Geneva Preview: BMW 5 Series GT Concept breaks out!
by Chris Paukert on Feb 12th 2009 at 10:45PM 
Click above for a high-res gallery of the BMW 5 Series Gran Touring Concept
It's been several years in the making, but BMW's plan to expand their inroads further into the "lifestyle" market appears ready to finally bear fruit. Looking something like a ground-bound X6 that's missed a few collagen injections, the 5 Series Gran Turismo concept will likely be one of the last Bimmers that Chris Bangle has had a significant hand in designing (for better or worse).
In any case, these first shots of the 5 Series GT have slipped out in advance of the car's planned Geneva Motor Show unveiling, and it looks like it was caught at some sort of an unveiling for what looks to be a select group of invited media (notice the camera and video rigs in plain sight).
We'll leave the judgments up to you and the gimmicky segmentation jargon to BMW ("Progressive Activity Sedan"... really?), but this double-jointed slant-back definitely looks production-ready, with its evolutionary front end (grille borrowed from the 2010 7-Series, headlamps from the Concept CS, rump from the X6, etc.), We would expect the interior textures and colors to be toned down a bit for production, and perhaps the wheels will get an inch smaller or so, but other than that, we expect this on dealer forecourts without necessitating any major changes. Thanks for the tips, everyone!!
[Source: Canalmotor.es via BMWBlog]
_opt_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Richard 10:50PM (2/12/2009)
Wha' eve'
Reply
jon 10:56PM (2/12/2009)
Goodbye BMW...
For all of you guys that dislike Bangle, This is the hideous future with the new guy...
Torrent 11:14PM (2/12/2009)
That is one fugly SOB.
slicecom 11:31PM (2/12/2009)
@Jon, I'm pretty sure this is a Bangle design and that's him in the 6th picture standing right infront of the car.
ken_aisin 1:06AM (2/13/2009)
Just when you think there can never be another BMW that looks uglier than the X6.... here comes another eye-soring surprise. I hate to call people douchebags, but this is absolutely a piece of crap designed by douchebags, and intended for douchebags. I'm starting to feel ashamed to tell people that I was once a proud owner of BMW vehicles.
Richard 7:16AM (2/13/2009)
@ken,
I know how you feel. I had a 320, 318, 325e, 325i, 325ic and a 325ix. When, after a spate of company-supplied vehicles, I wanted my own car again, I went back to BMW, but my BMW was gone.
Happy now, though. Great driving, dependability and no attitude of superiority from Subaru dealerships.
3seriesisking 11:04AM (2/13/2009)
Jon, you gotta get those facts straight man...This car is 110% Bangle. The man is even standing beside it in the pics....don't be so pessimistic friend..
Noah 11:34AM (2/13/2009)
Holy hell jon, the article says that Bangle likely had a hand in this vehicle. Read article, get knowledge.
distantbody 10:52PM (2/12/2009)
My gosh that thing is a mish-mash of ugly...
Reply
3seriesisking 10:56PM (2/12/2009)
Looks better than the Panamera...though I admit that's not saying a whole lot...hahahaha.
Erik Tomlinson 1:04AM (2/13/2009)
The trunk looks like Brain's forehead from "Pinky & The Brain"
Carlos 10:51PM (2/12/2009)
I really hope they don't make that, but I do like the wheels and the color
Reply
Snark 11:40PM (2/12/2009)
I swear to God, it's hilarious reading you jokers. Newsflash: the world changes. Design evolves. New (aiee! new! burn it!) ideas come about. New types of vehicle spring up to reflect people's needs. And it'll keep happening, so the sooner you realize that the E39 is in the past and will never - thank God, it's boring as hell - come back, the better. It ain't BMW's fault that you can't handle change in a vehicle brand you don't even own.
MixiM 5:21AM (2/13/2009)
Ugly big-ass grille.
Artemiy Pavlov 9:18AM (2/13/2009)
Snark, I can't agree with you more! E39 was indeed boring, and E60 is one of the most beautiful designs o the planet. This one seems to be that one step further - it looks fantastic, and I love it more and more as a look at it.
Richard 11:24AM (2/13/2009)
@snark,
This isn't change!
This is a Rover 3500 with rear- (or is it all-) wheel drive that has been jacked up to Outback height...or lowered from X5 height (per your perspective).
I will say that I think the front fender line is new...and attractive.
Carlos 12:18PM (2/13/2009)
No it isn't the design that turns me off it is BMW and Mercedes Benz coming up with the stupid niches that are either great, four door coupe, or flops R Class, X6. What ever happened to just making better sedans and coupes?
Affalterbach 10:52PM (2/12/2009)
BMW (and Mercedes) have probably the most bloated and pointless model lineup in the whole world. What the hell is this?
X5M? X6 M? R63 AMG?
I just hope they don't lose the driver-focused cars.
Reply
homunculus 10:52PM (2/12/2009)
wha, evo?
long live the e39.
Reply
Visnick 11:36PM (2/12/2009)
The e39 is still a beautiful car even though it's over a decade old.
I would take an e39 M5 over any new 5 series.