Mutant 5-Series Attacks Geneva! BMW 5 Series GT @ 2009 Geneva Auto Show

MORE GENEVA MOTOR SHOW @ INSIDELINE.COM:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/autoshows/geneva/2009/bmw5seriesgt.html

You've got to give BMW credit for taking chances. As weird-looking as some recent BMWs have been, this 5 Series GT tops them all.

First, the name. Is this car what you think of when you hear "GT?" Not likely. Nor is it what most people would think of upon hearing "5 Series." Then there's the look. It's tall relative to a conventional sedan or hatchback. It's got a plunging roof line and an oddly truncated rear. Could this combination of attributes possibly appeal to people who are interested in a GT?

BMW certainly hopes so. The company reckons it will sell to people who like a high seating position and the cargo-hauling versatility of a crossover sport-ute but without the sport-ute visage. OK.

We should note that the vehicle pictured here, which is to be unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, is technically a concept. But it's a concept with quotes around the word. Save for some trim and interior finery, this is the vehicle that will go on sale to the public. Unlike this particular four-seat show vehicle, the production version will seat five.

BMW anticipates selling the thing for a premium over the regular 5 Series, figuring it will tuck into the lineup between the 5 and 7. It's 3.7 inches taller than a 5 Series sedan and about 6 inches longer. Curiously, there's less trunk space than in a 5 Series sedan. You access it by a sort of door-within-a-door arrangement. The vertical area below the rear window is a sort of trapdoor and you use it kind of like the trunk lid of a conventional sedan. Or you can open the entire rear of the vehicle, including the rear glass in conventional hatchback style. Doing so reveals 58.2 cubic feet of cargo room, once you fold down the rear seats. That would be pretty much exactly the same amount of space as offered by a 5 Series wagon. So, we're flummoxed.

BMW notes that though the GT's seating position is high, the interior has a driver-oriented design more like its sedans than its X5 or X6 crossovers.

BMW has not released any mechanical details about the 5 Series GT, but we know it rides on a version of the new 7 Series platform and it will naturally be offered with six-cylinder and V8 engines mated to a six-speed transmission, manual or automatic. It will come standard with rear-wheel drive, but an all-wheel-drive option is all but assured.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• BMW
• Series
• GT
• 2009
• Geneva
• Auto
• Show
• motor
• car
• Edmunds
• Inside
• Line
• Mercedes
• German
• Germany

[snake322]

awsome...but i love my e39 its sexy

[edwukasone]

amazing!

[MarvB1000]

ich liebe BMW

[torogami2]

@xxxxxbmwxxxxx it's the gt version

[nordeanord]

@xxxxxbmwxxxxx ..... it's the 5 series sedan to =)

[racingisfun]

whoever designed this car should be punched on the side of the head... the e60 looks so much better... why change a sexy looking car and make it ugly?

[dietrichos]

@DeR2RoB Yes I know nothing about the world. I am actually in the car business, and I have a few friends that work at BMW stores and they are starting to get dealer cash on this thing because it has been a complete failure in the market. NOBODY WANTS THEM! For the reasons I mentioned above....

Not that I am always right. I thought the X6 was going to be a failure when it came out too but they have done quite well with it.

[dude2106]

please! no hatchback! it might be practical, but my god it looks bad! I quite like the front, but the rear looks very poor. Not nearly as sleek as the newest 5 series.

[HauptmannT5]

U-G-L-Y!!

the e60 is SO MUCH better designed!

[YiMMA2k5]

This is an example of a porsche panamera its so, just bizarre. This is not the ultimate driving machine.... Idk but I really do think the last of the real BMW's were the E46 and E39's after that the very last of those were E90 330i's but the goal of cars today is different that goal's yesterday.

[eshea5050]

And yes, der2rob, I drive my X5 everyday,it's alright.