A niche member of the BMW 3 Series family, the 335 Gran Turismo adds hatchback utility and a touch more passenger room to the basic architecture of the 335 sedan, not to mention standard all-wheel drive. It’s an appealing blend of virtues for buyers who find wagons too dowdy and crossovers too bulky.
What's New for 2015
The 335 Gran Turismo gets minor equipment updates only.
Choosing Your BMW 335 Gran Turismo
The Gran Turismo carries the largest engine in the 3 Series, a turbocharged 3-liter six-cylinder with 300 horsepower. You also get an eight-speed automatic transmission and BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system. The Gran Turismo rides on a 115-inch wheelbase (it's 110.6 on other models) for increased rear legroom and cargo space. Seating and ride height are higher, but not so much that you feel like you're riding in an SUV.
Standard equipment is shared with the 335i sedan, including power front seats with driver memory, adaptive xenon headlamps, a power tailgate, 18-inch alloy wheels, a sunroof, HD radio, Bluetooth phone and audio, and wood or aluminum interior trim.
You can upgrade to one of the three optional trim lines: Luxury, Sport and M Sport. The Luxury adds chrome grille bars and exhaust tips, multi-spoke wheels and specific interior trim. The Sport Line carries a firmer suspension, double-spoke wheels, gloss black grille bars and sporty interior accents. Building on the Sport, the M Sport gets upgraded wheels, an aerodynamic body kit, sports seats and unique M Sport interior trim.
Any Gran Turismo can be outfitted with a variety of option packages. The Premium adds leather seating with power lumbar adjustments in front, keyless ignition and satellite radio. You get heated seats all around and a heated steering wheel with the Cold Weather package. The Technology package furnishes a hard drive-based navigation system, a high-resolution 8.8-inch dash display, integrated smartphone apps and a head-up display.
Turning to safety, the Driver Assistance package equips the 335 Gran Turismo with a rearview camera and front and rear parking sensors. A Plus version of the same also packs a driver alertness monitor, a surround-view camera system, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning and an active collision mitigation system. Adaptive cruise control can also be added to the package. Finally, the Dynamic Handling package bundles the M Sport’s upgraded suspension with sport-tuned steering.
Major individual options include an automated parallel parking system, a premium Harman Kardon sound system and hands-free tailgate activation.
Since the 335 Gran Turismo is bigger and heavier than the sedan, the performance upgrades may not deliver the punch you expect. If it were our money, we would stick with the lower-priced Luxury line, which seems more appropriate to a crossover-like vehicle anyway.