German Car Zone

You really do not want to know, believe me. Think of Paris Hilton with 80% less class and about 30kg heavier. You're still nowhere close.

Her nickname is "Chip Shop" Kerry.

All I know is there is a supermarket somewhere missing a checkout girl.

Swedish AMS:

Frederick Huldt went to Portugal to test drive BMW's new 5-Series GT. An odd bird who wants to be everything - sedan, station wagon, SUV and sports coupe. The question is whether it is a monumental flop or ingenious flip?

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This jerk always ruins the pictures in the magazine

Autobild compared the car to a 5-series Touring which the 5er GT won.

BMW's 5 Series Gran Turismo is the second vehicle off the new architecture that underpins the 7 Series and will form the basis for next year's 5 Series sedan and wagon and the next-generation 6 Series. Here are some of the highlight technologies:


3.0-LITER, DIRECT-INJECTION TURBO SIX

The new 5 Series Gran Turismo marks the first application of BMW's new single turbo, direct-injection, 3.0-liter straight six with Valvetronic variable valve timing. The engine has 3.53-inch bore and a 3.31-inch stroke and a 10.2:1 compression ratio. It develops 300 horsepower at 5800 to 6250 rpm, and 300 pound-feet of torque between 1200 and 6000 rpm. The decision to go to a single, twin-scroll turbocharger was driven by the need to meet forthcoming Euro6 and American SULEV emissions while retaining the responsiveness of a twin-turbo setup. The single-turbo layout allows closer placement of the catalytic converter for faster light-off. (The tough new Euro6 test means the catalytic converter has to be hot enough to be scrubbing exhaust emissions just seven seconds after the engine is started; BMW also utilizes a dual-wall exhaust manifold for maximum heat retention.) The twin-scroll layout funnels the exhaust gases from cylinders one through three and four through six to two separate turbines, ensuring an exhaust pulse hits each every 120 degrees of crankshaft rotation, as in a twin turbo setup, minimizing pulse interference and maximizing the energy transfer.

EIGHT-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

First seen on the just launched V-12 powered 760i, BMW claims this new transmission's unique layout provides two additional ratios with no increase in bulk or weight. Four planetary gearsets and five clutch packs are controlled in a way that no more than two of the clutch packs are freewheeling at any given time.

Faster shifts are a further benefit because only one clutch pack is disengaged, and downshifting more than two gears is accomplished as a direct shift. For example, a downshift from eighth to second is made with only one clutch pack disengagement, and therefore occurs without stepping down through the intermediate gears. That means the 5GT can maximize time in eighth gear with the engine turning minimal revs - the 535i GT's 3.0-liter six is turning at just 1600 rpm at 60 mph - but still deliver fast kickdown response.







BRAKE-ENERGY REGENERATION

A car's alternator normally continuously charges the battery. In the Gran Turismo, it charges only when the vehicle is decelerating or braking; otherwise, it freewheels, drawing virtually no power from the engine, helping improve fuel consumption. An electronically controlled clutch, somewhat similar to that used with the air-conditioning compressor, is used to engage and disengage the alternator. The system also requires a special, more powerful battery that can satisfy high electrical demands without access to continuous charging. The battery's internal plates are separated with saturated absorbent glass-boron silicate rather than the usual liquid electrolyte, which reduces the battery's conversion of charging energy to heat.

INTEGRAL ACTIVE STEERING

BMW's Integral Active Steering system, optional on the 5GT, electronically varies the steering ratio on the basis of vehicle speed and other driving conditions, reducing the steering-wheel movements required for parking maneuvers, U-turns, and sharp corners. But the system also steers the rear wheels up to a maximum of three degrees via a servo motor acting on track rods. At low speeds, the rear wheels are countersteered to the fronts, reducing the 5GT's turning circle by more than two feet. At higher speeds, the rear wheels steer in the same direction as the fronts, enhancing stability. BMW claims rear-seat-passenger comfort is improved thanks to reduced lateral forces in highway lane-change conditions.

LED LIGHTING



With the 5GT, BMW's signature corona rings have taken on several functions -- as parking lights, as an identifying element when the headlights are on, and as daytime running lamps -- this last with 100 percent of their lighting power, the other functions with just 10 percent. For the first time, on the Gran Turismo they employ LED technology.


2010 BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo Technology - Motor Trend


M

Not sure if this is the best place, but here is our interview with Christopher Weil, exterior designer 5 GT.

A new wave of talented designers rise at the Munich-based automaker, BMW. One of them is the automobile exterior designer, Christopher Weil, the man behind the latest and somewhat controversial BMW 5 Series GT. A young man passionate about art and architecture, Christopher Weil is part of Adrian Von Hooydonk’s team and his new design language at BMW.


