turbocharged V8 engine mounted in the front.
It’s a heady mixture, and the bottom line is that it partly skirts around the “social acceptability” issue that clings on to large SUVs. The V8 is mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox that actually weighs less than the previous six-cog auto, and all that power is (perhaps unusually, considering the mild SUV styling) channeled through the two 19-inch wheels at the back of the car. Four-wheel drive is not an option....
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