German Car Zone

PanterroR · 07-09-2009, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klier

^ In the EU the Touring will do much better than the GT. Definitely not equal. Touring will be much more practical for everyday use. For instance, where do I keep my dog in the GT? In the trunk?

Why would you put a dog in such car in the 1st place?

SCOTT27 · 07-09-2009, 07:08 PM

Quote:

where do I keep my dog in the GT? In the trunk?

I put my dog in the rear passenger compartment.

Quote:

MUNICH, GERMANY • Christopher Weil is the enterprising young designer behind BMW’s latest vehicle — the 5 Series Gran Turismo. The look he penned steps away from BMW’s typical design language. To begin with, the GT features the latest interpretation of the company’s trademark kidney grilles — they are vertical, which harkens back to the Bimmers of a bygone era.

The Gran Turismo is also a lot rounder in nature than current BMWs — the key character lines ring the entire car. For example, the bold shoulder line starts at the tip of one headlight, runs down the side of the car through the door handles and fuel filler flap to the tip of the tail light. It then sweeps across the back end, which links the tail lights, before flowing back to the tip of the other headlight. The taut horizontal lines (both front and rear) then add width to the stance, as do the full-bodied rear haunches. It is an expressive design that has movement to it even when parked in a design studio.

Earning the job of designing a new BMW is not an easy task.

When the competition for the GT was announced, Weil threw his hat into the ring — along with 20 other designers. The initial entries were whittled down to six and clay models were made. After another couple of rounds of evaluation, there were but three designs left. More evaluation and consultation delivered the winning design.

Weil is candid about the process and the emotional roller coaster it becomes. For the winning designer, it is a huge vote of confidence. However, Weil has also been on the losing end of the selection process.

“It is sometimes difficult to accept that a design you poured your energy into is not going to go any further than a clay model. It is times like this where your belief in yourself is most important,” he says.

When Weil began designing the GT, the final draft of what the car was to be had not been set. His novel design — Weil
refers to it as intelligent — builds a trunk lid into a traditional liftgate. The primary design goal was to hide the fact the GT is a hatch. Study the back end and it is all but impossible to spot the liftgate’s shut line — mission accomplished.

The production car arrives with a number of clever twists. There are two buttons — one opens the trunk lid, which reveals a large square opening; the other opens the entire liftgate. The design also allows the driver to set the opening height of the liftgate, which eliminates the risk of scraping the brightwork on a low ceiling.

The second twist? Where most hatchbacks use the seatbacks to separate the trunk from the cabin, the GT features a partition wall behind the rear seats. Both facets are split 40/20/40. The advantage is the built-in integrity the partition adds to the trunk. When combined with the two-piece hard parcel shelf, the fully boxed compartment keeps prying eyes and sticky fingers off valuable cargo. When the need to carry a bigger box arises, the larger half of the parcel shelf can be removed and stowed beneath the trunk floor in a storage bin — this way it does not end up cluttering up the garage.

There’s also surprising rear-seat space. A six-footer has plenty of headroom in spite of the racy roofline, the seats recline and they slide back and forth. The latter allows the riders to luxuriate in a cabin with 7 Series-like legroom, or the cargo capacity can be expanded by moving the seats forward 100 millimetres.

With the seats fully rearward, the GT accommodates 15.4 cubic feet of stuff; in the forward position, the capacity grows to 20.7 cu. ft. With the seats/panels folded flat (there will be a power option to fold the lot down), the capacity maxes out at 59.5 cu. ft., which is enough for a pair of mountain bikes.

Up front, the seat height, at 574 mm, fits between that of the 5 Series sedan and X5 SUV. This brings better visibility down the road, something often touted by SUV drivers, and a lower centre of gravity, which improves the handling characteristics.

When the GT arrives at the end of this year, it will be in the form of the 550i. This model will feature BMW’s 4.4-litre, twin-turbo V8. With 400 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque on tap, there will be no shortage of power — the zero-to-100-kilometres-an-hour acceleration time is pegged at 5.5 seconds. Marrying this engine with BMW’s new eight-speed transmission caps things off.

