BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo may write epitaph for range's wagon bodystyle in America
BMW 5 Series Sports Wagon – Click above for high-res image gallery
Autoblog road test editor Damon Lavrinc is in Spartanburg, South Carolina to drive BMW's new all-conquering X6M, and in between bouts with the monster-motor'd crossover, he has had a chance to bend the ear of Martin Berkmann, manager of product planning for BMW North America, about another new capacious Bimmer – the 5 Series Gran Turismo.
Given the Bayern brand's increasingly crowded stable, it should come as no surprise that the boundary-blurring 5GT may result in the death of the sole 5 Series Sports Wagon model offered here in the States (a 530i model is shown). While the company's Touring variants carry a lot of water for BMW in other markets, the 535i xDrive SW makes up but a sliver of U.S. sales, and apparently BMW officials reckon the 5GT could just about extinguish what little demand there is.
By our measure, that's something of a shame, as the 535i xDrive wagon is a nice package all the way around. Further, the 4,100-pound wagon's more compact form, coupled with what figures to be a lower center of gravity ought to make for significantly better handling than the 4,800-pound 5GT. That said, our man Lavrinc is about to get a bonus preview ride on the company's test track in the Gran Turismo, so perhaps we'll learn otherwise very soon.
In any case, the official word hasn't come down yet, but judging by the fact that top officials are even willing to engage in discussions with us, this strikes us as a likely move.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Rick 4:04PM (7/08/2009)
How is a wagon being compared to a car on an SUV platform? The entire point of a wagon is the rear wagon area. The GT has no such area-so how will it appeal to wagon shoppers?
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Erik 4:11PM (7/08/2009)
"The entire point of a wagon is the rear wagon area. The GT has no such area"
Yes it does:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/official-bmw-5-series-granturismo/2030034/
Tony 4:17PM (7/08/2009)
No, it doesn't - no 3rd seat = useless. However Double-VANOS rocks.
MBS 4:26PM (7/08/2009)
@Eric: No it doesn't. Have you seen how the roof-line slopes over that trunk area compared to the touring?
The GT doesn't even have half the usable space.
Greg 5:20PM (7/08/2009)
It is not about space and function, it is about sales. Wagons don't sell well here and if the GT can do better it will survive and the wagon will stay in Europe.
The down side is that luxury hatchbacks have never sold here at all. Try to think of one. It will be interesting to see how the car is marketed, and if it can get sales traction.
TigerMil 6:21PM (7/08/2009)
The real suck is that the M5 avant isn't coming to America. Those would sell out before they were shipped.
Patrick 10:49PM (7/08/2009)
It has nothing t do with appeal, and everything to do with Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules.
No sane company would sell something with a rear liftgate with over 2 liters engine displacement as a car.
waiownsyou 4:08PM (7/08/2009)
"While the company's Touring variants carry a lot of water for BMW in other markets, the 353i xDrive SW makes up but a sliver of U.S. sales. . ."
What's a 353i xDrive SW?
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British_Rover 4:11PM (7/08/2009)
Sport Wagon
P.V. 4:38PM (7/08/2009)
It looks like Autoblog fixed that typo and/or the 3 Wagon will be getting a Chevrolet 5.3 L small-block V8.
J 4:48PM (7/08/2009)
Typo. It's supposed to read 535xi. SW is station wagon, but that's Autoblog-speak, not BMW terminology.
This news is too bad. My uncle has a 535xi wagon and loves it. 5 door sloped hatchbacks, or whatever the 5GT is, just don't offer near the level of practicality. I might grab a 3 or 5 wagon before they're gone for good.
jinsei888 4:10PM (7/08/2009)
"By our measure, that's something of a shame, as the 535i xDrive wagon is a nice package all the way around. "
By measure of BMW and the "sliver" of sales of the 5 wagon in the USA market, it seems your measure is irrelevant.
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Tdogg 4:19PM (7/08/2009)
How about they just call the Gran Turismo the new 5 series and keep the wagon.
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Jared 4:21PM (7/08/2009)
Let's see. The Gran Turismo is heavier, uglier, and has less room than the wagon. So they're going to kill the wagon. Ugh.
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Joe K. 4:50PM (7/08/2009)
It's what Americans want, heavier, less practical, more money. It's what we all aspire to. Don't you know this? Didn't you receive your handbook of Indoctrination at birth?
Kumar 4:28PM (7/08/2009)
I view the availability of a hatch and/or wagon variant as a safety measure in car lines. Sure, their sales will generally be low in good times, when everyone was out buying minivans and then SUVS. In rough times though, people go smaller and more practical, so a hatch/wagon will win out on a sedan or a pricey SUV.
Not having a few in your lineup....well, we all see the results over the last year. Subaru and VW, having hatches and wagons, have been doing ok. A fair amount is due to brand loyalty, but you have to wonder if the rest is the availability of the type of car.
The only thing I think of now when I see these luxo-pseudo wagon hatch suv things is "so that's what they're doing now to try and keep up the high profit margin".
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Bloke 4:33PM (7/08/2009)
"boundary-blurring 5GT"
Autoblog: it is not "boundary-blurring:!!!! It's a straightforward 5-door hatchback. It isn't uncommon for European D-segment (especially) and E-segment models to get a choice of 4-door saloon, 5-door hatchback and 5-door estate variants.
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P.V. 4:36PM (7/08/2009)
That's a shame for what the vehicle is, yet I haven't seen a single current-generation 5 Wagon in my area (or anywhere else, even on dealer lots) yet.
700 lbs more? That's a LOT!
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MBS 4:42PM (7/08/2009)
No wagon shopper would buy the GT or even cross shop it.
Personally I can't see the demographics that would buy the GT at all, possibly someone torn between the sedan and the X5.
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Yan 5:02PM (7/08/2009)
As a family hauler I cant really think of anything better than a wagon. Its spacious but reasonable (3 kids is PLENTY), has room for all your junk + anything/anyone you need to strap to the roof AND gets almost the same mileage as it sedan brethren. Not to mention better performance and better handling than any crossover, let alone SUV, can touch. Another words... get yourself a 5-series wagon and know you can have your cake a eat it too. Or get a RS6 Avant (damn you lucky europeans) and just buy the whole cake shop...
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