Pros: Utility, Interior, Drivetrain Performance, Handling

Cons: I-Drive, Suspension

Wagons have always impressed. The concept starts by taking a good sports sedan and grafting a cargo area and extra glass onto the rear end. The cargo area creates lots of extra utility and all the glass eliminates blind spots. Moreover, wagons have a stronger structure due to the addition of  a “d” pillar to support the roof at the rearmost part of the vehicle. A stouter build helps maintain structural rigidity, which translates to consistent handling. But you’ve got to have a good car to start with. There’s no question that the 3-Series BMW is a good car. But how does it work as a wagon? Pretty good.

A beautiful, well-made interior greets you. Our beige Dakota leather model looked and felt beautiful, though we question the wisdom of light colored interiors with their propensity to show dirt. With the inclusion of a satellite navigation system and premium sound system, our tester included the most annoying gadget in automobilia, the I-Drive. Far too many pulls, pushes and rotations of the controller are needed to perform basic functions.

The cargo area features a nice touch. Press the cargo button on the key fob and the hatch opens. Press it again and the cover snaps upward. Retrieve your items and pull the cover back down into position. Excellent.

On the road, the BMW wagon delivers sprite acceleration. Its more-powerful-for-’07 inline six-cylinder engine pushes the wagon smartly up to speed. The six-speed manual (automatic optional) transmission feels solid and snaps from gear to gear quickly. Steering responds quickly to driver command. The all-wheel-drive system functions well. Traction abounds and the car is very stable in turns. Push it too hard, and you get a nice, smooth predictable drift that subsides when you lift off the gas. Very nice. Suspension is mostly good, helping to keep the car composed and stable through hard corners. But the minute a bad road comes up (an all too common experience in our area), head for the hills. Preferably smooth hills. The wheel travel on the wagon is woefully inadequate and bottoms out far too regularly. Small bumps are felt as large jolts in the wagon. A bump encountered at the bottom of a hill sends the BMW into a belly-flop. In hard turns, even the smallest bump is felt with harshness. This is not typical 3-Series behavior. The coupe we had a couple months ago showed no such tendencies. It’s suspension was stiff, but compliant with none of the harshness typical in the wagon. What gives?

Could it be the all-wheel-drive? This is the first such vehicle from BMW we’ve driven. All other BMWs have great other-worldly suspension setups that maintain control and stability through the roughest conditions. While a great system that improves traction and stability markedly, all-wheel-drive does add considerable weight, electronic and mechanical complexity. It could be the engineers just didn’t get it right. Other all-wheel-drive vehicles we’ve tested showed no such traits, so all-wheel-drive isn’t the problem, it’s the system’s design.

We imagine with time, BMW will change the character of the belly-flopping 3-series sport wagons to something more refined and in line with other BMWs. For the time being, it’s a great car meant for a land where all the roads are smooth. See you in Utopia.