SOMETIMES calling a spade a spade just will not do. The BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo is ostensibly a long-wheelbase version of the 3 Series, also with a liftback rather than sedan bootlid. But of course calling this model grade the 330i GT sounds nicer than 330i LWB, for example.

There is no entry-level 318i or 320i version of the Gran Turismo, which starts with the diesel 320d. At the other end of the range, there is no six-cylinder 340i model grade, either, only this four-cylinder turbocharged 330i that sits a few thousand dollars above its sedan stablemate.

To make matters even more confusing, the 330i GT five-door liftback rubs into the pricing zone of the 4 Series Gran Coupe, specifically the 430i GC five-door liftback. The GT is meant to be roomier and more pragmatic, the GC swoopier and sporiter, running the shorter wheelbase.

Yet the 330i sedan, wagon and GT, and 4 Series Gran Coupe, all sit within $10,000 of each other using the same 2.0-litre petrol engine. So allow us to call a spade a spade on which is best.