norsecarnut

Sorry but as much as I love wagons in general, the A6 is very boring. They are not so rare either. What's rare are manual transmission wagons like my 2008 Audi S4 Avant mt6 (a high revving V8 manual 6 spd growling beast of a wagon). Also fairly rare, my 08 E61 manual.

Wanna know what wagon is more rare than all of the above? 2008-09 SAAB 93 Aero Sportcombi, Turbo X 6 spd. That would be a wagon version of the Turbo X, an all wheel drive Turbo V6, load leveling rear suspension, full size spare, touch screen nav, all the basics for creature comforts inside, great suspension, brakes, etc. all upgraded to go with the "Turbo-X" model. Similar to what Audi does with the S models or BMW step up sport packages with brakes and suspension stuff. It was a very fun test drive car we almost bought new but then the V8 Audi just stole our hearts on the first drive.

I love my e61, love it, but would REALLY love a newer diesel version still made in Germany.

norsecarnut

maybe 5 touring coming back.

posted august 18

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/08/18/b...-u-s-v12-to-s/

xiTouring

That's exciting news!

I hope they decide soon otherwise I'm going to buy an E350 wagon.

norsecarnut

An amazing experience pulled from Winding Road regarding attempts to buy a wagon even when they ARE available! :

"CTR 4 months ago
I ordered a new BMW Sport Wagon last month from my local dealer. But the sale almost never happened. Attached is a copy of the letter I sent to the dealer sales manager following the sale;

Dear Sales Manager,

I am writing you this email to tell you the bizarre story of how your dealer came very close to not selling me my new 2011 BMW Sports Wagon. Also how if it had not been for Mr. X and Ms.Y my new car may have been an Audi or Acura instead of a BMW.

My family have purchased four cars from your dealership, three BMWs and one MINI. When I graduated as a poor engineer from university, my first car was a BMW 2002TI that drove in SCCA Solo and Autocross. I even owned a BMW R90S Daytona motorcycle.

Finally, for the past 11 years no wrench not held by a technician from your dealership has ever touched my 2000 BMW 328i. Sure I could have taken my car to get it serviced for less after the warranty expired. But it was the impeccable treatment my family received from Mr. X in your service that kept me coming back.

So when the time came to replace my old BMW, I should have been the easiest BMW sale your dealership had ever made. What happened?

Last fall while getting my car serviced I walked the showroom and while looking at the new models decided it was time to replace my 2000 BMW 3281 sedan. I even knew exactly what I wanted after seeing them on a trip to Germany, a 2011 BMW Sports Wagon with a 6 speed manual and a sports handling package. The same great driving experience as my sedan and more room to haul the dogs and race car parts. But when I spoke to a salesman I was told that BMW no longer imported the 3 or 5 Sports Wagon to the US. He then proceed to try to sell me an GT or X5. I advised the man I did not want an SUV or big tall cross over vehicle, I just wanted a sedan with extra cargo room. So I left disappointed and decided to keep my old car a little longer.

This past winter I attended your open house while running my Saturday errands (and to get my free hat). When I a salesman asked was I interested in a new car I told him I would really like a 2011 BMW Sports Wagon with a 6 speed manual and a sports handling package. This salesman proceeded to advise me that while BMW still imported the Sports Wagon to the US, a manual transmission or sports suspension was not available. He then proceed to try to sell me an X3 or X5. So again I left your BMW dealership disappointed and decided to start looking at other makes of station wagon.

I was getting ready to settle for less than what I really wanted and get an Audi Avant when Acura announced the arrival of their TSX station wagon. It came only with a automatic and without any sports suspension, but it was worth a look. However while checking out the TSX wagon on the internet I came across comparison reviews to the 328i Sports Wagon. In the Car & Driver and Autoweek articles they discussed how great the 328i Sports Wagon drove "when equipped with the 6 speed manual transmission and sports suspension". Logging on the BMW USA confirmed that I could order my Sports Wagon just like I wanted.

Out of respect for the more than 15 years of excellent treatment I received from your service department, I decided to give your one more chance to sell me a car. So two weeks ago I walked into your dealership and asked Mr. X which sales person should I buy my new car from, he said "Great 11 more years of servicing a car for you!". Then he took me over and introduced me to Ms.Y.

