Geneva 2009: BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo is one luxurious automotive hermaphrodite

BMW's segment-splitting 5 Series Gran Turismo concept has rolled out under the bright lights here at the Geneva Motor Show, and the automotive media has set to poking and prodding it like an alien specimen from Area 51. From the funky twin-hinge hatch (a rather gimmicky item not dissimilar to that of the Skoda Superb) to each of its four doors, journalists could be seen opening and closing the 5GT's apertures with curious zeal.

To our eyes, the 5 Series GT is better looking in person, although it clearly isn't a natural beauty. The rear seats are obviously more capacious than its 5 Series Touring counterpart, and with only two rear seats, it's plainly more opulent and airier as well (naturally, the panoramic roof helps). If the interior lacks richness in our live pictures, that's not an illusion – it is not a fully functional space and some of the materials aren't up to snuff, but we suspect that the production car will be up to BMW standards. That said, we hope the German automaker feels free to move away from its historically restrained (read: dull) interior color palette, because an unconventional design like the 5GT deserves it. High-res gallery below, official press release after the jump.

PRESS RELEASE:

BMW Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo
02/13/2009

The complete Text for this press kit is available for downloading as an .rtf (for both Apple and Windows) or .doc file. Additional photos may be available in the PressClub photo section.

Character:

• With the future still offering sufficient room for an exciting new driving
experience, BMW has once again defined a brand-new vehicle segment:
The BMW Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo is the series-based adaptation
of the Progressive Activity Sedan (PAS) in the upper midrange segment,
offering an impressive outlook on the extension of the BMW 5 Series by a
new, additional concept.

• With its stylish appearance and comfortable driving experience, the BMW
Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo transfers the characteristics of a classic
Gran Turismo to a very special four-door vehicle with four seats. These
features so typical of a Gran Turismo are then enriched by the highest
standard of intelligent, versatile functionality.

• The BMW Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo combines elegance, space,
comfort and variability. In a combination never seen before on any other car,
the characteristic features of a prestigious sedan, a modern and versatile
Sports Activity Vehicle, and a classic Gran Turismo are all united in this
unique Concept Car.

• Besides the typical BMW proportions, the coupe-like roofline accentuates
the elegant yet sporty character of the car and the sheer length of the
car's body. In addition, the BMW Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo has four
frameless doors and elegant aluminium highlights.

• The luxurious interior is surprisingly generous considering the coupé-like
silhouette of the car, creating a spontaneous feeling of well-being for driver
and passengers. This impression is further enhanced by a comfortable
entry to the car, the slightly elevated seating position, and the panorama
roof providing a particularly pleasant travel experience.

• The BMW Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo is highly versatile: a flexible
interior comprising the rear seats, the partition wall wall, and the luggage
compartment allows the adjustment of the interior individually to personal
requirements - from a separate luggage compartment, like in a sedan, all
the way to a loading capacity of 1,650 litres or almost 58 cubic feet with the
rear seats folded down. This flexibility is rounded off by a two-piece tailgate
with separate openings for additional convenience.

• The BMW Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo addresses a demanding and
modern target group - discerning individuals who attach great importance
to genuine style, luxurious comfort and flexibility in use. This gives BMW
the opportunity to win over customers who today drive either a sedan, an
SUV or an wagon model in the respective competitive segments.

• The BMW Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo extends the BMW's model
range by an intelligent, new and indeed unparalleled vehicle concept for
modern mobility at highest standard. Through its unique combination
of elegance, space, comfort and variability, the car creates a powerful
impression of relaxed presence. Indeed, these new characteristics enrich
Sheer Driving Pleasure to an even higher standard and appeal to additional
target groups. And last but not least the BMW Concept 5 Series Gran
Turismo authentically visualises premium quality and a new standard of
sporting performance borne out by the car's dynamism and efficiency.

Interior design:
• The BMW Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo offers a spacious and
luxurious ambience with inspiring and modern interior design. As the
world's only combination of variable spaciousness and uncompromising
premium quality, this new concept car also stands out through the most
sophisticated materials and excellent quality of finish. Supreme harmony
in interior design, reflected by the trim surfaces extending from the front to
the rear doors, creates a modern symbiosis of the two seats at the front and
the seats at the rear. The panorama glass roof, in turn, further intensifies
the light and generous ambience inside the car, while the stylish cockpit
emphasises the sheer width of the vehicle through its horizontal lines,
black panel technology and a fully integrated 10.2-inch Control Display.

