Archive for the '5 Series GT' Category

BMW 5 Series Touring caught testing

Published on November 9, 2009 in 2011 5 series, 2011 5 Series Kombi, 2011 5 Series Touring, 2011 5 Series Wagon, 2011 bmw, 2011 bmw 5 series, 20115SeriesKombi, 20115SeriesTouring, 20115SeriesWagon, 2011Bmw5Series, 5 Series, 5 Series GT, 5 Series Station Wagon, 5 Series Touring, 530i Touring, 530iTouring, 5Series, 5SeriesStationWagon, 5SeriesTouring, b7, Bimmer, BMW, BMW 5 Series, BMW 5 Series GT, BMW 5 Series Wagon, BMW wagon, Bmw5Series, Bmw5SeriesGranTurismo, Bmw5SeriesGt, Bmw5SeriesWagon, BmwWagon, Gran Turismo, GranTurismo, luxury, M5, performance, spy, spy photos, spy shot, spy shots, SpyPhotos, station wagon and StationWagon. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

BMW 5 Series Touring caught testing

Unlike the never ending back-and-forth between the A6 and/or the A8, we’re certain this is the new 2011 5 Series Touring, a.k.a. a Bimmer station wagon or “Kombi” as they call ‘em over in Europe. Not bad, right? Kinda lithe yet athletic at the same time. Good looking, too. And let’s not forget the M versions of these puppies. Only thing is, what we think probably doesn’t matter – odds are we’ll never see the 5 Series Touring here in the States.

We’ve mentioned it before, but BMW just launched the 5 Series Gran Turismo. Selling both of the fairly similar five-door cars along side each other might cut into sales. Additionally, wagons have never sold well for BMW here in North America – and for some reason, Americans just aren’t into traditional car-like station wagons.

Never mind the nearly 1,000 pound weight advantage of the wagon (around 4,000 pounds) over the GT (about 4,800 pounds) – which should bring with it better mileage, performance and handling – to its detractors, the Gran Turismo just has an air of Chrysler Pacifica about it. Of course, since the day it came out, many of us auto-journo types have been asking why one would buy the SUV-ish X5 when the hauls-just-as-much-stuff 5 Series wagon is not only available but costs less, goes quicker, handles better, etc. Looks like BMW just might just disarm that line of questioning altogether.

Next generation BMW 3 Series

Published on November 4, 2009 in 2012, 2012 bmw 3 series, 2012Bmw3Series, 3 Series, 3Series, 5 Series, 5 Series GT, BMW, BMW 3, BMW 3-Series, Bmw3, Bmw3-series, Bmw3Series, sedan, spy, spy photos, spy pics, spy shot, spy shots, SpyPhotos, SpyPics, SpyShot and SpyShots. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .



This morning we get our first “clear” look at the next generation BMW 3 Series as one of our intrepid spy photographers captured one sitting on a trailer somewhere in Germany. The newest version of BMW’s mainstream model is expected to debut sometime in 2011 as 2012 model. Judging from these shots, it does not appear that the size of the new 3 will change much, although we can expect BMW to implement some weight reduction measures in order to help meet new fuel efficiency and emissions standards.

The next 3 is also expected to adopt some new powertrains including a new turbocharged and direct-injected three-cylinder engine. When the new 3 arrives here in the U.S., it will likely also mark the return of four-cylinder engines to the brand’s U.S. lineup, to which we say, bring on the fuel savings.

BMW looking at cheaper 5 Series Gran Turismo

Published on October 27, 2009 in 5 Series, 5 Series GT, 5-seriesGt, 535i, 535iGT, 550i, 550iGT, 5Series, 5SeriesGt, Bimmer, BMW, BMW diesel, BMW Gran turismo, BMW Grand Turismo, BMW M, BMW Motorsports, BMW wagon, BmwDiesel, BmwGrandTurismo, BmwGranTurismo, BmwM, BmwMotorsports, BmwWagon, diesel, Gran Turismo, Grand Turismo, GrandTurismo, GranTurismo, M-technik and Motorsport. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .



The famed automotive pot-stirrers at Autocar are at it again. According to two blurbs from the UK publication, BMW’s new 5 Series Gran Turismo may spawn at least one less costly, less powerful variant, but a high-performance M version is apparently off the table.

On the fuel and financial economy front, Bimmer is reportedly considering adding four-cylinder powerplants to the controversial new five-door, including the 175 bhp diesel from the 320d. A twin-turbo diesel may also be in the cards. The fear here is that the premium-priced 5GT may in fact be priced too aggressively, as it stickers above a comparable 5 Series Touring model. In any case, we don’t expect to see the less-powerful diesel Stateside, although we wouldn’t be terribly suprised if the company chose to shoehorn in something like the twin-turbo 3.0-liter diesel already on offer in the 335d.

On the M side of the equation, Autocar says that the gasoline V8-powered 550i will remain the pinnacle of the range, as BMW has “ruled out” a M-Technik variant. Given that BMW has recently seen fit to move M beyond traditional cars (see: X5 and X6) and that these higher performance models often have thicker margins attached, this strikes us as somewhat curious decision – especially as the 5GT figures to be the most dynamically promising of the bunch. This source also doesn’t jibe with what we heard from BMW officials just last month when we drove the car in Portugal. At that time, the official line was that no decision had been made, but knowing glances and meek smiles seemed to indicate that things looked good for the model.