2009 BMW Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo Review
Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo Photos
I remember when I was a young man wanting a car to reflect my young urban professional lifestyle I bought a BMW. My first was a Bavaria 3.0S sedan, a great car that met an unfortunate end. I replaced this with a 528e, to this day probably the best car I’ve ever owned, and I’ve had some wonderful rides. I mean best in that it performed flawlessly up until and beyond 260,000 miles, after which I kept seeing it blasting around town well past 300,000 in the hands of the friend I sold it to. I wouldn’t expect a modern-day BMW to deliver such stellar long-term reliability, although I’m not saying that it couldn’t, it’s just that the 528e is legendary for bulletproof operation.
It was a simpler time for BMW. They had no SUV or sports car, and no crossovers that mix the two categories either. The model designations weren’t overwhelmingly long, but simply were comprised of three numerals and a variation of lowercase letters depending on configuration and performance/trim. They built good cars in three main categories, compact, midsize and full-size, with mixes of two and four doors, plus the occasional wagon, and that was it. Now, BMW sells a lot more cars than it used to, but they do so through myriad models, a reality that has to impact their bottom line: profitability. Still, I can’t really point to a dud within the roundel model range, so it’s quite possible the German brand is managing to achieve its targeted economies of scale with each model, and, other than the recent economic situation, is profitable on a model by model basis more often than not.
Take the X6, for instance. I don’t know about your town, but I’m seeing these rather radical rides pulling up alongside me regularly now. It must have been one of those creations that didn’t get immediate approval in the boardroom, but now I’m guessing those that stood behind it from day one are feeling pretty smug. Has it turned a profit yet? Probably not, but I’m betting, after factoring in the general slump every automaker is experiencing due to the economy, that it’s achieving the sales goals set out for it by management. That’s why I think the automaker’s latest concept has a reasonable chance for production too.
The Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo is another ridiculously long name from the company that now brings us even more ridiculously named production models, such as xDrive30i, xDrive35i and xDrive50i to designate all-wheel drive models and their engine or output specs (and the number doesn’t actually represent displacement anymore either). Following this convoluted theme even further is another decision to dub rear-wheel drive cars with an “s” in a similar naming scheme, so the new Z4 sports car gets the awkward handle of sDrive30i and sDrive35i depending on engine output. I’m sure that BMW will spread this wisdom throughout its entire range, complicating what was once an elegantly straightforward naming process. Who knows, maybe they’ll offer instructions to decipher the code behind this new naming scheme somewhere within iDrive, easily available deep within its archive after clicking and turning the big knob on the center console seven or eight times to access. Yes, I say this with tongue firmly in cheek because BMW has a knack of thoroughly complicating what should otherwise be simple processes, but they make bloody good cars so we all put up with the nonsense. And like the X6 xDrive50i SAV, behind the nonsensically named Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo is an equally silly acronym, Progressive Activity Sedan (PAS). Nevertheless, marketing buffoonery aside, it’s an intriguing new ride.
In what might be the final vehicle BMW design head Chris Bangle has a hand in creating (he appears to be moving on to start his own design firm), the new concept comes across like a lowered, less rugged looking X6. BMW has taken the SAV out of its most radical new offering and served it up with some serious sporting potential.
Basically it’s a crossover-shaped, somewhat sport coupe-like five-door hatchback riding on 5 Series underpinnings, if you didn’t figure that out already, which means that a production version would likely get a choice of 3.0-liter V6s, the one getting the “35” designation being turbocharged, and a V8 at the bare minimum. I’m not going to spend a great deal of time talking about powertrain configurations or specific technologies, because other than a few items the Gran Turismo is more of a styling and packaging exercise. And to that end, what do you think?
While I really like the X6, a design that I’ll admit took a little getting used to, the 5 Series Gran Turismo isn’t a favorite at first glance. Its fastback layout doesn’t look very fast, as to my eyes it’s just too chunky to be agile. Of course, it will be totally agile because it’s a BMW, but we’re talking about styling here, not capability. I suppose there’s some important capability built into the styling, such as its convenient hatchback design, but other than this it’s a question of how everything looks and how it might fit into the marketplace.