Without telling Ms. Y about any of my previous experiences with your dealers sales staff, I described how I wanted my Sports Wagon equipped. At that moment had I been told that the Sports Wagon could not be ordered with a 6 speed manual and a sports handling package, or if I had been steered to buy a different car, I would have walked out. And I would be buying my Sports Wagon from your competition.

But then to my pleasant surprise Ms. Y informed me she had another customer receiving a 2011 BMW Sports Wagon with a 6 speed manual and a sports handling package in two weeks, and when it arrived she would call me to come have a look at it prior to customer delivery. Ten days later Ms. Y called and informed me that the other customers car had arrived and that it would be parked in the showroom until he picked it up at noon the next day. That night after work I stopped by your dealership, checked out the Sports Wagon and confirmed that this was the car I wanted. The only questions remaining were what additional equipment and color selections. So that night I spent about 3 hours on the BMW USA site finalizing my car's specifications..

Now for the most bizarre part of this story. That evening while building my car on the BMW USA site, I must have accidentally picked an icon and sent a request for a dealer quote to your dealership's internet sales representative. So the day after I inspected a 2011 BMW Sports Wagon with a 6 speed manual and a sports handling package sitting in the center of your showroom, I receive an email from your dealership advising me that "The 2011 BMW Sports Wagon is no longer available in the USA. However your dealership would be willing to provide an excellent price on a X3 or X5".

Your dealership is very lucky to have Ms. Y and Mr. X on staff. They are likely the only reason I am still a customer.

My 2011 BMW Sports Wagon with a 6 speed manual and a sports handling package should be arriving in early June.

Take care,

CTR


This is one reason why BMW is not selling station wagons in the USA."

Stu3

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews...ive/index.html


BMW is among the growing number of automakers that thinks it's time to stop judging engines by how many cylinders they have. They're probably right - in terms of output, for sure: the best modern turbocharged engines can easily make more power than their predecessors with twice the cylinder count. More boost is more power -- that's the easy part.
The hard part is making the package work in terms of refinement. Downsizing from a V-8 to a straight-six, for example, is a painless exercise: in-line sixes are just as smooth as V-8s. But what about going from a straight-six, the holy grail of refinement, to a four-banger -- the roughest of the bunch?
BMW started that gamble last month when the company let us drive its Z4 sDrive28i -- the first North American application of the N20-series 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder. We came away mighty impressed but remained a little concerned that in less sporty, more luxurious applications like the 5-series, the N20 might be a little too rough. BMW officials assured us that the N20 would receive a revised NVH package in the 5-series, and as it turns out, they didn't lie.
We had an opportunity to slide behind the wheel of a 528i wagon equipped with the N20. In this application, the N20 is rated at 245 hp and 258 lb-ft. Bolted to an eight-speed automatic and thrown under the wagon's hood, the engine is powerful enough for a 6.3-second run to 62 mph, according to BMW. Top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. We'll let those numbers speak for themselves.
More important, like we mentioned above, is what the engine is like. The N20 is phenomenally quiet and refined at low rpm. The standard start/stop works so well, in combination with an engine that's so quiet and smooth (even in gear with the air conditioning engaged) that you sometimes need to look at the tachometer to see if it's running.
The 528i isn't all about isolation, either. Refinement is more the word, because once the revs start climbing, you can very clearly hear the engine. What you hear, though, is all sweetness and light until about 6000 rpm: up until that point, the sound is unmistakably four-cylinder, just with all the bad bits removed. It sounds throaty, purposeful, and completely and totally in line with what the buyer of a base-model BMW 5-series would expect.
Is the new, downsized, four-cylinder BMW 528i a home run? Almost -- let's call it a triple. Even though the turbo is responsive enough in normal driving that you don't even notice its existence (oh, but you do hear lots of delicious turbo sounds with the windows down) you can occasionally catch the entire powertrain sleeping. Cruising along, you tip into the throttle and the engine and transmission start to fight about whose turn it is to work. Eventually, they both do: you get a downshift and lots of power, but the wait is a good bit longer than you'd expect. That, combined with fairly conservative throttle mapping (in Comfort mode; it's better in Sport) means the 528i feels a tad lazy around town.
Of course, this is a small engine pushing around quite a large sedan. Or, in the case of our particular test car, a large, stunningly beautiful station wagon. Oh, how we hope BMW will bring the 5-series Touring back to the United States. It's even better looking than the sedan and provides tons of extra usability with absolutely zero drawbacks. And it's more than quick enough with the 2.0-liter, as will be the sedan.
Final EPA numbers aren't in, but BMW says to expect a significant improvement over the 528i's already stunning fuel economy numbers. (The 528i sedan with the normally aspirated 3.0-liter six already achieves 32 mpg on EPA highway testing.) Expect that number to improve slightly with more of a gain on the 22-mpg EPA city number.
With significantly more torque (over a far larger rev area) and no real loss of refinement in driveability, we're easily sold on the N20-powered F10 5-series. As long, that is, as a turbocharged inline six remains in the lineup. Why? Well, even though BMW could (and probably will) get more power out of the 2.0-liter, we'd miss the character of the straight six. Luckily for us, that's not going anywhere any time soon. Bravo.

