BeEmDoubleEww

By request, our wagon adventures continue and I attempt to answer the question; Touring or crossover?

Not the exact car that I looked at, but just like it.

A while back, I asked the “BMW experts” on that car blog that-shall-not-be-named a simple question; which is a better used car purchase, an E46 325xiT or a E53 X5 4.4i?

Now, for some context, you’ve got to realize these same folks will and do argue all day every day that the brand is far superior to every other vehicle on the road and they will do their darndest to prove that they know every in and out of every model ever produced with the roundel badge. And I don’t mean succinctly; no, they go on and on and on, ad nauseum.

And so, with no further ado, I present their precise replies that were stuffed with wisdom, knowledge and insight into which of the two would make for a better ownership experience.

“…”

Yep, dial tone. Not a single reply, comment, burp or gasp. No sign of brain activity, dead on arrival, this parrot is no longer, and question equals lead balloon.

Of course, just because they’re morons and full of hot air doesn’t mean there isn’t an answer out there and so I recently set out to find out for myself. After several months of research, here are my conclusions. It’s worth noting that I am just about as far from a fan of the brand as you can get but I do have appreciation for many of the good qualities that they’ve brought to market. Could you be happy with either of these cars? That’s up to you.

First up were the wagons, Touring in BMW marketing-speak. Because there weren’t that many imported and sold, it was tough to find one, much less the two that I was determined to sample. Why two, you may ask? I wanted a fairer viewpoint and basing my conclusions on just one example seemed counterproductive towards that goal. Who knows, the first one I found could have been a beater, abused and used. That wouldn’t have been fair, it seemed to me.

But luck was with me it seemed and I found a 2001 325xi in silver over black leather with an automatic. With about 130K miles on it, the owner was asking $6800, which is so far above KBB private party value as to be ridiculous (should be under $4K). He was the original owner and was replacing it with a brand new X3. It had clearly been garaged its entire life and other than the expected and reasonable door dings and bumper scratches (nothing of note), the exterior was in fine shape. The interior was also in good shape, with wear on the front seat bolsters and several of the console button graphics being worn away. The passenger side mirror no longer was electrically controllable, which he thought was the motor and the driver’s side rear passenger window no longer rolled down from the front switch, which he figured needed replacement. Otherwise, this wagon was ready to drive anywhere and was accompanied by a three-inch high stack of maintenance receipts, all done by the local dealership since day one.

On the road, this car felt great to drive. If BMW stands for anything in my mind, it’s the great feeling of controllable precision you get behind and through the wheel. Based on past experience, this is what I expected and this is what I got. It just felt great and definitely something I could get used to on a daily basis.

Despite any involvement by Bangle, I’ve liked just about every 3-series exterior design since they appeared on the market and making a wagon version didn’t change my mind. They’re timeless, classic shapes that are sophisticated yet still have a sporty feel.

The interiors have never really been my thing, though. They look solid, they feel okay, but they’re too serious and end up feeling pretentious to me. It’s as if BMW is saying, “Look, just because you bought this car doesn’t mean you deserve it or have any right to drive such an incredible machine.” That may just be me, but the amount of black plastic, thick and solid though it may be, is dour and gave me the sense that expensive parts that were about to break lurked within.

At least it isn’t like a lot of modern interior designs, where the dash looks like it’s trying to leap out and eat you (are you listening Ford?). The simplicity of the layout wasn’t bad, though it isn’t as calm as some. There were plenty of curves, which was nice. The wood trim looked fake, just as most do; it was so dark that it just looked like plastic fakery. Maybe it was…?

For no logical reason, I’m always surprised by the tight confines of any 3-series that I’m in. I don’t know why, but I suppose I’m expecting 5-series interior volume somehow. The Shadowagon is that way; a medium-size car on the outside with large car interior space (except rear seat leg room, which isn’t so great). The back seat in the Touring was not spacious in any manner. Much of it had to do with the sporty exterior design; the Shadowagon is a just a big rectangular box. As a result, the Touring’s 34.4 inches of rear leg room is pretty pathetic and uncomfortable for long trips. Adult rear passengers will have their knees splayed to either side of the front seatback or will need to sit sideways to find any relief.

The cargo area is similarly compromised by the exterior design. The two-part (the window conveniently opens independently of the lid) trunk is angled inward at the beltline which is a big bummer if you’ve got big dogs like we do. It effectively makes this vehicle a hatchback. We had the same issue with our WRX wagon back in the day, limiting its usefulness. The Shadowagon’s Swedish brick shape definitely adds purpose and utility.

I loved that you could put the back seats down without lifting the seat cushion or doing something about the headrests. That’s an excellent design, there.

But this wagon was in excellent nick. Well taken care of, (SPOILER ALERT) if I were to choose one of the four vehicles that I eventually looked at, this would be it.

This dude's review nails it, pretty much.