By
EWAN KENNEDY
26 June 2006
BMW's addition of a station wagon (‘Touring’ wagon in BMW speak)
adds another dimension to the popular 3 Series range. Aimed at the
person leading an active lifestyle, the Touring is a logical extension
to the sedan range that has been selling up a storm since the release of
the new four-door just over a year ago.
The rear-end styling of the Touring has a
real sporting flair with hints of a coupe-type slope and even cues to
the cute back end of the little BMW 1 Series hatch.
Though style has obviously taken a strong
place in the designers’ brief there's a good degree of practicality in
the Touring’s shape as well. The sloping tail may hinder the carrying
of large boxes, but that’s not unusual in Euro wagons as they aren't
usually designed to act as small vans in the manner of the traditional
Aussie wagon.
But for those carrying multiple golf
bags, skis, long surfboards and similar lifestyle necessities the new
BMW wagon will prove just right. The rear-seat backrest can be folded
virtually flat and the 60/40 split allows you to carry as many as four
people and still have the ability to transport long items.
Though more spacious than before, the
rear seat is still slightly cramped for legroom if large adults are
travelling together. Try it for yourself and see how the compromises
meet your needs.
For the first time the 3 Series wagon
comes with opening rear glass as well as the usual as well as the normal
top-hinged tailgate. This is an excellent feature and makes it
simplicity itself to load shopping in tight carparks and the like.
Tie down points and a two-position cover
further improve the practicality and safety of this wagon. Additional
nets and stowage compartments are on offer as options. Talk to your
local BMW dealer to see the multitude of options.
Naturally, the new BMW wagon comes with
the same high levels of luxury and sportiness as the sedan. Thus there
is leather trim; a quality stereo; automatic air conditioning and many
other items. As is the way with BMW, there are other options almost
without number. As we said a moment ago, talk to your dealer.
Above all this, it’s a driver’s car.
We were introduced to the new BMW Touring wagon in the wine-growing
region of South Australia, an area that also has plenty of ‘drivers’
roads that are a real pleasure to tour upon. The wagon really was in its
natural element and the superb chassis balance and ever-willing engine
brought a smile to our faces on more than one occasion.
Electronic driving aids are very much
part of the 3 Series package and look after you even if you have made a
silly mistake.
At this stage the BMW Touring wagon is
only offered with the sweet straight-six 2.5-litre powerplant that has
long been one of our favourite engines. A turbo-diesel is on the list of
future possibilities for the Touring as that engine has just become an
option on the 3 Series sedan range.
The BMW 3 Series Touring wagon is on sale
now and is priced at $68,900 with a manual gearbox and $71,500 with the
sequential Steptronic automatic transmission. Most buyers in this class
tend to lean towards the automatic, but may we suggest you at least give
the six-speed manual a try on your test drive? It really is a delight to
sit behind, with a beautiful change action and well-selected ratios.
Yet another new 3 Series model, this time
the BMW coupe, is sitting in the wings and is expected in Australia
within a matter of months. We will bring you a report when that happens.