I met Weil two weeks ago at the Frankfurt Auto Show where he was present to introduce to the world his recent work, the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo, a new addition to the future 5 Series family and one of these vehicles that shies away from the typical BMW design language.


The design of the 5 Series GT started in late 2005 with the first sketches, but the actual design process began in 2006. It takes three to four years to complete a model. When the competition began, Weil joined twenty other designers in the internal contest. Out of the twenty designers, six sketches and ideas are selected. After two rounds of evaluation and elimination, the models are narrowed down and at the end, three teams and their clay models are presented to the board. The winning design gets a tremendous vote of confidence and clearly, Weil was thrilled to be awarded such design task.


But the difficulties have yet to be revealed.

The Philosophy Behind The 5 Gran Turismo
The new BMW 5 Series GT takes the interior design of a BMW at the top of the luxury scale and this has been the starting point for Weil’s team. “For the first time, we developed the car from the inside out. Very important for the interior design is a feel of generous space”, says Weil.
But how does it affect the exterior design? Weil continues to explain: “We created this wave flowing from the back to the front doors. Our goal was to transform this relaxed movement into the exterior design.”
Ever since the first official photos were released by BMW, many people began to associate some design elements of the 5 GT with the new 7 Series and of course, with the yet-to-be unveiled 2011 5 Series. “This car is very specific in its own design, has its own character, but common elements are there because BMW shares some design clues with other models. We have a new form language, so of course you will see some similarities. In the end, it is still totally different from any BMW.”, he says.
The company’s trademark design elements are still present in this model, the double headlamps, kidney grille and Hoffmeister Kink.


Challenges
Designing a new model comes with multiple challenges, several hurdles than need to be conquered by any designer working on a production car. “I did advanced design, now I’m doing production design. The design is totally different, more mature. There are different challenges, you have to come up with new ideas if something doesn’t work, and talk to the engineers to try new things.”, Weil talking about some challenges.


But some of the biggest challenges encountered in production design come from the the strict pedestrian safety standards that have turned the car designing process into an even more complicated task. “The design in the beginning is more wild, not as mature as in the end, but the character of the car was identical from the beginning to the end.” It seems like Weil managed to take these obstacles into considerations early in the design stages and successfully maintained the initial character of the 5 Gran Turismo.

Interview: Christopher Weil – The designer who pens new BMW 5 Series GT

Europe is like a whole other continent. Its citizens tolerate insane levels of taxation, live happily in extremely close quarters, and possess fashion sensibilities that foster foreign looking footwear and business suits dyed colors we associate with the management ranks of the "oldest profession." Now the Euro elites are eschewing lux sedans and SUVs in favor of "something different." Something like the current crop of bucks-up hatchbacks including BMW's X6, the forthcoming Audi A7, and the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo. Maybe Europe loves hatchbacks simply because Americans hate them and they're P.O.'d at us for grenading the global economy.

Maybe this new vehicular sub-genre suits the European mode of business travel, wherein it makes more sense for three or four execs to share a car for a high-speed autobahn blast between adjacent cities. Whatever, these platypuses -- some prettier than others -- are coming to our shores, if only in niche volumes. BMW promises the GT will surpass the current 5 Series wagon's 1000 per year, and hints that we probably won't have the next-gen 5 wagon to kick around, so wagon-loving Bimmerphiles may as well make peace with this thing. And you can trust us when we say that it has a commanding presence on the road that doesn't does fully come across in photos (please forgive us for making similar allegations about the Panamera).

Read more: 2010 BMW 550i GT Review and First Drive - Motor Trend

Looks great in this photo

I didn't know where else to post this, but I'm interested to hear your guys opinions especially from BMW owners.

BMW is taking us for a (bad) ride - Tester?s notes

Looking for a niche within a niche within a maker? Look no further than the almighty BMW 5 Series GT in twin-turbo V8 form.

The telling thing about the 5 Series GT is that you can't really wax lyrical about its form without explaining what the hell it's supposed to be. Innocent bystanders tend to have that particular expression written across their faces when a GT drives by too. We won't explain too much, partly because we did so recently in our First Drive of the 5 GT, but also because you'll decide what it is for yourself anyway.

The rabbit in the GT's hat is actually in its backside... ok, so that makes no sense. It's got a trick-hinged boot, basically, in the style of the Skoda Superb, which allows it to be opened like a hatchback or a saloon. It seems like a gimmick at first, but it's actually very handy when you're loading small things because lifting the full tailgate is like lifting the Christmas tree into the loft. Unfortunately, there's a huge black area concealing the hinges at either side of the rear screen, resulting in appalling visibility.

