BMW PAS launched as 5 GT

BMW has unveiled its long-awaited Progressive Activity Sedan (PAS). Ahead of its Geneva Show reveal next month, BMW's Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo puts a name and a new face to the car some pundits originally called a 'peoplemover'.

With seating for just four, but a footprint and scale that dwarfs the 5 Series Sedan, the Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo has anything but peoplemover proportions. Indeed, the show car looks more like a flattened X6 or scaled up four-door fastback version of a 3 Series coupe. The coupe feel is enhanced by features like frameless door glass and the plunging rear roofline.

BMW itself describes the car as "a new look at sporting luxury mobility".

"The fastback styling is reminiscent of the new BMW X6, while the front end carries overtones of the E60 5 Series family... All four doors feature frameless windows, enhancing the sleek feel of a coupé, while the large panorama roof was previously reserved for the BMW X Series and 5 Series Touring," it says.

BMW is promising "true BMW driving dynamics" and has labeled the car "unique". It says its design has been driven from the inside out by customers.

The dash is more driver-oriented than recent BMWs while the driver and front passenger H-point (the height at which the driver and passenger are seated) is described as a "semi-command" position by outgoing BMW Design Director, Chris Bangle, who officially unveiled the car at a small press conference in Germany on the weekend (the webcast for the conference can be viewed here). 

Bangle says the seat height is between X5 and 5 Series.

The interior is a new design for BMW but features aspects of the latest 7 Series cabin. It is 'softer' than previous 5 Series BMWs and features door and cabin-side elements that flow uninterrupted (by the B-pillar) from the dash to the front doors and into the rear.

BMW claims rear legroom is comparable with the new 7 Series while, despite the coupe roofline, rear headroom is better than the X5. The rear seats (two divided by a full length centre console in the concept car) can be reclined and slid fore and aft. They fold to create in-cabin luggage space.

It's around this point that the Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo departs further from the conventional. The rear seatbacks themselves do not separate cabin and luggage space -- as is the case with a conventional wagon or hatchback. Rather, behind the rear seats there's an addition folding bulkhead that once opened delivers a combined luggage capacity that approaches a 5 Series Touring.

Taking a leaf out of Skoda's book, the Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo also features a two-stage tailgate. The first stage approximates a sedan's boot opening, while the full hatch can be opened to stow bigger loads.

It's always tough to judge the true look and feel of a conventional vehicle without seeing it in the flesh -- with a mold-breaker like the PAS, it's even harder. Thus we'll reserve our judgement until we see the car in the metal when the Geneva show kicks off on March 3.

That said, there's little doubt the lines and stance of the car are true to BMW's recent DNA. There's a hint of the new Concept X1 and Concept CS at the pointy end, and the rear's high integrated spoiler and wheel arch flares deliver a muscular punctuation to the car.

Though labeled a concept, there's little aside from colours (inside and out) and those fulsome 21-inch wheels that will give the production engineers any significant challenges. With that in mind, it's possible the production version will launch at the Frankfurt motor show later this year.