REPORT: BMW to release 3 Series hatch similar to 5 Series GT
BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo – Click above for high-res image gallery
Wagons are apparently so outre that we're now seeing mish-mash vehicles like crossovers hiding the truth that, at their core, they're just wagons. BMW is no stranger to this – witness the recent 5 Series GT. Looking to build on the Grand Turismo variants of its wares, BMW is reportedly developing a 3 Series GT, expected to launch for 2011. The details haven't changed since the last time we posted about this vehicle, but BMW is nodding its corporate head that ja, there will be such a car.
The 335 Grand Turismo will bridge the gap between the 3 and 5 Series cars, a narrow one at that. The tailgate should be a two-position affair, like the 5er, and it's possible that four- and five-place configurations may be offered. If it happens, diesel and gasoline engines are expected, though any M3 version is probably not going to happen. Why this might be any more successful against such competition as the Audi A4 Avant than would a traditional 3 Series wagon is a mystery, but maybe BMW has struck on the magic formula that makes ungainly cars a hot commodity.
Gallery: First Drive: BMW 535i Gran Turismo
[Source: Channel 4]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Taglane 2:10PM (9/25/2009)
This is exactly what I fugly....I mean figured.
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MixiM 6:52PM (9/25/2009)
Maybe not? I made an amateur hatchback rendering of the 3-series coupe when it came out:
http://hem.passagen.se/jockeleu/BMW-COMPACT 1024internetbig.jpg
future-autos.blogspot.com 9:36PM (9/25/2009)
I'm sure it will look a hell of a lot better than the 3-door hatchback 3's did in the e46 and e36 generations.
Kumail 2:11PM (9/25/2009)
Isn't there a station wagon for the 3 already?
And no, we haven't hit the end for the BMW model range, they haven't made a 2 and can go up to 9 before they start using decimals.
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bee jaytee 2:38PM (9/25/2009)
There is, but it sounds like that BMW will replace the 3-series wagon with this crossover/GT version, much like they are discontinuing the 5-series wagon with the 5 GT.
Since the 3-series (including the wagon and X3) are pretty compact on the inside, I'm not sure how much more interior space BMW can create in the 3 GT. Perhaps BMW should use the 5-series as a platform, in the same way they used the 7-series as the basis for the 5-series GT.
bee jaytee 2:41PM (9/25/2009)
Oops. Spoke too soon. No formal plans to discontinue the 5-series (or 3-series) wagons yet.
mkM3 3:40PM (9/25/2009)
BJT, my understanding is that the new F10/F11 5 series (and F12/F13 6 series for that matter) will also share the same new platform that the F01 7 series and 5 series GT use. That is to say that this platform was designed from the beginning to accomodate all of BMWs new generation large cars. This is very similar to the 1 series and 3 series sharing different versions of the same small-car platform.
Therefore it is highly unlikely (to me anyway) that BMW would choose to base the 3 series GT on the larger platform.
James 2:12PM (9/25/2009)
I may be in the minority, but I find the idea and execution of the 5erGT to be quite intriguing, but as it weighs as much as a couple of elephants, I'd probably be much more inclined to actually purchase a 3-series GT with BMW's current design language...
A 335xi GT is music to my ears for the Boston winters where I live!
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Luis 4:43PM (9/25/2009)
Why not just a regular ol' 3-series wagon? That you can buy right now...complete with full usable space behind the rear seat.
Soccer Mom 2:15PM (9/25/2009)
Looks like an oversized budget compact. I don't get this new notion.
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AC 2:17PM (9/25/2009)
that just means we will get Scion Tc / Mitsubishi Eclipse like hatchback door...
I am all up for it. just don't turn the overall shape into a wagon.
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PJPHughes 2:18PM (9/25/2009)
As a wagon guy, I'm not sure understand this strategy. Why make a wagon-like car that is heavier, will consume more gas, and doesn't have wagon capabilities? The Saab 9000 comes to mind here...which does make sense if you don't have a wagon to offer, which Saab didn't have before the 9-5. BMW has excellent wagons already. I realize many US buyers like the crossover/SUV-esque feel, but I'm not one of them and I'm sure there are others like me out there.
BMWUSA, please bring the 3 and 5 series wagons with AWD and diesel...335d Touring 535d Touring, xDrive derivatives, and how about a 50+ mpg 320d or 330d convertible. We need more engine choices, not these ugly things...the X6 rivals the 6 series for ugliness.
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Bloke 2:59PM (9/25/2009)
"As a wagon guy, I'm not sure understand this strategy. Why make a wagon-like car that is heavier, will consume more gas, and doesn't have wagon capabilities?"
Try parallel parking in a congested European city in a three-box saloon - and then try with a liftback.
