BMW brought a pre-production 5 Series Gran Turismo to the annual International Motor Press Association (IMPA) event at the Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, some days before its official Frankfurt debut this week.
 
The 5 GT is an odd creature: neither a sedan nor a wagon and too wide and long to visually register as a hatchback. But call it a hatchback anyway. Porsche gets away with that classification for the Panamera, right? It joins a new emerging vehicle breed to soon be joined by the Acura ZDX and Honda Crosstour.
 
BMW says the 5 GT shares most of its essentials with the 7 Series. Given the width of the car and the nearly identical dash layout, that seems credible. BMW folks also whisper that the GT also hints at the look of the next 5 Series, due here around the summer of 2010, but the 5 sedan will have a smaller footprint.
 
The idea behind the 5 GT is to combine first-class luxury with a high level of functionality. For instance, you can discretely open just the bottom half of the two-piece rear hatch, or lift the whole gate, as in a traditional hatchback. The base model will seat five; more luxurious versions will seat only four. The base engine for the United States is likely to be the 300-hp twin-turbo in-line six cylinder. Although the 5 GT is rear-drive only, it will be priced roughly on par with the X6. Figure at least $60,000 to start.

The 5 GT goes on sale in December 2009. 

—Gabe Shenhar