Photo: S. Balduf/SB-Medien
The BMW 5 Series GT is the kind of car you can only understand once you have ridden in it. On the outside, it is the 5 Series sedan's porkier brother; on the inside, it is more comfortable than a 7 Series.
Considering that, it was a good thing the design wasn't too appealing or the Bavarians might have been faced with a 7 Series sales penury. But the outside appearance of the 5 Series GT was indeed enough to keep a lot of people at bay, so that was never a real risk.
Now, though, BMW is looking to distance the GT from the 5 Series sedan and to do that, it will link the taller body style to the sleek 6 Series coupe by calling it the 6 Series GT. That feels a bit forced, but if distancing it from the 5 Series was the point, the we guess it will work.
The bad news is that the GT will likely replace the 6 Series Gran Coupe, which was a very good looking car in our book and a much more useful one than the 6 Series coupe. However, that didn't help with its sales, apparently, so the Germans are thinking about cutting their losses short and giving up on that version in the future.
Alright, back to the 6 Series GT at hand and, thanks to the car dropping its padding, a few things immediately become apparent. First of all is the general silhouette of the body, which remains as plump as ever, meaning we should expect the same levels of interior space as before.
Second are the 5 Series details. Even though the name changes, the 6 Series GT still borrows the headlights and the taillights from the 5 Series sedan, or at least very similar variations of them. The car uses the same platform of the recently launched sedan, so expect similar weight savings as well as the same range of engines, including a hybrid. This particular prototype is a 630d model, meaning it has a 3.0-liter inline six turbodiesel engine, but four-cylinder units will also be available.
The 6 Series GT is expected to fill the gap between the 5 and 7 Series in terms of pricing, a move also facilitated by the new naming. However, it should remain a niche vehicle that few people feel compelled to buy.
Now, though, BMW is looking to distance the GT from the 5 Series sedan and to do that, it will link the taller body style to the sleek 6 Series coupe by calling it the 6 Series GT. That feels a bit forced, but if distancing it from the 5 Series was the point, the we guess it will work.
The bad news is that the GT will likely replace the 6 Series Gran Coupe, which was a very good looking car in our book and a much more useful one than the 6 Series coupe. However, that didn't help with its sales, apparently, so the Germans are thinking about cutting their losses short and giving up on that version in the future.
Alright, back to the 6 Series GT at hand and, thanks to the car dropping its padding, a few things immediately become apparent. First of all is the general silhouette of the body, which remains as plump as ever, meaning we should expect the same levels of interior space as before.
Second are the 5 Series details. Even though the name changes, the 6 Series GT still borrows the headlights and the taillights from the 5 Series sedan, or at least very similar variations of them. The car uses the same platform of the recently launched sedan, so expect similar weight savings as well as the same range of engines, including a hybrid. This particular prototype is a 630d model, meaning it has a 3.0-liter inline six turbodiesel engine, but four-cylinder units will also be available.
The 6 Series GT is expected to fill the gap between the 5 and 7 Series in terms of pricing, a move also facilitated by the new naming. However, it should remain a niche vehicle that few people feel compelled to buy.
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