Bloke 6:30PM (9/25/2009)
"Are you kidding me? Mondeo sales have been on the decline in general--it has less to do with how awesome BMW is, and more about how people are getting bored with the design. Plus a loaded Mondeo 2.0 TDCi diesel runs about 5k less than a loaded BMW 320d. And the point was never talking about total sales of the 3-series, but rather the viability of the GT (you know, the original post?)" - Aki
No, I am not kidding you. All of the mainstream manufacturers' D-segment sales have been in steady decline as the Q-car marques have encroached deeper and deeper into their pricing territory over the past fifteen years or so. I'm not talking about direct engine comparisons; I'm talking about how a base 3-series used to command more than any Cortina or Sierra; however, these days base five versions of the 3-series alone can be had for medium-range Mondeo money or less. In diesel terms, a 316d in the UK can be had for less than £1K more than a Mondeo 1.8TDCi Ghia and for more than a grand less than the Mondeo with that engine in top-spec Titanium trim. This success has come from people choosing the prestige of the marque over the toys, and BMW have capitalised on this, particularly in the company car arena.
There's no telling what form a 3-series GT might take. Given the D-segment liftback market in Europe is far larger than the E-segment market, a GT model may well come in a range of trim levels with "GT" referring to the bodystyle rather than a trim level in itself.
PJPHughes 10:28PM (9/25/2009)
As a Brit living in Los Angeles, I don't disagree with you on this. Ford in the US is struggling to compete in the large family sedan class with its completely revamped Taurus. Looks nice, but it's enormous, has a 3.5 liter V6 that guzzles gas, and still doesn't have the cache to compete with other $30K to $40K segment cars. Most buyer will chose a smaller, more prestigious Audi A4 2.0T or a BMW 328i (the base cars for these two in the US.).
The X6 is not selling well here...I sat in one at the dealer and it is so pointless. Get an X5 instead! (I'm also anti-SUV since I think they guzzle fuel and handle like crap). BMW USA is so limiting in what we can buy here. I've read rumours they may even stop offering the 3 and 5 series wagons in the next year or so.
My issue is that the US market doesn't really respond well to the large luxurious hatchback. The Saab 9000 was by far the best seller, but it was limited to the Maine to Virginia coastal corridor, Colorado and the Pacific Northwest. I was also a huge fan of the 9000 Aero too (I currently have a 9-5 Aero wagon) but I think I was in the minority. We had the Ford/Merkur Scorpio in '88 and '89 and it was a dud....sad, because I drove a Cosworth one in the UK in 1990 and thought it was fantastic!
My other issue is more with BMWUSA not offering more options from an engine perspective for the US market. I drove an '09 335d and fell in love instantly and put an order in for a 2010 (arrival mid October). I'd prefer a 320d or 330d in a touring with slightly less performance but much better mileage. I am probably in the minority though, since premium unleaded is $3.29 a gallon. Diesel is $2.79 a gallon now, which you would think would entice some buyers (UK petrol is still around a quid a litre, right?)
Then again, I think it cost them a fortune to get the turbo diesel engine cleared with the EPA here...literally $10 to $20 million to do it, I think! And from what I can see, they've sold just 500 335d's in 2009..granted, with NO marketing of it and not battling the American stigma that still thinks diesel is an '82 Mercedes 300D with 70 horsepower that belches soot.
On a positive note, I DO like the two way tailgate that opens as a boot or a hatch, like the Skoda Superb. It does make me wonder about squeaks and rattles later on though...
Bloke 2:18PM (9/25/2009)
"Wagons are apparently so outre that we're now seeing mish-mash vehicles like crossovers hiding the truth that, at their core, they're just wagons. BMW is no stranger to this – witness the recent 5 Series GT."
Autoblog - stop peddling this bollocks. It isn't a wagon, nor is it a pretentious "crossover" - it's an E-segment liftback. Pure and simple. A 3-series liftback would fit into a far broader D-segment liftback market in Europe and in many ways makes far more sense than the 5-series iteration.
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StanleyVanBuren 2:23PM (9/25/2009)
+1
Aki 2:20PM (9/25/2009)
I'm curious to see the 3 series GT, mainly to just laugh at it.
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Bloke 2:57PM (9/25/2009)
Really? Think about it ... BMW muscled into the Mondeo/Passat/Laguna/Vectra pricing arena big time with the 3-series during the 1990's with a variety of less expensive variants. Given that many D-segment mainstreams come with liftback versions, a 3-series liftback was only a matter a time to get Ford and Opel even more worried.
Aki 4:05PM (9/25/2009)
There's nothing to think about. As for the E36 being successful with "less expensive" variants in the 90s, the 318ti compact failed stateside. A 3 series GT will be nowhere in the same pricing range as a D-segment Ford, nor has the world been exactly clamoring for some ugly liftback like this.