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Despite being unable to eat, talk or sleep more than a few hours at a time, I have found something more agonizing than an adult tonsillectomy the BMW 3-Series GT. Because we all know what a critical and commercial success the BMW 5-Series GT has been. At least Percocet can numb the pain of having sections of my throat burnt away by a cauterizing wand. Whoever buys this thing is doomed twice over by poor eyesight and awful judgement. Then again, maybe the reaction would have been better if it was badged as a Saab?
79 Comments on “BMW 3-Series GT: The Latest Retina Burning Niche Product From Germany...”
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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Hyundai-Elantra-GT-hatchback.jpg
The old Elantra GT was my first thought as well; I think the greenhouses are very similar.
Not sure why this design elicits such a negative response. It looks like a pretty straightforward translation of the 3-sedan to a HB body. For those of us who like hatchbacks, this seems fine and even kind of attractive.
What’s not clear from the photo is whether BMW jacked up the ride height like they did with the 5GT. I think that’s what makes the 5GT so ungainly — lots of bulk propped up like an elephant on tiptoes.
1988 Merkur Scorpio lives!
That’s the first thing that came to me once i saw that picture.
+1. I thought ‘Elantra GT’ as well.
agree
Very nice looking car.
Really? The back end is lacking in style and is amorphous.
It do look like Honda Crosstour, even when a Honda Crosstour pull up. (sorry, Katt Williams)
http://blog.caranddriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/2012-Honda-Crosstour-EX-L-r.jpg
Smells like “good idea/innovation” tank’s on fumes over there in Munich.
*I apologize if my comment offends anyone who has an emotional attachment to all things BMW, or anyone who finds this specific vehicle attractive, or even anyone else for whatever other reason offered/imagined, in advance.
I think you should get your eyes checked out
Then make that two of us. I think it’s a rather inoffensive looking car, dare I say rather handsome.
Of course that is not the point, and if this expanded greenhouse, upper structure and jacked-up ride severely diminish the performance, then it’s just fail all around.
+1
Agreed. And it probably has more interior space than X1 and X3. With 2.0lT, 30mpg and $35K price could be a winner but something tells me one of the three factors is not going to be present in reality.
I am off to Car and Driver to check out the details about the car.
It’s certainly a more cohesive design than the 5 series GT. Bigger wheels would help balance out the rear end but it still won’t win a any beauty contents. Either way I don’t see the point – why not just sell the wagon?
This makes way more sense than a 5 series hatchback/GT, but I would prefer a wagon as well. Trouble is “wagons” don’t sell as much here.
At least the body isn’t as thick as the 5GT (which looks way too bloated and droopy compared to the sedan).
I’d rather have a 3 wagon over the hatch, but I’ll gladly take whatever 5 door they send us.
This car doesn’t compare to that 9-3, which clearly recalls the classic 900 4-door hatch in many ways. It’s nice looking and proportional.
That mess up there is just awful, and harks back to… nothing in BMW’s history.
Harks back a bit to the BMW 2002 Touring, but looks more like a Saab to me.
I prefer proper wagons to hatches, but this doesn’t bother me. Nothing like as ugly as the 5GT.
It doesn’t look too bad. It actually looks heaps better than the 5GT. And if Saab was an inspiration, they certainly did the NG900 well there. I’d buy one.
That said, I’ve seen the 5GT in the flesh and it is doesn’t look like the coming of the anti-christ as the press would like you to think. But then again, from some time now, automotive press opinions almost equals BS to me.
OTOH, the Saab in the link…*sigh*. They did a great job when they modernized the 99-900 in ’94 and should have followed that route with PhoeniX. Although one of my coworkers just saw it and said “looks alright”
Yeah, 9-3, because everyone likes blacked out pillars that measure in feet in width. Chevy Runs Deep in that one.
+1
I’m a huge fan of liftbacks like the Saab 900 but the BMW styling language just doesn’t translate that well. It’s not ugly, but it could be a lot better…..
They were probably going for better functionality (like the Porsche panamera, which made a conscious effort to compromise aesthetics in exchange for good cargo room and rear seat headroom (according to legend the 6’4″ CEO of Porsche required that he could comfortably sit in the second row).
+1. The SAAB always worked as a liftback design. And as bizarre as the Panamera is, I would buy one.
I’m not against this car in theory, just execution. It just doesn’t work well with BMW design language. I’ve owned a few hatches and wagons, I’m a big fan of versatile cars. But it’s gotta look right..
My first thought was “Crosstour”…which, IMHO, was not particularly beautiful, but not nearly as bad as may folks thought. We must face the fact that there really are not very many vehicles out there that draw the eye in a pleasant manner. Many of the few that do…cost an arm and a leg.
I get it, I really do. Offer the sedan with a liftback so people who want some of the cargo carrying capabilities of the wagon will buy it. Especially in the US, so there is no wagon or hatchback stigma.
Except all the BMW GT-cars look wrong. BMW doesn’t do quirky very well, it’s a thought-out quirky, not a what the Hell quirky. Kind of like those school assemblies I remember where an adult would try to be act like a kid to show they are “with it”.
If this were a SAAB, no one would bat an eye. It would be applauded. But it’s a BMW and I like my BMW in sedan, coupe or wagon form. No mismatch please.
“Hey, I’m hip. I’m with it. Takka takka takka takka… takka – ahhh!”
Spot-on. This is the automotive equivalent of four Assistant Principals rapping about maintaining good attendance.
KILL IT WITH FIRE! Do they have Bangle back doing consulting or something?
This is the kind of car you would see in a documentary about road-going European salesmen.
“I think it hurts when I hit my finger with a hammer”
– “You should be sure. get a bigger hammer and come back to me with repeatable results”
What it really needs to sell here in ‘Merica is the euro spec 1.6 oil burner, rwd only, none of that stinking Xdrive, 6 speed stick, and maybe an estate version. Totally would sell out, you guys.
*gentle trolling*
Hey dude, Apple is totally suing your azz for using the word Retina.. And yeah my eyes burn..
It’s not quite my cup of tea, but that ain’t no Pontiac Aztek, either. A strong reaction isn’t warranted; it’s an obvious adaptation of the basic 3-series design, but with a hatch instead of a trunk. I presume that the Europeans will be more inclined to buy them.
Here are some other angles of it: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/03/bmw-3-series-gt-caught-uncovered-filming-commercial/
I actually like it (unlike the 5 series, that’s just way too fat).
I would buy it. I love hatchbacks.
Family sized rear wheel drive hatch — only a wagon would be better.
Speaking as a SAAB enthusiast, it would be awesome if it was badged as a SAAB.
What prevents you from replacing the roundel with the griffin?
I don’t mind it. I like the practicality of a hatch. Therefore, my thoughts are the same as Carguy’s…why not bring us the wagon?
The ghost of Rover called. They want the SD1 back, please.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Rover_sd1_club_day_gold_(5).jpg
Looks like someone took a crease machine to an old Elantra.
I’m a bimmer-phile and will openly admit to loving the X6 styling but this ain’t do’in it for me. Makes sense from a practicality standpoint though. Not gonna call it ugly, but won’t be buying one either.
I always struggle to understand the “Dear God! A car company did something different than they have in years prior!” reaction. Uh, yeah. Or we’d all still be driving Model A’s with airbags. Get over it. When you own the company, you get to make those decisions. Until then, either buy their product or don’t.
In the end, we will all vote with our wallets.
“Model A’s with airbags.”
If they build it, I will buy.
At least I wouldn’t crack my head on the roof while entering.
Isn’t it taller than the 3 series sedan and wagon? Yes, a bigger 3 series is just what we need…couldn’t they just make a normal 5 door variant? My relationship with BMW has become very love/hate in the last several years :-(
I would buy it for the practicality (now that the wagon is AT-only), but that doesn’t mean it looks good.
See? I saw that pic and thought, “Hey, that’s not bad.” Kind of reminds me of all the 70’s and 80’s European cars with that shape, like the 5-door Passat, Audi 100, the odd Simca, Renaults, etc. I think the proportions are a bit better than the A7, for example, and they kept a lot of glass in back rather than making some weird cut line for odd-shaped windows.
I’d choose this over a 3-series sedan, and the hatch would add points if I were cross-shopping the 3-series competition too. Maybe I’ll pick up a used one in a couple of years…
The above photo of the 3-series is somewhat reminiscent of the five-door Mazda 6 and 626. http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/94/mazda6hatchback4.jpg/sr=1
It looks like the Rover SD1 and various GM X-Body products to me…
Every time I see a 5-series GT, which is not very often I think X-Car 5 door.
Great to see your posts again. Get well soon.
This is no Malibu Maxx
This is amazing
The 5 GT was a head of its time and also too big or something. No doubt BMW has a biz case for this and it CAN succeed
Plus it looks nice, and everybody likes it
Hate on.
Well, you know, at one time this design had its followers:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Chevrolet_Citation_II_rear.jpg
:-P
I really don’t object to the micro niches BMW aims to fill. Heck, isn’t that something enthusiasts should applaud? Is this any different than the many body styles offered (off the same platforms) back in the 1960s and 70s?
But it’s the just plain bad looks that I don’t get. I like the looks of the new 3, but this just changes it in only bad ways. Why does the C-pillar/3rd window look like that? It’s like the awkward X1, X3 and 5GT – they just don’t look good, and I don’t understand why.
It won’t sell much here, and mostly because of its looks. America doesn’t mind a hatch when it looks great, like an Audi A7.
Your comparison to the A7 is spot-on. I like four-door hatchbacks (oh, pardon me, FIVE-doors as they’re called today). But the offerings from BMW and Honda are just bad.
BMW should know that cars like that sell less in America than wagons do. And I’d be afraid to sell it in the UK if I were them because it might be confused for a reincarnated British Leyland product…
It is a hatch, right? Because I love hatches. But at the same time, I’m reminded of the Marshall Ericson character on How I met your Mother when he imagines himself being killed by a grizzly and screams “Not like this! Not like this!”
“Retina burning?” Not quite. It’s hardly an ugly car. I’m generally not a fan of five-door hatchbacks( the only current one I like is the Ford Focus), but this BMW isn’t a bad-looking car.
Audi makes a better looking fast back but the styling does not offend me the way it does others. Perhaps because I prefer 2 boxes to 3? I like that it has 4 doors and a trunk opening that takes more than a briefcase.
Sad thing is….This thing will sell or I should say lease in droves in the NY area just cause of the badge. It’s pretty ugly from the 1 picture shown.
What I really want is the 1 series hatchback they sell in Europe. Saw a bunch of them over there and liked it a lot. But there is little hope of that happening.
Give me a saloon or an estate (wagon). This design gives you non of the style of the former and non of the function of the latter.
Let me get this straight: people who wouldn’t be caught dead in a wagon would rather have a hatchback version of their most favorite status-mobile? Didn’t BMW already try this with the 318Ti? That really didn’t go well with the Peoria crowd, either.
In this case, go wagon or go home. Everyone else will keep ogling at that other automotive abortion, the X6. At least it’s outrageous in a way that illicits wonder, amazement and, dare I say, envy.
I thought the 318 looked nice.
The 318Ti also suffered from being noticeably shorter and aggressively more hatchback’d than the regular E36 sedan and coupe (being three doors probably didn’t help either). This doesn’t look so poverty-spec compared to the regular sedan (especially in the age of the four-door coupe).
318ti was the ugliest car in the history of BMW. I still cringe when I see one. There is nothing wrong with hatchbacks. However, the issue is that a hatchback normally is not designed by starting with a sedan, and then chopping off the trunk, but that’s what BMW did with the 318ti.
Am I the only one who thinks it looks sort of like an old Ford Escort?
“There you go again”. I’m channeling Ronald Reagan.
Anyway, I think it looks pretty cool. And if they don’t price it stupid, a far better seller than the 5.
I like this car, but I like hatchbacks better than all other body styles, generally speaking. It does, as others have pointed out, bear a resemblance to the 2001-06 Elantra hatchback (the car I drove before my current 2010 Golf).
To those expressing hatred of this car, it’s not your retinas that are offended, it’s your pretentious idea of what you believe a BMW should look like. The company does offer a visually appalling hatchback – the X6 – but its ridiculously expensive price tag gives it the veneer of exclusivity. This is a great looking car – go check the slew of photos on Autoblog.
On paper, this seems like basically the same thing as the Audi A5 Sportback. But to my eye, the A5 Sportback looks fantastic. This… doesn’t.
Does the 5-series GT sold all that well, that warrants this 3-series GT? I was under the impression that they don’t sell well at all. But it certainly does not makes sense, if the 5-series GT was a sales failure that they would go ahead with this.
Looks inexpensive, not sure if that was their intent. That tiny tailpipe made me think econobox with a wanna be cool satellite fin..the dorkiest accoutrement to ever adorn any vehicle but mostly Teutonic sourced. It might be so cheap? As to finally get a grip on German car autodepreciation.
If the 5 Series GT weighs 5000lb, maybe they can get this under 4.
BMW styling went off the rails years ago. That’s why mine are of older vintage.
1. More cargo space than the wagon, and more importantly to me, a longer cargo bay when seats folded. Better for dog/bike/ski hauling.
2. No upright rear end. Our winter roads are filthy, and anything with a vertical rear window quickly becomes the same.
3. Ability to install rear rack cross bar only, and fork-mount bikes to it, with the rear tires simply and efficiently snugged down onto rear window. I’ve probably logged over 20,000 miles in this manner. Nice to have nothing above the sunroof!
4. Please, please, please, the availability of the 6M transmission — which will NOT be coming on the wagon.
5. Reminds me of my 1982 Saab 900. My first new car! If the luggage compartment is 6 feet long with seats folded like the old 900s, I’m likely sold.
I don’t think it’s bad. What makes the 5GT ugly is that it has a huge rump and the back end looks raised. The 3GT doesn’t have the same appearance. I’ll withhold my judgment until I see one in person.
Looks awkward, in 20 years the buyer would say “what was I thinking?”
Another good thing about this car is the trunk isolation. Basically all the advantages of a sedan in a hatchback format. Unfortunately, rear visibility is going to be rather poor, but I expect a camera standard.
I am surprised with all the negative comments. But then again, hatchbacks are not popular in the USA. In the USA, form usually wins over substance, so everyone drives a sedan even though you can’t fit a decent sized cooler in the trunk of a full sized sedans such as Chrysler 300C. On the other hand, in Europe a midsized hatchback is a normal occurrence (just check out Citroen XM and its successors).
This car is something that I might be interested in. It looks good and clean IMO, much better than BMW’s wagons (I hate BMW’s vision of what a cool looking wagon, where the roof slowly slopes downward in the rear of car). In fact, this looks better than all Saab 9-3s I have seen. The utility is certainly also there. I like be able to transport all sorts of stuff in my car, from coolers and furniture pieces to camping and ski equipment, etc, and this one would work perfectly. There is no need to have a truck or SUV for that. I am looking forward to test drive the 320 or 328 version.
I’m in the USA and have had five hatchbacks over the years. I’m not opposed to hatch—just ugly.
This rates as a Crosstour with me as hideous under the pretense of utilitarian.
You will probably like it better than the wagon, though, Jacob. And it should hold more because I think it is 5 inches longer and 3 inches taller.
Since we’re talking about style.
http://jalopnik.com/5814510/the-most-majestic-french-failure-ever/gallery/1?tag=maserati-quattroporte
THIS IS STYLE!
Do this, more!
Not bad looking to me, but just not right for a Beemer. They should just go for a wagon and leave the 5-doors to the Japanese and Koreans. And maybe Dodge could bring back the Lancer:
http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?SaleCode=DS10&CarID=r046&fc=0
Looks like they took a 3-series and welded an industrial washing mashine to the back. And may they burn in hell for using the “GT” moniker on that monstrosity.
It’s lame to show a stripped version of this car that will never come to the US in this form just to bash it. For your tonsillectomy pain you have my sympathy though …
Try to give it a more objective look and you may realize that the design works quite well (considering the enormous space gain).
Link with a comparison with the 3 series sedan and touring:
http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=800772