Sport Cars i8 Concept

Normally, we wouldn’t be the ones to harp on about a station wagon. After all, wagons are synonymous with kids, soccer practice, dogs, groceries, and, well, wifely duties that we just don’t want to be a part of. However, BMW has turned this soccer-Mom ride into something we men can really appreciate. From nose to tail, the BMW 328i xDrive Sports Wagon is more than just a kid-toting grocery getter, it’s an attractive, fun-to-drive car that screams masculinity and high performance despite the stretched out back end.

Again, performance numbers attached to station wagons aren’t something to brag about. Yet BMW has managed to inject a little bit of brute force into this particular wagon with a 3.0-liter, inline 6-cylinder engine that produces 230 horsepower and will have you racing off the line and reaching 60 mph in 7.4 seconds. Now, we’re not saying that’s blisteringly quick, but it is rather fast for this particular model and will offer that little bit of spark you’d want when sitting behind the wheel of a seemingly drab kid carrier.

 Perhaps one of the most appealing features of the 328i xDrive Sports Wagon is the standard 6-speed manual transmission. If anything declares this car to be a man’s ride, then the transmission is it. The greater spread between gears and the 55 mm short-throw shifts will have you motoring around town as if you were behind the wheel of a BMW M3. Now, an automatic transmission is available upon request, but it’s hardly average or boring: outfitted with a Steptronic 6-speed transmission, it’s just as responsive as the manual.

Just as we did, you might wonder why this is called a 328i xDrive Sports Wagon instead of a 328xi Sports Wagon. Don’t panic, BMW’s trusted all-wheel-drive system is still there, it’s just been updated to meet modern road conditions and to keep up with the range of gadgetries available in automobiles today. What BMW’s xDrive system does is allow the driver to really concentrate on the joy of driving while their vehicle takes care of itself, so to speak. The 328i xDrive Sports Wagon will assess the road’s conditions and correct itself and its settings to accommodate, making sure that you, as the driver, have a safe and pleasant ride. We could go on for ages about the transfer of power from wheel to wheel in just 100 milliseconds, but we suggest you check out BMW’s homepage for further details -- or test drive an xDrive model in the snow and see for yourself.

Don’t be fooled by the low design score we’ve branded this BMW with. It may be in the academic failing numbers, however, as far as car design scores go, this is pretty good. The design of a vehicle is about more than just curb appeal; ergonomics, gadgets and general interior comfort and space all play a major role. So, while you may not be impressed with the exterior look (but how can you ignore the sleek front nose, curved body and sporty dual tailpipes jutting out the uber-modern backside?), we invite you to step inside and realize that the BMW 328i xDrive Sports Wagon has all the creature comforts you could ask for, and more. True, this is no BMW 535xi, but then again, it doesn’t pretend to be. Nor should it, as this is a 3 Series through and through. With a bit more boot space (460 liters with the rear seats up, 1,385 liters with the rear seats in their 60:40 split configuration), and free of the iDrive system, the 328i xDrive Sports Wagon offers the perfect combination of spaciousness and aesthetics. Just the slight angle of the middle console facing the driver makes us smile, as it proves just how in tune BMW is with the driver’s needs behind the wheel. Everything in this 3 Series is placed to perfection, and if you can get past your station wagon hangups (as we inevitably did), you’ll discover a gem of a vehicle. Owning a wagon doesn’t mean a walk down the aisle, white picket fences and screaming offspring just yet; consider the possibilities of weekend snowboarding trips, camping in the summer, concert road trips with friends, and finally bringing home that big-screen TV you’ve always wanted