The Gran Tourer is BMW’s first seven-seater people carrier, and the only car of this type from a premium German manufacturer
BMW describes the seven-seater 2-series Gran Tourer as a “retention device”, allowing it to hold on to customers who have growing families. It is a longer and taller version of the five-seater Active Tourer, and the only car of this type from one of the premium German manufacturers.
As with rivals such as the Ford Grand C-Max, Kia Carens andCitroen Grand C4 Picasso, the Gran Tourer is available with petrol and diesel engines, but only the BMW offers the option of all-wheel drive.
There’s plenty of headroom in the first two rows of seats, but the Gran Tourer’s interior is not as versatile as the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso’s. For example, you don’t get three separate seats in the second row, so it’s a squash getting three adults in (the person in the middle also has to straddle a lump in the floor).
To get to the third row, you pull a handle on either of the outer middle-row seats, which then fold and slide forwards, providing good access. However, space in those third row seats is tight, and while you can slide the middle row of seats forwards, all you’re really doing is trading legroom with somebody elsewhere in the car. Fully loaded, what you end up with is seven not-very-comfortable people, along with a boot that’ll hold a few bags of shopping.
Folding away the third row of seats is easy – just pull a level and they cantilever down into the floor. Once there the Gran Tourer’s boot is a good size, and can be extended further by sliding the rear seats forward, although this does result in there being a gap in the floor.
For larger items, the second row backrests can also be dropped down separately at the press of a button, resulting in a completely flat loading bay. On cars without electric seat adjustment, the front passenger seat can also be folded flat to allow you to carry long items.
In the front of the car you’ll find a pair of not overly-generous door pockets, a couple of cupholders plus more storage in the centre armrest.
As with the Active Tourer, you sit a bit higher in this car than other BMWs. The driving position is good, although the manual seat controls are awkward to use. If you regularly switch between drivers it’s worth considering upgrading to electric seats.
We’ve so far only tried the Gran Tourer on the optional adaptive suspension, which does a good job of smoothing out bumps in the road, whilst also feeling tighter and more responsive than a Grand C4 Picasso.
There’s not much in the way of wind noise, but you do hear some roar from the tyres, particularly on poorly surfaced roads.
The engines are impressively quiet, especially the 1.5-litre petrol or diesels in the 218i and 216d. The 220d is slightly noisier at low speeds, but also much more powerful.
Despite having seven seats, the Gran Tourer is actually slightly narrower than a BMW 3-series, so it’s easy to guide through busy towns – or at least it would be if the split windscreen pillars didn’t obstruct visibility quite so much.
Petrol and diesel engines pull from low speed with ease, and while a slightly notchy manual gearbox comes as standard, you can also upgrade to an automatic with either six or eight speeds, depending onengine size.
The only engine we’d be cautious about choosing is the 216d, which feels underpowered. By contrast, the entry level 218i petrol engine pulls surprisingly well, even with seven on board.
For a car of this type the steering is reasonably heavy at town speeds, although it feels reassuring on faster roads, including motorways.
If you’re concerned about parking (and with visibility over your shoulder fairly restricted, you might well be) BMW does fit rear proximity sensors as standard, plus there’s an optional upgrade that will automatically steer the car into spaces.
For a seven-seater people carrier, the Gran Tourer is very capable. Its steering is more responsive than in rivals, and there’s an impressive amount of grip, particularly if you upgrade to xDrive all-wheel drive.
Body lean in corners is also well contained, and all engines bar the 216d have sufficient performance to feel moderately entertaining.
