What is it?
BMW 5 Series GT
What's special about it?
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.
Inside Line says: Too clever by half. — Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit
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