norsecarnut

I would personally not buy the larger 5 series wagon with that 4 cylinder. I don't care how nice it might be in smaller/lighter cars, there is no way it will feel like at least having an overboosted inline 6. While a boosted 6 may put down numbers similar to a naturally aspirated v8, it's still not a comparison I put much weight in because the same v8, boosted by either turbos or supercharger, is another full level above the I6 or v6.

To me, the heft and size of the vehicle have a lot to do with keeping it feeling great with whatever engine is used.

So, sure my Dinan tuned e61 has higher torque numbers and potentially more HP than my Audi S4 Avant v8, but it still doesn't "feel" as strong, even though it probably is actually quicker. Put a supercharger on my Audi and it becomes a silly comparison. I specifically passed on a new A4 2.oT Avant because it felt so pokey and whiny straining to really GO. Same would be the case in a big F11 BMW with a little 4 cyl turbo unless they somehow also bring the displacement up.

Don't you think?

There must be a way to get higher mpg numbers without taking away the fun created by the displacement wars of the last several years. One is simply putting sweet diesel engines in place of gas guzzlers. I'd be perfectly happy with the torque and feel of the 35d in the F11 and it would probably easily get around 35 mpg US, for real, calculated mileage. If the larger mass and less aero x535d can get 27-30mpg and the 335d easily gets 40 mpg, I think that's a safe assumption.

I would love it. The lighter 328it could get away with a turbo 4 though, and compared to the na i6, may even be faster. Too bad bmw doesn't play with the ideal 5 cylinder ideas. Audi is getting quite the numbers out of the 5 cyl going into the new TTRS. I'm not hot on that particular car, but the engine is highly efficient while also being fast.

Stu3

At this point I wold happy with just about any engine as long as those chuckle-heads at BMW USA offer the 5 to the US market.

V70Cat

Is BMW selling the new 5 wagon in the USA?

norsecarnut

Dumb question

forceten

I wanted a 5 series sport wagon with manual transmission and xDrive. But of course, the F11 never made it here. After agonizing I "settled" for a 3 series (328) xDrive Wagon with manual transmission. I LOVE the car! But I wish it were a tad roomier hence my desire for the 5 series.

I'm assuming even if they acknowledge the mistake (and I know the President did) and reverse course I'll bet they won't offer the xDrive in stick here, or won't offer the 6 cylinder model or something.

The travesty that is the 5 series xDrive sedan not offering stick will surely be repeated. This is a company moving away from its roots.

Americans may not buy TONS of wagons but now that I have one I see them everywhere. BMW, Merc, Volvo, Subaru, even VW. I'm in Northern NJ. There are plenty of wagons on the road. Nobody markets wagons well either. The 3 Series Wagon HAS MORE CARGO SPACE than the X3! I'm sure the same is true for the 5 wagon and X5. It handles better, it's lower, it's sportier, it's a BMW car with room like an SUV.

Market it better and it will sell especially as fuel costs rise.

I'm still hopeful that when this lease is up I'll be able to get an F11 6 cyl manual xDrive