The 550i GT and 760i will be the first cars to benefit from the improved fuel economy this transmission imparts — a 6% reduction in fuel consumption when compared with BMW’s current six-speed transmission.

Down the road, the 535i GT will be added to the lineup — it will be powered by BMW’s popular 300-hp, twin-turbo, in-line six.
So, will the expressive and highly functional 5 Series Gran Turismo sell? Weil is emphatic — yes!

Foxfire · 07-09-2009, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PanterroR

Why would you put a dog in such car in the 1st place?

Why the hell not? I would, if I got that car.

PanterroR · 07-10-2009, 03:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foxfire

Why the hell not? I would, if I got that car.

Lol, sorry man, don't get me wrong... I have a dog too and he was never in my car with black leather interior and i for sure wouldn't let him enter here:

For that, i use my wife's car...

dr Dunkel · 07-10-2009, 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCOTT27

I put my dog in the rear passenger compartment.

Well, I wonder what Christopher Weil thinks of your priorities...

klier · 07-10-2009, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PanterroR

Lol, sorry man, don't get me wrong... I have a dog too and he was never in my car with black leather interior and i for sure wouldn't let him enter here:

For that, i use my wife's car...

The point of the 5er Touring is that the dog can be put in the back, where there are no leather seats or anything. If I would buy a big car with a lot of space, my dog would be very important for me, so I'd probably not buy the 5er GT. Instead I would go for the Touring or an X model, where there's ample space for everything including a dog.
5er GT is more for high-end passenger transportation. Touring for practical stuff.

Foxfire · 07-10-2009, 04:11 AM

I think there's no problem putting a dog inside the cargo space of the 5GT. Heck, I managed to put 2 large dogs (about 50kg each) in the cargo space of a A3 Sportback. Sure, it was a tight fit and only suitable for shorter journeys, but this car has a much larger boot. The thing is, you'd probably have to use the rear bench for your suitcases.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PanterroR

Lol, sorry man, don't get me wrong... I have a dog too and he was never in my car with black leather interior and i for sure wouldn't let him enter here:

You must have an unruly dog

Don't you have an X5? You do know there's a large boot in the back, do you?

I never meant the back seat. Even though I did/do transport dogs in the back seat, since I currently have just a 3er sedan. Not the most practical solution, mind you and probably the reason why I'll be changing cars soon.

PanterroR · 07-10-2009, 04:13 AM

Nope, see below my avatar, the sedan is still here...

And i have a 4 mo Labrador...

klier · 07-10-2009, 04:43 AM

4 months? Cute! They don't listen at that age though.....teens!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foxfire

I think there's no problem putting a dog inside the cargo space of the 5GT. Heck, I managed to put 2 large dogs (about 50kg each) in the cargo space of a A3 Sportback. Sure, it was a tight fit and only suitable for shorter journeys, but this car has a much larger boot. The thing is, you'd probably have to use the rear bench for your suitcases.

There is no problem if there was a cargo space in the 5er GT. There is one of course, but it works exactly like a sedan (aka, closed off). You would have to take down the whole backseat area if you wanted to take your dog.
But the cargo space doesn't work like it does in a Mini Cooper or A3 Sportback. (or every other hatch/wagon/SUV)

Or, is it possible to take off that hard cover that seals the boot space from the interior?

john5 · 07-11-2009, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klier

4 months? Cute! They don't listen at that age though.....teens!

There is no problem if there was a cargo space in the 5er GT. There is one of course, but it works exactly like a sedan (aka, closed off). You would have to take down the whole backseat area if you wanted to take your dog.
But the cargo space doesn't work like it does in a Mini Cooper or A3 Sportback. (or every other hatch/wagon/SUV)

Or, is it possible to take off that hard cover that seals the boot space from the interior?

I think the angle of the rear boot would be unconfortable for a dog even if the hard cover was removed. No dog wants its face of but smooshed against the rear glass

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