MORE 3 STYLING (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 88

In rare Gran Turismo hatch form, BMW's sixth generation 3 Series offered five-door hatchback versatility and much more rear seat space, along with a more unique look and a slightly raised Crossover-style feel. The extra height and weight these changes brought created a different kind of drive with this 'F34'-series model, but families looking for a compact hatch with a premium badge from the 2013-2019 period might not mind that. This, after all, was at launch the most practical compact model the Munich maker had ever brought us.

Modelsword count: 18

5dr Hatch (318i, 320i, 328i, 330i, 340i / 318d, 320d, 330d, 335d) [SE, Sport, Modern, Luxury, M Sport]

Historyword count: 252

So, you like the idea of a BMW 3 Series saloon, ideally the sixth generation 'F30'-series model, but it's not big enough in the boot. You like the idea of a 3 Series Touring estate from this period, but it isn't roomy enough for those in the rear. You also like the idea of the 3 Series-based X1 crossover model, but it's not sharp enough to drive. At least we've established you want a 3 Series - possibly this one, the 3 Series GT - or 'Gran Turismo'. This rare 'F34' model, a 3 Series with a hatchback, was launched in the Summer of 2013 aimed at better-heeled families. Folk wanting a BMW with the higher stance and commanding driving position of a small crossover, but one they could still enjoy driving. And a compact car that wouldn't perhaps feel too much like one after stretching out inside it. Such was the rationale behind this, Munich's smallest Gran Turismo model. A bit of a niche product? Yes, but one you could see appealing to plenty of people. Packaged up neatly here are attributes that BMW claim to have carefully pitched to suit the Qashqai crowd, the station wagon set and people for whom perfection is a compact executive saloon. A car for all seasons and all reasons then? Or a compromise best forgotten? Well it didn't sell too well - despite a facelift in mid-2016. So the 3 Series GT wasn't replaced when production of the sixth generation 3 Series range ended.

What You Getword count: 720

Here was a Gran Turismo BMW model you could actually call stylish. Few would say that of the originator of this line, the 5 Series Gran Turismo, with its awkwardly bloated body. In this case, the extra size necessary to create this car was more artfully accommodated into a shape that had as much SUV and MPV-ness about it as it did conventional family hatch. In other words, this GT has a bit more about it than your local sales rep's Passat or Insignia. Just as it should have for the money being asked. The arcing silhouette and elongated tail see it sitting 81mm taller than an ordinary KM6 'F30' 3 Series model from this period and of course it's longer, even than the Touring estate. At the front, subtle changes offer a slightly different visual signature: the forward-slanting kidney grille, the reshaped headlamps, the more smoothly contoured bonnet and the so-called 'blades' set into the outer air intakes of the front apron. Moving back, you come across lovely boomerang-shaped 'Air Breathers' behind each front wheel arch: they have a purpose - drag reduction - but you wouldn't really care if they didn't. A car of this kind needs styling trinketry. Like the first active rear spoiler ever fitted to a BMW. Follow the double shoulder lines back and the coupe-style roofline sweeps down into it, an intricate touch to a tail section completed by the customary L-shaped tail lamps that blend around the corners of the car. Overall, it's a very nice piece of penmanship. So heavy is the tailgate that BMW had to standardise electric operation across the Gran Turismo range. Once raised, the hatch reveals a commodious 520-litre space (25-litres more than you get in the Touring and more too than you'd get in most comparable Crossover and small SUV models). And if you need more space, well of course you can flatten the 40:20:40 split-folding rear backrest - but before you do, bear in mind its adjustable reclinability. Pushing it's angle forward (it'll go right the way to a vertical position) could be just enough to help you get that pesky chest of drawers in while still being able to take passengers on the back seat. When you do finally push forward the rear chairs, it's a bit disappointing that because the backrest merely flops onto the seat base, they don't fold completely flat. They do however, extend total carriage capacity to 1600-litres, 100-litres more than 3 Series Touring. So much for the packages. What about provision for people? Well this is where the critics who simply dismiss this as 3 Series with a hatch have failed to do their homework. BMW did more than just shove in a slanting tailgate here, redesigning the floorplan of this car around a wheelbase 110mm longer than that of the saloon. And nearly all of it benefits rear seat occupants. Many might feel cramped in the back of an ordinary 'F30'-generation 3 Series saloon or Touring model. Here it's very different, with proper space for three and leg and headroom to spare, even if you happen to be stuck in the centre perch with feet astride the transmission tunnel. We think it's roomier than a 5 Series at the back, which isn't surprising given a wheelbase similar to that of BMW's huge X5 luxury SUV. Of course the over-riding feeling of comfort is helped by that reclining backrest, adjustable through 15 stages and 19-degrees. There's an airy feel to the cabin too, with plenty of light from the frameless windows, even if you don't choose a car fitted with the expensive panoramic glass sunroof. Take a seat up-front and another reason why the back seat experience is so pleasant dawns upon you. All the seats in this car have been raised by 59mm to give everyone a better view out and it's something you especially notice behind the wheel where in a GT, you oversee the controls rather than sitting snugly around them. Perhaps this change is all the more obvious because there are no other differences over an ordinary 'F30'-generation 3 Series. Not that there needed to be. The dashboard remains a model of driver-focused clarity, with crystal clear circular instruments, a freestanding iDrive monitor and the iDrive infotainment system controller within easy reach on the centre console.

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