The BMW 3 Gran Turismo is a D-class rear-wheel-drive liftback whose world premiere took place at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2013 of that year. The liftback became the third body type in the BMW 3 Series family and combines the dynamism and sportiness of a sedan with the superior versatility of a Touring car. All these advantages are combined with a tangible increase in capacity and comfort.
Design
The appearance of the new items is simply amazing. Of course, in many ways, the BMW GT 3 repeats the contours of its brothers in the series, but the car has not lost its zest. As before, the exterior was created under the leadership of the leading designer Karim Habib, who replaced Anders Warming in 2011. In the car, specific slots on the front wings, embossed depressions on the sides, an aggressive front with the usual radiator grill and large lamps, air-vents located near the wheel arches, a sloping roof and much more that so attracts attention to the BMW 3 GT stand out clearly. Ground clearance has also been increased compared to the wagon and sedan, and now is 165 mm. However, there are enough empty words, because the photos will show you much more.
Dimensions
The massive BMW 3 GT hatchback, which is even larger than the station wagons of the same series, received significantly increased dimensions, which automatically makes the car one of the largest in the class of its brothers. Of course, the filling of the car, equipped with everything that any driver can wish, is not far behind, but more on that later. The BMW GT 3 sports hatchback was assembled on the same base as other cars of the third series, however, as mentioned earlier, our hero has become much larger. So, let's move on to specific numbers: the length of the BMW 3-Series Gran Turismo is 4824 mm, which exceeds the performance of both the sedan and the station wagon; its width is 1828 mm; finally, the height of the car is 1510 mm. It is worth noting that the latter can be reduced to 1489 mm in the case of installing a sports suspension. The wheelbase also became larger, which in the BMW GT 3 Series was 2920 mm.
Interior
The interior of the new BMW Gran Turismo is also quite similar to the rest of the "troika". The cardinal differences are in the increased interior space, where engineers have provided for the rear passengers an additional 7 centimeters. Boarding the passengers slightly increased by 6 cm. Now, owners of the BMW 3 GT can look down on everyone around them! Of course, the increase in size allowed to increase the luggage compartment, which in its usual form is ready to fit 520 liters of cargo, having several additional compartments for small items under the floor. If the rear row of seats is fully folded, the boot volume will increase to an insane 1600 liters. This factor makes our hero a wonderful car for long trips with his family.
Ergonomics are verified quite well in this car, because all the controls are convenient and intuitive to use. Perhaps, at first, some confusion is caused by confusing menu navigation in the iDrive system, but over time you get used to it. In general, everything looks beautiful, expensive and spectacular.
Optional kit
The options portfolio in the car is unusually wide. It includes everything that a modern driver needs: an on-board computer with a self-diagnosis system, as well as calculation of service intervals, an air conditioner that includes a microfilter and a recirculation function, a BMW Professional radio with a 6.5 '' monitor with a resolution of 800x400 pixels and an AUX- connector In, tilt and reach steering wheel adjustment, heated seats, automatic tailgate control, 'Move' textile upholstery, Start / Stop button to turn the engine on / off and much more. Of course, all the details are made in the highest "German" quality: nothing "slows down", does not rustle and does not crack, as in any budget Chinese car.
Engine
Now we will tell you what the BMW 3 GT specifications are. The range of engines for the new items is quite impressive: 3 gasoline and 2 diesel units, which have long been used on other cars of the third series. Now we will describe them in more detail.
The true flagship in the range of gasoline engines is a 6-cylinder turbocharged engine with a displacement of 3.0 liters, having 306 "horses". He is able to develop 400 Nm of torque, which makes it almost a full-fledged sports car for beginners. Next up are two 4-cylinder engines with a volume of 2.0 liters, the first of which develops 245 liters. from. + 350 Nm of torque, and the other - 184 “horses” and 270 Nm. Don’t say, but here everyone will find for themselves that which is closer.
Diesel engines have 4 cylinders and are also equipped with turbines. For each, the working volume is 2.0 liters, however, the degree of forcing differs somewhat in them. So, a simpler engine can develop 143 horsepower, having a peak torque of 320 Nm. The second is able to squeeze 184 liters. from. and 380 Nm of torque.
Gearbox
As for the gearbox, in the basic configurations all versions of the BMW 3-Series Gran Turismo cars are aggregated by a 6-speed "mechanics". The only exception is the top model, which will be equipped with a pre-installed 8-band automatic transmission brand ZF. Of course, you will be kindly installed the exact same machine as an additional option for other versions. As an addition, you can also buy a car with proprietary technology for the BMW 3 GT xDrive (four-wheel drive transmission).
Finally, we mention the speed qualities of our Gran Turismo hatchback. The best 306-horsepower gasoline engine can accelerate the BMW GT 3 to “hundreds” in 5.7 seconds, and the youngest, 184-horsepower, in 7.9 seconds. If we talk about modified versions equipped with a sports suspension, then their indicator will stop at around 5.4 seconds. In general, a ride with a breeze on a good road will work out for sure. Fuel consumption will not upset you either: the top engine in the mixed form “eats” 8.1 liters, the youngest - 4.7 liters.
Controllability
Perhaps you can already guess that the Gran Turismo suspension coincides with the station wagon and sedan of the 3rd series. This means that McPherson racks are used in front, and a multi-link system is equipped at the rear, which received slightly changed settings. It is possible to equip the car with an additional option in the form of an adaptive sports suspension M-Sport, designed specifically for the BMW 3 GT. The ground clearance in this version was somewhat underestimated, and shock absorber-controlled electronics as well as a steering gear with a variable gear ratio are provided as additional options. The suspension itself is simply beautiful: small bumps in the car pass unnoticed, and larger pits leave only an elusive push in the passenger compartment. The car answers all steering commands clearly and sharply. Corner rolls are not critical, even at fairly high speeds.
A significant contribution to the modernization of management was the active spoiler located at the rear of the GT, which automatically opens at a speed of 110 km / h, and folds at 70 km / h. In addition to all of the above, engineers provided all kinds of electronic assistant systems: “Start-Stop”, braking energy regeneration, tracking blind spots, lane control, automatic braking in case of dangerous proximity, adaptive cruise control.
Finally
In general, the car turned out to be very comfortable, with a spacious interior, impressive dynamics, a rich optional filling and excellent handling. Of course, such a machine cannot have a low price. So, the cost of a BMW 3 GT, the reviews of the owners of which you can see on a variety of forums devoted to the cars of this company, starts from the mark of 1,535,000 rubles (with a 2-liter 184-horsepower engine). For the top version will have to pay 2 million rubles.