The new BMW 3-Series (F30) now gets the Gran Turismo treatment as we have seen on its elder sibling, the 5-Series Gran Turismo. The lift back styling according to the German automaker is a recipe to unite the sporty and dynamic genes of the sedan with the practicality and versatility of the Touring complemented by more space and good ride comfort. The new 3-Series Gran Turismo has increased in dimensions over the sedan version offering more cabin space as well as 520-litres of boot space.
Coming to the design, the 2013 BMW 3-Series Gran Turismo has slightly different styling elements over the sedan. Apart from the tall lift back rear end, the GT features a slightly tweaked front end with more prominent kidney grills and coupe style frameless window doors. The 3-Series GT offers a wide range of engine options including three petrol models – 320i with a 2.0-litre motor producing 184 PS, 328i with a 2.0-litre motor producing 245 PS and 335i with 3.0-litre turbo inline-six producing 306 PS.
The two 4-cylinder diesel variants include the 318d that produces 143 PS of power and the 320d producing 184 PS of power. All engines are coupled with a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard with an 8-speed automatic gearbox as an option. The 3-Series GT comes with a rear-wheel drive system, all-wheel drive models are likely to be introduced later. The 3-Series Gran Turismo will hit the US showrooms late in 2013, so we expect it to hit the Indian shores in 2014. BMW India will offer the 3-Series GT in 320d variant, mated to a 8-speed automatic gearbox.
