BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo hatchback (2009-2017) - Reliability & safety

As a brand, BMW always seems to hover around the middle of the manufacturer rankings in our Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, which is slightly odd for such an upmarket company. In the 2014 poll, that meant landing squarely in 10th place – five places up from its 2013 ranking. It’ll pain BMW that Mercedes ranked one place higher, although the fact that Audi was a couple of places below will provide some solace.

BMW 5 Series GT reliability

Thanks to the fact that the BMW 5 Series GT shares a large proportion of its parts with the current BMW 5 Series and BMW 7 Series saloons, it should prove extremely reliable. The 5 Series as a whole finished in fourth place overall in our Driver Power 2014 survey, well ahead of its nearest executive class rival – the Jaguar XF in 15th. Owners aren’t anywhere near as happy with BMW dealerships, though. The brand’s franchises were rated only 22nd out of the 32 carmakers included in the latest survey.

Safety

The 5 Series GT impresses when it comes to safety, and although Euro NCAP has never crash-tested this specific version of the car, the standard 5 Series achieved the full five stars for occupant protection. Twin front, side and curtain airbags are standard, as is traction and electronic stability control, making the BMW feel solid and stable over rough roads.

Safety options available on the 5 Series GT include adaptive cruise control and a head-up display that projects vital information onto the windscreen, meaning you never have to take your eyes off the road. The only negative is that the 5 Series GT isn’t available with four-wheel drive in the UK as it is in Europe, so you might need a set of winter tyres when it gets cold and icy.