5-Series GT shapes up - 25th May 2009 8:00pm
BMW reveals showroom-ready version of exec ‘hatch', which gets Skoda-style boot opening
The BMW 5-Series has hatched out! These are the first official pictures of the showroom-ready Gran Turismo – a hatchback model that will sit at the top of the new 5-Series range when sales start later this year.
It was previewed in concept form at the Geneva Motor Show in March, but the final production version is just as striking.
Available as either a four-seat Executive specification car for a luxurious, spacious feel or in a five-seat SE configuration the newcomer mixes a four-door coupé body with raised, sliding rear seats and a Skoda Superb-style boot opening.
Inside, there’s the option of a two or three-seater rear configuration, with chairs that can be individually slid either backwards and forwards, tilted or folded flat. Thanks to a removable bulkhead, the boot’s 430-litre capacity can be expanded to 1,650 litres, giving the GT the second largest carrying capacity in the range, after the X5.
The new rear-wheel-drive platform will feature on the standard 5-Series, as will the GT’s ‘face’, with its larger kidney grilles.
Three engines power the three models available at launch. The new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo is offered as a 530d, a 535i and a 550i and engine options are to comprise 3.0-litre petrol and turbodiesel six-cylinder powerplants, plus turbo V8s.
The biggest seller in the UK is predicted to be the BMW 530d GT. Producing 245hp at 4,000rpm, the 530d accelerates from zero to 62mph in 6.9 seconds before going on to a top speed of 149mph. Peak torque of 540Nm is available from just 1,750rpm. Fuel economy is exceptional with a combined fuel consumption figure of 43.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 173g/km.
Topping the range is the BMW 550i GT. Powered by a 407hp 4,395cc V8 engine with twin-turbo technology, the 550i GT offers near supercar performance with a zero to 62mph time of 5.5 seconds and an electronically-limited 155mph top speed. Peak torque of 600Nm is on hand from 1,750rpm through to 4,500rpm.
Both models are due on sale in October, with prices starting from around £40,000.
The BMW 5-Series has hatched out! These are the first official pictures of the showroom-ready Gran Turismo – a hatchback model that will sit at the top of the new 5-Series range when sales start later this year.
It was previewed in concept form at the Geneva Motor Show in March, but the final production version is just as striking.
Available as either a four-seat Executive specification car for a luxurious, spacious feel or in a five-seat SE configuration the newcomer mixes a four-door coupé body with raised, sliding rear seats and a Skoda Superb-style boot opening.
Inside, there’s the option of a two or three-seater rear configuration, with chairs that can be individually slid either backwards and forwards, tilted or folded flat. Thanks to a removable bulkhead, the boot’s 430-litre capacity can be expanded to 1,650 litres, giving the GT the second largest carrying capacity in the range, after the X5.
The new rear-wheel-drive platform will feature on the standard 5-Series, as will the GT’s ‘face’, with its larger kidney grilles.
Three engines power the three models available at launch. The new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo is offered as a 530d, a 535i and a 550i and engine options are to comprise 3.0-litre petrol and turbodiesel six-cylinder powerplants, plus turbo V8s.
The biggest seller in the UK is predicted to be the BMW 530d GT. Producing 245hp at 4,000rpm, the 530d accelerates from zero to 62mph in 6.9 seconds before going on to a top speed of 149mph. Peak torque of 540Nm is available from just 1,750rpm. Fuel economy is exceptional with a combined fuel consumption figure of 43.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 173g/km.
Topping the range is the BMW 550i GT. Powered by a 407hp 4,395cc V8 engine with twin-turbo technology, the 550i GT offers near supercar performance with a zero to 62mph time of 5.5 seconds and an electronically-limited 155mph top speed. Peak torque of 600Nm is on hand from 1,750rpm through to 4,500rpm.
Both models are due on sale in October, with prices starting from around £40,000.