Cars
Did we ask for this? Were letters secretly sent to BMW by citizens unwilling to publicize their desires? Are there people who have a fetish for awkwardly-shaped, overweight BMWs? GoodCarBadCar.net tries not to disparage vehicles which put up low sales figures because, after all, some enthusiast-oriented cars also sell poorly. Still, it must be noted, not a single BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo has ever been spotted in the wild by The Good Car Guy.
Yes, the 2011 BMW 5-Series GT is really ugly, the kind of ugly you'd expect to see when attempts are made by really good car designers to make fun of bad car designers by doodling on an airport bar-supplied napkin. An exhaustive list of this BMW's style problems could fill large books, but to mention a few is the duty of GoodCarBadCar.net, at least when punishing an automaker with Bad 8 placement.
So here goes. The 5-Series GT's nose is too blunt. Its headlights sit too high. Its ride height is the automotive equivalent of Cozmo Kramer's pants. The character line running under the doorhandles should disguise height but manages to embellish the Gran Turismo's slab-sidedness. The intersection of C-pillar, rear wheelarch, and taillamps is, when viewed from the rear or rear three-quarter, the sort of thing nightmares are made of.
Besides, even without the style problems, the 5-Series Gran Turismo's name makes it sound like this should look as good as the Aston Martin Rapide. Instead, it's an ugly duckling with a huge pricetag, some $6400 USD above the equivalent 5-Series sedan.
Alternatives: Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, Porsche Cayenne, wear your Bluetooth headset while getting groceries.
Base USD/CAD Price: $56,000 / $69,900
Improvements Required: There's nothing BMW needs to do to make the 5-Series GT better. Simply banish the vehicle from memory and replace the 5-Series Gran Turismo with the 5-Series Touring.
Historical Significance: The 5-Series Gran Turismo is built by the same company which brought us the gorgeous BMW Z8 and classy BMW 2002tii and currently brings us the divine little BMW Z4. Oh, how the mighty fall every now and then.
The Good 12
- Scoop: New Bmw 4-series Gran Coupe Promises To Be A Prettier Take On The 3-series Sedan
Not content with covering all the mainstream and even niche ends of the compact executive segment with the new 3-Series Sedan, Touring and Gran Turismo, and in the coming months, the 4-Series Coupe and Convertible models as well, BMW is now carving a…niche...
- The Bad 8 V4.0 Part 8 - Nissan Versa Sedan
NISSAN VERSA SEDAN Now with a longstanding tradition of badness, the Nissan Versa sedan is in its fourth year as a member of The Bad 8. "Hear the engine drone," was the text in 2008. "It's as dull as December 27th local news," 2009's Bad 8 said....
- The Bad 8 V4.0 Part 4 - Honda Accord Crosstour
HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR There are very few automakers in existence which haven't produced at least one jaw-droppingly impressive design. Consider the Toyota 2000GT, Chrysler Airflow, and Honda S600 as examples of greatness by companies which have...
- The Bad 8 V4.0 Part 1 - Acura Zdx
ACURA ZDX The Acura ZDX, like most Acuras and many other luxury cars available today, has a really stupid name. ZDX means nothing. We can't really hold this against the ZDX because, as mentioned before, even some Good 12 winners have stupid names....
- The Good 12 V4.0 Part 11 - Porsche Cayenne
PORSCHE CAYENNE Like a frog turned into a prince, the Porsche Cayenne was once useful and dynamic but is now, in generation deux, useful, dynamic and handsome. The first-generation Cayenne's 2007 facelift did it no favours, but one never heard...
Cars
The Bad 8 v4.0 Part 2 - BMW 5-Series GT
BMW 5-SERIES GRAN TURISMO
So here goes. The 5-Series GT's nose is too blunt. Its headlights sit too high. Its ride height is the automotive equivalent of Cozmo Kramer's pants. The character line running under the doorhandles should disguise height but manages to embellish the Gran Turismo's slab-sidedness. The intersection of C-pillar, rear wheelarch, and taillamps is, when viewed from the rear or rear three-quarter, the sort of thing nightmares are made of.
Besides, even without the style problems, the 5-Series Gran Turismo's name makes it sound like this should look as good as the Aston Martin Rapide. Instead, it's an ugly duckling with a huge pricetag, some $6400 USD above the equivalent 5-Series sedan.
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Alternatives: Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, Porsche Cayenne, wear your Bluetooth headset while getting groceries.
Base USD/CAD Price: $56,000 / $69,900
Improvements Required: There's nothing BMW needs to do to make the 5-Series GT better. Simply banish the vehicle from memory and replace the 5-Series Gran Turismo with the 5-Series Touring.
Historical Significance: The 5-Series Gran Turismo is built by the same company which brought us the gorgeous BMW Z8 and classy BMW 2002tii and currently brings us the divine little BMW Z4. Oh, how the mighty fall every now and then.
The Bad 8
Acura ZDX - BMW X6
Honda Accord Crosstour - Lexus HS250h
Lincoln MKT - Nissan Leaf - Nissan Versa Sedan
The Good 12
Audi Q5 - Buick Enclave - Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
Fiat 500 - Ford F-150 - Ford Mustang V6 - Infiniti G25
Jeep Wrangler - Nissan Juke - Porsche Boxster Spyder
Fiat 500 - Ford F-150 - Ford Mustang V6 - Infiniti G25
Jeep Wrangler - Nissan Juke - Porsche Boxster Spyder
Porsche Cayenne - Toyota Venza
Rules & Nominees
- Scoop: New Bmw 4-series Gran Coupe Promises To Be A Prettier Take On The 3-series Sedan
Not content with covering all the mainstream and even niche ends of the compact executive segment with the new 3-Series Sedan, Touring and Gran Turismo, and in the coming months, the 4-Series Coupe and Convertible models as well, BMW is now carving a…niche...
- The Bad 8 V4.0 Part 8 - Nissan Versa Sedan
NISSAN VERSA SEDAN Now with a longstanding tradition of badness, the Nissan Versa sedan is in its fourth year as a member of The Bad 8. "Hear the engine drone," was the text in 2008. "It's as dull as December 27th local news," 2009's Bad 8 said....
- The Bad 8 V4.0 Part 4 - Honda Accord Crosstour
HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR There are very few automakers in existence which haven't produced at least one jaw-droppingly impressive design. Consider the Toyota 2000GT, Chrysler Airflow, and Honda S600 as examples of greatness by companies which have...
- The Bad 8 V4.0 Part 1 - Acura Zdx
ACURA ZDX The Acura ZDX, like most Acuras and many other luxury cars available today, has a really stupid name. ZDX means nothing. We can't really hold this against the ZDX because, as mentioned before, even some Good 12 winners have stupid names....
- The Good 12 V4.0 Part 11 - Porsche Cayenne
PORSCHE CAYENNE Like a frog turned into a prince, the Porsche Cayenne was once useful and dynamic but is now, in generation deux, useful, dynamic and handsome. The first-generation Cayenne's 2007 facelift did it no favours, but one never heard...