I used the extra load space in my E61 for first time in 6 months today.

This got me thinking, I have an E91 and E61, but I probably never really use the extra load space, even though I have young kids and their stuff.

Does anyone actually use this extra load space all the time / regularly, if so what for ?

I prefer the look of ?touring? over sedan?s, which is why I buy them, but with the complex suspension on E61 I am thinking maybe a sedan next time.

I do notice on trips to Germany there appears to be a larger preference for ?touring? versions from BMW, Audi and other manufacturers.

It's a good question!

Up here in the Cold North people like to be "practical", (an important feature in an egalitarian society) so many buy a wagon for that reason only. But with two kids and a house with a fairly big garden I end up transporting all kinds of stuff quite regularily and would cope without the extra space.

The reason for going from E91 to E61 was that we could have a tram and luggage at the same time, plus that the whole family is rather tall, making interior space important. As we don't need the tram anymore, there is more or less space enough in an E91 for the family to survive. But I prefer the design of the E61 to the E91, plus that the E61 is so much more comfortable than the E91. It's just hard to step "down" to a 3-series again - despite it being a more entertaining car to drive.

However, sometimes the car (like going to work today) is used to carry empty air from one place to another, but on other days like yesterday I filled it completely as we have started to clear the garden. Would be perfect to have, say a 118d for commuting, and then the E61 for longer trips and when I need to transport stuff.

We really need the extra space... Basically for the baby carriage/trolley/pram.... or whatever you call this thing :)
Our little one is less than a year old, så we're gonna need this space for a another couple of years.
And i think the wagon looks better!

Hear, hear! +1

Well,first of all, since I have my licence, I had only wagons.
This time I wanted to order the limo, but it was to late for the production line of e60... :bash:

I am a drummer,so everytime I have a gig, I have to transport the drums with my car.You have to imagine, the whole space is needed to load the drums, even with the rear seats folded down it's very tight, there's not enough space to transport one more guitar.With e90 it wouldn't be possible.

Then of course our restaurant, everytime I have to buy things like cheese or flour, it would be a mess to load it into an e60 trunk.the trunk line is to high to lift a flour-sack(25-30kg) into the trunk.And of course you can't load this high amount into an e60 trunk.

I'm sure that I used the extra load quite a few times and it's very useful for myself.

Oh , and not to mention the various times that we went to my hometown on sardinia. We came back fully packed plus roof carrier. YOu had to see it, like a bunch of gypsies :lol: :lol:

Can't say that I use it often but, like others on here, I prefer the look. There are occasions when I need to put my mountan bike in the back - couldn't do that with an E60.

If I do use it for luggage, it tends to be for trips when I don't have to stop for lunch/overnight. Unfortunately, you can't leave anything on show here in the UK when parked up or some scrote will nick it. As such, I tend to travel with the car loaded to the cover and then, if necessary, use our roofbox.

Kind of defeats the object of having that space, but ultimately is more secure.

Absolutely! All of my BMW vehicles have been Touring models for this reason: extra space and load capability.

We move stuff from our house to our summer cottage and back every year (90km from home), and this requires a Touring. I also move firewood in the car, as well lots of other large items.

Last summer, we went on a four week, 4500km road trip from Finland to Italy. The Touring is a perfect car for a massive trip like that.

dogs...3 of them, and of course dog food... :whistle: but yes, I also really like the look, especially when there are so few around. When we were looking last month, there were only two CPO available in Canada, and only four to chose from other non-bmw dealers in my region!... DId I say dogs? :blink:

george

I don't really need the extra space, but thinks the Touring looks so much better than the Sedan. Same thing with my E91. Maybe it's a Scandinavian thing, wagons in general are extremely popular up here - don't know why really.....

As I have mixed feelings about the F10/11 I'm seriously considering the E92 LCI as my next BMW, would be nice with a Coupé for a change..... :smile: :cool:

Looks like I'm a little against the grain on this one ;P

2 cars ago I ditched my Audi A8 4,2 to get an S6 Avant dog hauler, 2 years later I got the E61 for the same reason. Now however I find the dog riding in the car 1-2 short trips/week max, and still she can't sit upright so for the upcoming change of ride I'll go back to a sedan and have the dag in a safety belt in the rear seat just as I had in the A8. Sure the extra space has been great for hauling IKEA crap 1-2 times/yr, and the E61 exterior is a million times nicer than the competition but even with mods a wagon is still too much of a soccer mom car for me.

But toss me a M5 or E63 touring and I might change my mind.... :whistle: