BMW has unveiled its somewhat niche 3 Series GT ahead of its official debut at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.
The BMW 3 Series GT is seen as something of an amalgam of the firm’s existing saloon and Touring iterations of its 3 Series line-up. Those concerned that the 3 Series GT would end up looking like a micronized version of the ungainly 5 Series GT will be relieved to see that its smaller sibling is considerably more smooth-skinned and better proportioned.
Essentially, this model is 200 mm longer and 81 mm taller than the 3 Series Touring and rides on an extended version of that model’s platform. The upshot of such dimensional gains are an additional 70 mm of rear legroom and a boot capacity that extends from 520 dm3 (versus the saloon’s 328 dm3) to 1 600 dm3 with the rear seats folded. The large hatch enclosing this cavernous load space is capped with an active spoiler that deploys at 100 km/h.
The engine options comprise a quartet of 2,0-litre turbopetrols with outputs ranging from 105-180 kW and a turbocharged straight-six with 225 kW on tap, all of which can be coupled with a standard six-speed manual gearbox or an optional eight-speed auto transmission.
A choice of trim packages (Sport Line, Luxury Line and Modern Line) will be offered, along with an M Sport kit featuring model-specific trim, a body kit and 18-inch alloy wheels.
BMW SA has yet to officially give the 3 Series GT the green light for local consumption, but it’s likely to find its way here – possibly towards the final quarter of the year.