Back in March, we saw the 2 Series Active Tourer with camouflage covering its facelifted features. Now, we're getting the first images of the Gran Tourer version, a stretched out 7-seater version of the same UKL2 abomination.
BMW just dropped the X7, its first serious 7-seat vehicle. But technically, the Gran Tourer was its first vehicle to accommodate so many people. In 2014, the Active Tourer became the first FWD car in company history, and it was followed a year later by this. There's no direct rival from Audi or Mercedes, but the Volkswagen Touran is pretty upmarket too.
We presume that the 1-year spacing between the two won't be kept since nobody is going to pay attention to the motor show debut of the Gran Tourer facelift. So both should come out around the middle of next year.
Speaking if which, we have to point out that the Bavarians seem to be spending a lot more money on this car than they did on the 1 Series hatchback. Most of the front end is being replaced, probably to match the big kidney grilles of the SUV range.
However, the headlights are also getting replaced. Instead of the halo rings with squashed bottoms, they are now semi-hexagonal, a look that debuted on the 7 Series. The hexagon is probably the theme of the dashboard too. The iDrive system will probably have better resolution, but we still don't expect BMW to acknowledge the need for phone pairing.
The engine range of the Gran Tourer looks unlikely to change. This 7-seat MPV is available with a variety of 1.5 and 2.0-liter engines that range in output from 95 to 192 hp. Will they make a plug-in hybrid? Probably not, since the battery needs the trunk space that's occupied by the last row of seats. An M Performance version? Never! Plus our spied prototypes only have one exhaust pipe.
We presume that the 1-year spacing between the two won't be kept since nobody is going to pay attention to the motor show debut of the Gran Tourer facelift. So both should come out around the middle of next year.
Speaking if which, we have to point out that the Bavarians seem to be spending a lot more money on this car than they did on the 1 Series hatchback. Most of the front end is being replaced, probably to match the big kidney grilles of the SUV range.
However, the headlights are also getting replaced. Instead of the halo rings with squashed bottoms, they are now semi-hexagonal, a look that debuted on the 7 Series. The hexagon is probably the theme of the dashboard too. The iDrive system will probably have better resolution, but we still don't expect BMW to acknowledge the need for phone pairing.
The engine range of the Gran Tourer looks unlikely to change. This 7-seat MPV is available with a variety of 1.5 and 2.0-liter engines that range in output from 95 to 192 hp. Will they make a plug-in hybrid? Probably not, since the battery needs the trunk space that's occupied by the last row of seats. An M Performance version? Never! Plus our spied prototypes only have one exhaust pipe.