Photo: SB-Medien
The current BMW 5 Series GT is a car for sober German businessmen who know SUVs are useless or for rich people that want to stand out. It's never been particularly popular, but BMW doesn't want to give up on the idea and is developing a successor.
This is the second time our German spy photographers have caught up with the test prototype for the 2017 model year vehicle. Not much has changed, but they've installed a different exhaust system.
Compared to the current car, this one is going to be in an entirely different design league. Gone is the Hunchback of Notre Dame look, having been replaced by a sexy, sleek fastback rump.
Yes, it needs to have a larger trunk opening than the standard 5 Series sedan, but they've raked the back of the car to the point where it looks like the 4 Series Gran Coupe. Of course, BMW isn't going to call it anything like that, since it already has the four-door 6 Series leviathan.
While better in many ways, the new model probably won't feel as roomy in the back as the old 5 Series GT, which is built on the same platform as the old 7 Series. Rear visibility looks terrible too, probably on par with the X4.
But since the German company has pioneered so many new technologies on the G11 7er, we hope several of them will trickle down to this car. We're talking nifty tricks like a remote to park your car from a distance and the big key fob with a screen on it.
Engine-wise, expect things to start off slowly with two of the latest 3-cylinder diesels, the 326 horsepower gasoline unit for the 540i and a new V8. If we keep our fingers crossed, maybe we'll also receive the first plug-in hybrid powertrain that uses the guts from the X5 xDrive40e.
Overall, we'd say that these are the early tests for the next 5 Series Gran Turismo. The prototype doesn't have the right taillights yet, and its exhaust system has an uninspiring fit.
Compared to the current car, this one is going to be in an entirely different design league. Gone is the Hunchback of Notre Dame look, having been replaced by a sexy, sleek fastback rump.
Yes, it needs to have a larger trunk opening than the standard 5 Series sedan, but they've raked the back of the car to the point where it looks like the 4 Series Gran Coupe. Of course, BMW isn't going to call it anything like that, since it already has the four-door 6 Series leviathan.
While better in many ways, the new model probably won't feel as roomy in the back as the old 5 Series GT, which is built on the same platform as the old 7 Series. Rear visibility looks terrible too, probably on par with the X4.
But since the German company has pioneered so many new technologies on the G11 7er, we hope several of them will trickle down to this car. We're talking nifty tricks like a remote to park your car from a distance and the big key fob with a screen on it.
Engine-wise, expect things to start off slowly with two of the latest 3-cylinder diesels, the 326 horsepower gasoline unit for the 540i and a new V8. If we keep our fingers crossed, maybe we'll also receive the first plug-in hybrid powertrain that uses the guts from the X5 xDrive40e.
Overall, we'd say that these are the early tests for the next 5 Series Gran Turismo. The prototype doesn't have the right taillights yet, and its exhaust system has an uninspiring fit.
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