When it comes right down to it, you’re going to have to decide if the world needs a 5 Series with a five-door layout and X6 styling cues, and knowing BMW, if they build it you’ll come running to snatch up whatever design they come up with that incorporates a twin-kidney grille between its LED corona ring-enhanced headlight clusters. I don’t mean to be condescending (really, it comes naturally), but this company has a knack for filling niche seats with loyal buyers, so I’m guessing that this rather strange offering will find a well trodden welcome mat next to its driver’s door if produced.
A few niceties worth mentioning include four frameless doors, creating an extremely open interior environment, a large four-placed interior with rear buckets that add a sporty if not practical ambience and a theatre-style elevated rear seating position made nicer by a panoramic glass roof. Items like this might have been clearly show car stuff in the past, but more recent production models have incorporated glass roofs safely and practically, so expect this to become a reality if the car does.
The practicality of this concept, excepting the rear buckets, is what makes it seem more real than not. BMW refers to its rear cargo area as more sedan-like than anything else, but I’m thinking they’re delusional because it’s more like a hatchback or SUV than a sedan. Then again, you can open the rear liftgate two different ways, the first via a vertical trunk-like lid that gives full access to the cargo area below the window, or for larger items the trunk lid and rear glass open together like a full hatch, to a large accommodating loading area of up to 15.1 cubic feet, or the size of a midsize sedan trunk. Even better, you can slide the rear seats forward by almost 4 inches for 5 Series sedan-like legroom and much greater luggage room of about 20 cubic feet. That’s more cargo hauling capacity than almost any full-size sedan. If you need even greater space, up to 58 cubic feet can be had by electrically lowering the rear seats forward. Add to that the same amount of rear legroom as a 7 Series when the rear seats are pushed backwards, plus the rear headroom of a 5 Series sedan, and other than the 3 Series Touring, 5 Series Touring, X3 and X5, the Gran Turismo would join the X6 as most practical new Bimmer currently available in the USA if built.
It has all this usable space because it’s pretty large. The Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo is actually larger than the 5 Series that gave it life, fitting in between BMW’s X5 and the full-size 7 at 196.8 inches long. This makes it second longest in the Munich-based company’s range, shorter only than the company’s flagship sedan. At 61.2 inches it stands tall too, but BMW points out all of its X models are taller. It is a car-based sedan-like hatchback after all.
An interesting feature that makes this hatchback design unique from any other I’ve seen, as well as more sedan-like, is a partition wall behind the rear seats that separates the passenger and luggage compartments from each other, making for a quieter cabin and offering better in-cabin climate conditions.
Some luxury/convenience items that are unique to this concept include a fully integrated 10.2-inch control display with black panel technology, complete with integrated navigation and feedback from the various control systems in the car. The “dials” still look like traditional BMW analog gauges, although they’re purely electronic for better accuracy and less mechanical weight and interference. BMW still includes iDrive in this concept, which it will never drop completely, but rather is attempting to refine with each update. In this version, BMW has moved the control knob higher on the center stack to almost eye level, as a free-standing element. Whether this would work better than where it is positioned now, on the lower console, would have to be experienced to know for sure, but it’s good to see BMW experimenting with this system, as many of its clients have a love-hate relationship with this technology, and any way to make it easier to use would be welcome by all.
The interior is beautifully finished in a mix of whites and tan shades, metal and wood, and the Fluid Cuprite exterior paint is exquisite, augmented by a gorgeous set of 21-inch multi-spoke light-alloy rims.
Looking at it over and over again from every angle offered via the photos provided, I have to admit to being a bit torn. The BMW Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo is a radical design, carving out a niche that at this point appears untapped. I’m not in love with the shape, but I wasn’t with the X6 before it, which I like a lot now, or the original Z4 roadster that has become one of my favorite designs. I have to say that I love the new Gran Turismo’s functionality though, and could see a lot of people falling for it if only because of its overall usefulness. Combined with a sleek profile and what will no doubt be deft handling dynamics, I think it’s a winner.