European rumor has BMW launching the new mid-size 3 hatch looking very much like a smaller 5-Series Gran Turismo.
The new model may be called the 3 GT, but no matter what it is called, the photos are all over the net before its official release. Two undisguised versions were seen in the US during a recent photo shoot for the car, and they will be making their official world debut probably at the Detroit Auto show in January, most likely as 2013 models.
From the spy shots, we can see that the 3-Series GT has the more pronounced grille, headlights that blend into the grille, accented intake surrounds and new mudguard vents, being design cues from the 3-Series.
new 3-Series GT.
It is believed that many of these elements will also be appearing on the forthcoming 4-Series Coupe and 4-Series Convertible. These were first previewed on BMW’s Active Tourer Concept at the 2012 Paris Auto Show.
Previous interior spy shots revealed that the cabin’s design will stick close to the 3-Series sedan’s interior. There should also be an updated navigation system, a revised menu for the iDrive interface and more voice-activated controls as part of BMW’s expanding ConnectedDrive technology portfolio.
The platform that the new 3-Series uses is slightly longer version of the platform underpinning the latest BMW 3-Series, which means it should be powered by the same choice of engines as well. This would mean the 180 kW/350 Nm 2.0 liter turbo four in a base 328i GT and a 225 kW/400 Nm 3.0 liter turbo straight-six in the 335i GT. It is postulated that an xDrive all-wheel-drive system will likely be an option.