• Supreme seating comfort, ample headroom and elbow room in the front
provide the standard of a luxury performance automobile, the slightly
elevated seating position ensures an optimum overview and makes access
to the car particularly comfortable. Tilted slightly to the front, the instrument
panel, finally, optimises the degree of control comfort on the driver's seat.

• Convenient and ergonomically optimised access as well as significant
freedom of movement characterise the generous atmosphere on the rear
seats. Extending all the way to the rear, the centre console in the concept
car emphasises the length of the interior. Outstanding variability, in turn,
is ensured by single seats at the rear infinitely adjustable fore-and-aft,
their backrests folding forwards individually and under electric power at
the touch of a button and the adjustable backrest angle ensuring further
comfort and style.

• With the rear seats in their regular position, the BMW Concept 5 Series
Gran Turismo offers the passengers at the rear the same legroom as
in the BMW 7 Series and virtually the same headroom as in the BMW X5.
In this configuration, luggage compartment capacity is 430 litres or
15.1 cubic feet. The partition wall behind the rear seats separates the
passenger and luggage compartments from one another in terms of both
acoustics and climate conditions, like in a sedan. If necessary, the rear seats
move fore-and-aft by up to 100 millimetres or more than 3.9" - so that
with the seats moved as far forward as possible, the occupants still enjoy
the same legroom as in the BMW 5 Series Sedan, with luggage capacity
increasing to 570 litres or almost 20 cubic feet. Then, once folding down
the rear seat backrests and the partition wall, the luggage compartment
further increases in size to its maximum capacity of 1,650 litres or nearly
58 cubic feet. The firm cover on the luggage compartment may be
stowed away in the floor of the compartment, again in the interest of extra
convenience.

• The two-piece tailgate allows unique variability in loading the luggage
compartment: Opening the small, sedan-like tailgate beneath the rear
window enables the driver and passengers, in combination with the closed
partition wall, to load the luggage compartment without creating any
drafts into the passenger compartment or changing the temperature the
passengers wish to enjoy. To conveniently load bulky objects, in turn, all the
driver has to do is open up the large tailgate similar in its configuration to
that of a Sports Activity Vehicle.

Exterior design:
• The BMW Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo combines the modern, up-todate
interpretation of a Gran Turismo with four doors and all the prestige of
a Sedan and the variability of a Sports Activity Vehicle. The proportions so
typical of a BMW are borne out in particular by the long engine compartment
lid, the long wheelbase, the coupé-like roofline, and the greenhouse
moved far to the rear.

• The dynamic character of the car's front-end design is accentuated by the
large BMW kidney grille positioned low down and standing upright at the
front, as well as the large air intake. Tilted to an angle, extending far round
to the side and highlighted by a striking surround, the dual round headlights
give the front end of the car a particularly modern look. The corona rings of
the daytime driving lights, finally, come for the first time in LED technology.

• From the side, the BMW Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo clearly visualises
its innovative character, the striking waistline and the coupé-like roofline
accentuate the elegant look of the car and the sheer length of the body.
Following the example of a sporting coupé, the BMW Concept 5 Series
Gran Turismo comes with four doors and frameless windows. The
aluminium surrounds on the side windows are milled out of one solid unit
and holding the elegantly designed exterior mirrors as yet another important
design feature. Yet a further striking element on the side is the exciting
re-interpretation of the famous "Hofmeister kink" so typical of BMW at the
rear end of the window graphics.

• Horizontal lines at the rear emphasise the width and sporting character of
the car, further accentuated by the waistline extending from the side
into the rear panel, a three-dimensional chrome bar and the flared wheel
arches. The outer rooflines merge into the air spoiler and encompass the
rear end in its sporting fastback design. And as yet another feature typical
of BMW, the L-shaped rear light clusters come with horizontal rows of
lights extending far round into the side of the car.