BMW 3GT - The Baby Grand Tourer
Cars from around the world focus on different aspects which sculpts their identity, like the Japanese and Korean cars are known for their pocket friendly vehicles, Italian cars focus on high performance engines with very quirky design, American cars focus on muscular and oversized cars and the German cars are known for their luxury with great built & high performance. Bayerische Motoren Werke or BMW for short has a long history of producing the world's finest mean machines that checks all the parameters of any car buyer, be it a sedan, SUV, sports sedan, coupe or convertible, all have always shocked the market. BMW goes on a hand to hand combat with other German brands like Mercedes and Audi around the world. India, specifically being a price sensitive market, BMW focuses a lot on the 3 series and 5 series sedan along with the X1 SUV. Few years ago, BMW launched its 3GT in India which bridged a gap between the 3 series and 5 series sedan, this coupe designed sedan was unique and none of the competitors offered anything similar. Yes, BMW also has the 4 series coupe now to bridge the gap between 3 series and 5 series but we have to admit that its fate was doomed even before going on sale in India as no one here wants a 2-door sloping roof car to fit a family of 4 or 5. The 3GT was available in only one trim - Luxury, with both petrol and diesel options this 3GT was priced around ₹47.70lakhs for the diesel and ₹50.70lakhs for the petrol option ex-showroom Delhi. It received immediate attention and massive following but its pride was short lived, soon the company had to discontinue the car. Why was the 3GT special and why did BMW decided to discontinue the same? Let us dig deep into the aspects and find out.
Engine and Engineering
One of each Petrol and Diesel variant was available for the 3GT. The 2L diesel engine produced 184bhp and a whopping 400nm of torque. The Petrol engine on the other hand was a 2L Turbocharged engine producing 252bhp and 350nm of torque. Mileage of this beast was not that bad, the petrol engine gave a city mileage of 14km/l and 16km/l for highway, whereas the diesel engines gave a city mileage of 19km/l and 21km/l for highway. Surprisingly, the single-clutch 8-speed S-Tronic sport gearbox was amazingly smooth. 4 drive modes - Eco Pro for best mileage, Comfort for those stressful city drives, Sport to unlock the engine's capabilities and Sport+ for all those Daredevils. The biggest highlight over here for the 3GT was a manual handbrake to glide on the roads with this Grand Touring car.
Design
The design of the BMW 3GT was what made it stand out from the crowd, its coupe style sloping roofline, wider stance and a bulky appearance gave it sporty fastback look. 4.82m long, 1.83m wide and a height of 1.5m made the 3GT longer, wider and higher than the 3 series sedan. The BMW 3GT had a ground clearance of 162mm which was 25mm more than the 3 series sedan, this made us believe that the 3GT is more comfortable under potholes and speed breakers but don't get too excited as BMW parts and maintenance in India are still expensive. 6 color choices to choose from - Alpine White, Imperial Blue Brilliant Effect, Black Sapphire Metallic, Jatoba Metallic, Arctic Grey Brilliant Effect Metallic and Estoril Blue Metallic, choosing a color of the car is purely subjective but the 3GT looked amazing in Estoril Blue Metallic and Imperial Blue Brilliant Effect. The GT also had BMW's signature elements like Gloss Black Kidney Grille, Twin-Ring LED Headlights, Chrome Line surrounding door windows, "330i" badging on the petrol variant where the diesel variant only got "GT" badging, 18-inch allow wheels with the multi-spoke design. As an extra, the GT got a Body Integrated Hidden Spoiler which came out when the car exceeded the speed limit of 100km/h.
Where the 3GT's exterior was completely on a different tangent altogether, the interior did not entertain much changes, in fact the entire interior design was taken from the 3 series sedan. The cabin felt roomy thanks to increased dimensions, extra side bolstering on the front seats, good legroom and headroom at the rear as well in spite of a sloping roofline. The rear seats could fit 2 perfectly but not 3 as the elevated transmission channel came in the way. Dual tone color theme of Black and Beige with brushed silver accents and gloss black panel on the dashboard to increase luxury, the gloss black panel could also be replaced with optional wood finish. The 3GT also had frameless windows and use of soft touch materials that gave the car a next level of luxury and premium appeal. Not just comfort but the 3GT's focus was also on increasing the practicality of the car, lots of storage space with the door pockets, a 520L boot space which could be expanded up to 1600L if the rear seats are folded, the rear seat hand rest came with cup holders and some storage space as well. There were Aluminum Door Sill plate on each door but it would have been better if the Sill plates were illuminated like in the Mercedes.
Features
The list of Features for the BMW 3GT had tech and gadgets that are standard in all entry level BMW cars like the Ambient Lighting, 9-Speaker Sound System, Wireless Charging and a Navigation System with 3D maps and GPS. Some of the newer updates included LED Headlights instead of Xenon, Panoramic Sunroof and BMW connected apps. BMW also introduced the Run-Flat tyres in the 3GT and later in all of its entry level cars, with these tyres the car could travel up to 80kms with a max speed of 80km/h even if the tyres go flat. To identify these Run-Flat tyres, look for the abbreviation "RSC".
Driving and Performance
Talking about German cars, it's a universally accepted reality that you buy a BMW if you want pure driving pleasure and comfort, you buy a Mercedes if you just want luxury and pride, you buy an Audi if you are 60+ and boring, and you buy a Porsche if you can afford one 😝. Nowadays these brands are focusing to excel in every department but there is still a long way to go. If we are specifically talking about a BMW, then we have to shift the car in drive and mention how amazingly the car performed. The Comfort and Eco modes were really amazing on city roads, the suspension was great and so was the German built quality and insulation which eliminated entire road noise or even engine noise, although there was some road noise when switched to the Sports mode. To support the ease of driving, the Comfort and Eco modes had soft steering but in the Sports and Sports+ mode the steering got hard for better handling because you are driving at a speed of more than 100km/h under 6.3secs. There was absolutely no turbo lag or even any form of vibrations at high speed.
Safety
The 3GT had all types of safety parameters including Dynamic Stability and Traction Control, Cornering Brake Control, 6-Airbags, ISOFIX child seat mounts and Park Distance Control. The overall built quality and materials used were tough and rigid for the ultimate safety of passengers.
Conclusion
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Big Boot Space | Priced close to the 5 Series |
| Proper Touring car |
The BMW 3GT was one of the most unique offering which technically had no competition. Though only one variant was available it still managed to create a stir in the automotive market, its big boot, practicality, good engine and handling made the car perfect for family trips and even solo sporty drives. As all good things come to an end, the BMW 3GT was also discontinued, due to its price set between the 3 series and 5 series sedan it was affecting the sales of both. Yes, the 3GT had a short tenure but it managed to write a remarkable journey. Enthusiasts and admirers have a special connect with the car and that by far is the true measure of success.