Well, here we are nearly through January in snowy Britain and already the year is set to be a downer. VAT's gone up, the scrapping scheme is ending, tax increases are coming and there'll be strikes from here to heaven knows when once the election's over and the axe falls on the public sector.
So I'm taking this opportunity to enjoy myself while I can. That means burning around Hampshire in my latest plaything, a 1963 Mini Cooper S - the one that was banned from rallying. Santa bought me that - knows his cars, does Santa.
So I'd just got back to the house in the Mini when I saw this latest novelty from Bavaria in the driveway: a 5 Series Gran Turismo. What's that, then?
Well, it's definitely not a 5 Series, for a start. It's too big. It's not a grand tourer either - not sporty enough. Is it a 7 Series on stilts? Well, yes, in a way, as looking through the window I could see similar luxury and legroom. Is it a stretched X5?
Could be, as it's got the right headroom and cavernous boot. Is it a "sports activity coupé" like the similarly shaped X6? I just couldn't tell. I had to walk around it three times and the only thing I of which I became certain was that it's not my idea of pretty.
As quick as I could, I got inside - and that's when my mind began to change. Things such as the head-up display on the windscreen and the side-view cameras I've seen before on specced-up Beemers but they always make me feel like I'm in something a bit special.
The same goes for the "black panel" tech which makes the gauges disappear when the ignition is turned off. Sadly, there's no getting away from the twisty-knob iDrive thing that every BMW has and I've never properly got to grips with: in seven days, no matter how much I fiddled with it, I could only get it to do one thing. So I left it on Radio 2.
It got better when I hit the road: the new 4.4-litre TwinPower Turbo V8 engine is brilliant, with masses of torque at low revs. OK, with two tons to pull around, it's not the fastest thing on the road, but it encourages you to play.
There are also two three-litre turbo straight sixes, one petrol, one diesel - the latter particularly good for the price. With a flick of the 'Drive Dynamic Control' switch to Sport to sharpen the steering, throttle and flappy-paddle gearshifts, I found the GT real fun on country roads.
COMMANDING VIEW
It's not cheap to run - I was lucky to get 14 litres/100km, which over 1100km left a nasty hole in my pocket, but I was pressing on a fair bit and probably could have stretched it had I tried. Unlike with most cars I've tested recently, on the long trip from Hampshire to Yorkshire I didn't need to stop and stretch my legs.
With loads of room all round and a commanding view, this is one of the comfiest cars I've yet driven.
The best was to come, though, because on the way home I sat in the back - and when I say sat, I mean slept. This, to me, is the GT's killer app: thanks to its size and some clever mechanicals under the rear seats (if you specify it with two separate berths instead of the bench), with a press of a button you can recline them nearly all the way back - and still have room to stretch your legs. I'm not small, but I slept like a baby.
You can't do that in a 5 Series.
Then there's the boot. You can shunt the back seats forward by 10cm to make it bigger, or fold them flat to give a huge 1700 litres of cargo volume. But what everyone goes on about is the two-piece tail door: you can either open the whole thing as on a hatchback, or just the lower portion as on a sedan.
EDGE ON THE COMPETITION
I'm sure that's a lifesaver if you want to spare your passengers the horror of a bit of wind entering the cabin but I can't see what all the fuss is about. Range Rovers have done this for years, haven't they?
I suppose it gives it an edge over the competition... it's just that right now I can't think what the competition for this car could be. I get the impression it was born in a board meeting where everyone from the CEO to the tea boy was allowed to chuck in a great idea and, to avoid offence, they've done all of them.
From the inside it's worked brilliantly but from the outside I have to say I still don't like it. We've already mated off-roaders to sedans to coupés but this new generation is so in-bred I'd be scared to leave it in my drive in case it gets in a fight with its own reflection.
Still, Susan Boyle taught us not to judge a book by its cover, so I'm going to give this fat lady the benefit of the doubt. Under the skin, it's just a really good car. Maybe 2010 hasn't started off too badly after all. - London Daily Mail
TECH SPEC
Engine:
4.4-litre, 305kW/600Nm V8 with two turbos.
Top speed:
250km/h.
Claimed fuel consumption/emissions:
14 litres/100km, 263g/km CO2.
Transmission:
Eight-speed auto.
Standard items:
19" alloys, stability control, including anti-lock braking with electronic brake pressure distribution and trailer control, cruise control, parking sensors, rain sensor, LED running lights, glass sunroof.
Options:
20" alloys, adaptive xenon headlights, all-wheel steering, head-up display, side-view cameras, infra-red vision.