The 3 Series is BMW’s bread and butter. The brand basically revolves around the reputation that the 3er created. Though the 3 Series has changed quite a bit over the years, it still remained a luxurious, sport-sedan built to make driving fun. Since its inception, the 3 has been a sedan, coupe and wagon. Now the 4 Series takes over the coupe body style.
Recently, though, BMW decided to add yet another flavor to the 3 Series spectrum; a GT.
The 3 Series GT has somewhat of a conundrum. See, the 5 Series GT probably sells well because many people want the 5 Series just with more space, and don’t want the X5. So it does fill a gap. The 3 GT, on the other hand, is trying to fill a gap which has already been filled by the 3 Series Wagon. The 3 Series wagon has just as much cargo space, but arguably looks better. So what kind of customer would buy the GT over the wagon?
Edgy people, or at least wanna-be edgy people.
People in the US don’t like wagons. It’s a fact that boggles the minds of car enthusiasts, nationwide. Wagons sell like crazy in Europe, as they should. They offer more space than a sedan, but are easier to drive and less thirsty and expensive than an SUV. But, in the good ole US of A, no one likes them. So people who want the cargo space of a wagon, but not the looks, buy the GT.
Some people like the looks and think that the GT is edgier and different from the standard 3 Series or 3 Series Wagon. Admittedly, the 3 GT is better looking than its 5 Series cousin. It seems to wear that odd shape a bit better and it shares more of the 3 Series design language than that of the 5 and 5 GT. It looks more like a car with a funky trunk than a bulbous, ungainly hunchback that is the 5 Series GT. So the appeal is far stronger with the 3 GT than the 5 GT.
So, despite the fact that the 3 Series wagon is a slam-dunk combination of looks, practicality and performance, people still don’t want a wagon. So the GT fills that small niche between the 3 Series and X3 who want the best of both worlds without having a wagon.