But the boot is massive, as is the amount of leg and headroom - front and rear. Think what you like about the looks (first impressions usually begin with "what the..."), but underneath the 'half-SUV, half-fastback' shape is a package that offers 7 Series equalling space at a much lower price. You can specify either a normal back bench or, as was the case in our test car, two fully adjustable rear chairs. The latter makes more sense in this application. Whatever you choose, the rear bulkhead separating the boot from the passenger space folds flat at the press of a button, making this as practical as a giant hatchback should be.

Up front the cabin previews the next 5 Series (due next year) and is remarkably similar in style and quality to the Seven. In the GT it's angled upwards slightly to aid the feeling of the higher driving position, called 'semi-command' by BMW. Unsurprisingly, the quality is flawless across every surface and the ambience top-notch - especially at night, when certain surfaces are illuminated with a lovely warm orange glow.

It was out of a sense of deviant curiosity rather than journalistic integrity that we chose to take a 550i for a week when it will be a very small seller indeed (though in our defence, we've recently driven the 530d GT and 535i GT, so this completes the range). The 550i is powered by a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine with 407bhp and 442lb.ft of torque - the latter produced at just 1,750rpm, which despite battling with 2,135kg of hatchback manages to post a 5.5-second sprint to 62mph. Wherever you happen to find yourself in the rev range, the 550i just goes and goes, all the while emitting a muted V8 thrum. Devastatingly quick, incongruously serene.

The engine is linked to BMW's new eight-speed automatic transmission. Does it need that many cogs? Probably not, but it's done for economy's sake, in which case we dread to think how a five-, six- or seven-speeder would manage given that our economy never went close to touching the twenties. Regardless, it's still a highly accomplished gearbox, albeit one that's better suited to a good workout than a lazy stroll. Floor the throttle and the eight ratios work together with sharp harmony; in full auto mode it's brilliant at deciding the best gear and switching to it instantly. However, at town speeds, especially shifting downwards, it can be slightly jerky, making you all-too-aware that there's a lot of changing happening.

While the 550i GT offers crushing pace, it's still set up like the rest of the range - with comfort and calmness as its main goals. The suspension is active, switchable between Sport, Dynamic and normal. The floaty 'comfort' setting of the launch cars we drove recently has gone, which is no loss because in normal mode the car rides over all surfaces with enough dismissive, self-levelling composure to satisfy even the pickiest businessman, minor celebrity or hen partygoer. It's one of the best-riding cars BMW has made, and mostly a match for the 7 Series.

That setup, combined with the GT's ship-like proportions and kerb weight, mean that even with its remarkable turn of speed, sharp steering and almighty brakes, it always feels like you're battling with the laws of physics. It grips as hard as any BMW, but it's far better on fast, sweeping roads that it is through tighter corners, in which the sheer scale of weight transfer can unsettle the chassis. Ultimately, it handles better than it should, but its pace is better enjoyed in straight line bursts.

There are two ways of looking at this particular GT - it's either an outrageously expensive 5 Series, or it's a very fast and well equipped BMW limo, and therefore reasonably priced. We settle in the latter of those camps in this one, but make your own mind up...

This 550i GT Executive is £53,490. A 750i is £65,885 and a 550i SE saloon is £45,960. So, the GT sits nicely in the middle of the normal 5 Series (which is soon to be replaced), and the maker's fully-fledged flagship. We've already mentioned that the space on offer is similar to the Seven's, and the GT's hatch makes it more practical. It of course doesn't have the prestige of the Seven (and that prestige will diminish further when the new and similarly faced Five appears next year), but it's loaded with kit. Our test car came with the eight-speed 'box and adaptive chassis as standard, as well as leather, iDrive, parking sensors, cruise control, and 19-inch rims to name but a few niceties.

And so to economy - are you kidding? Don't buy this car if you're in any way concerned with fuel economy. We collected our test car from Wick in Scotland and never averaged more than 15mpg on the way back - granted, mostly on B-roads. Still, throughout the week even its official combined consumption figure of 25.2mpg seemed wildly optimistic.

Having a GT 'at home' so close to driving it on foreign soil at launch hasn't diminished our slightly twisted love for the big, ugly GT - it's still spacious, comfortable and good to drive. However, its sheer size and awful turning circle make it infuriatingly challenging during day-to-day chores like manoeuvring in shopping centre multi-storey car parks - so you should think about that before committing to buy. It's hardly stealthy, but nobody will expect the 550i GT to be capable of the type of performance it is, which makes it an intriguing performance car for the well-heeled family man looking for an alternative to the usual SUV suspects.

Still, the 530d is the GT we have to recommend, obviously.



Car reviews | BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo | Week at the Wheel: BMW 550i Gran Turismo | by Car Enthusiast



M

Trust me , the car looks very bad in real life too. Its a disgrace to mother nature.