Test Drive: 2010 BMW 550i GT

By Kevin Harrison

The first thing you need to know about this car is that the pictures in this review or any pictures you find online don’t do it justice at all. This car is a looker. This was evident from the very moment I picked it up. At the first set of lights I arrived at, there was a young fellow in the lane next to me in a previous generation Audi A4 who looked the car up and down, then promptly gave his approval with a huge grin and a thumbs up. A man crossing the street ahead of us seemed to be hypnotized by the white signature BMW halo headlights staring back at him. I checked my review mirror to find a couple in a minivan pointing to the car and chatting it up. As I took off when the light turned green, the big V8 growl was enough to make an old woman waiting for the bus do a double take.

In fact, this car gets so much attention from pretty much every gender and age group you can think of that I was told the BMW dealership where I picked up the 550i GT had received seven calls that day alone from people asking about it. They had apparently seen me driving around town and wanted to know what it was and wanted to know more about it.

For the first time ever, BMW has launched a hatchback version of the 5-series. And also for the first time ever is a different body style being offered for sale ahead of the sedan. Usually the sedan debuts first, then a wagon variant follows a few months later. The redesigned 5-series sedan is not even out yet. This can only mean that BMW really wishes to prove that it can do more than just sedans and coupes, of which they are typically known for.

Have they succeeded?

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