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Haulin' in style
It has been said over the last five years or so that station wagons were going to make a comeback. For most, a station wagon is a large, un-appealing cruise ship-sized type of vehicle that sparks the imagination with only a trip to the grocery store or to a Cub Scout meeting. I myself grew up on big wagons and loved them all; they took me to camp and to the beach with the family every year. The first car I ever drove was a 1988 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser with a bruiser of a wussy 307 V8 under the football field sized hood. It was floaty, had way over assisted steering and no brakes but could seat 8 with seatbelts or 11 without. I loved the Big "O" (for Oldsmobile and pun intended).
Most car makers have always offered wagons or breaks in Europe. They, the Europeans, have always seen the value in driving a car with more cargo capacity in lieu of a minivan. In North America, the big wagons died in 1996 with the last of the Roadmaster and Caprice Estates as did the Camry and Accord wagons. OK, so that is not exactly true. One of my favourites, the Subaru Outback, debuted that same year, t
he Ford Taurus was still available as a wagon and Mercedes still offered E-Class wagons although they were rare. Getting back to the Outback, its success was so phenomenal that just about every manufacturer, over the last half-decade, has slowly begun to reintroduce a wagon of their own.
BMW is no stranger to Tourings (Wagon in BMW speak) as 3 and 5-Series have been accessible for a very long time, in Europe of course. Although a few E34 525i and 530i (V8) and the odd E39 wagons do roam neighbouring streets, they are few and far between. The all-new E60 has been here since 2004 and the Touring version is all-new for 2006.
Few would say that family cars are things of beauty; they are after all only a sedan with an extended roofline. Well, to this I would state that if you take one of the boldest and unique sedans to which you add a longer roof and a hatch, the final tally has to be good. The 530 is an attractive if not stunning car. It is in fact my second favourite BMW after the all-new 3-Series. Given a wide stance, broad shoulders and, in this case, gorgeous 1
8" M double-spoke wheels, my silver grey tester is a beauty. There is something about the way the aggressively styled headlights flow from the signature kidney grille into the angled beltline towards the rear that make the car's proportions look perfect. Oddly, I actually find the sedan more eye-catching now that I have driven the wagon. All BMWs all assembled with utmost care and the wagon is no different.
The cabin of the 5-Series is not as congruent as the exterior. Yes, the fit and finish as well as the materials are of superior quality; however I have difficulty with the symmetry of the dashboard. The instrument panel is clear and simple, an adage to past BMWs. The center-high mounted LCD display screen is what breaks up the harmony of the interior. This is where the Navigation screen is located as well as the infamous i-Drive. I am being picky but I would expect BMW to be able to make the dash flow fluently without lumping up and up and then down. The said i-Drive remains a thorn in BMW's side. As I stated in my 645i test, the system now works better than it did a few years back although it still needs some work before it can really become a useful tool. All wagons are equipped with a huge panoramic sunroof. Normally, I would be concerned about the weakened state of the chassis and the existence of rattles but seeing as though the Bimmer is so stiff, there are no problems or noises.
Haulin' in style
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Most car makers have always offered wagons or breaks in Europe. They, the Europeans, have always seen the value in driving a car with more cargo capacity in lieu of a minivan. In North America, the big wagons died in 1996 with the last of the Roadmaster and Caprice Estates as did the Camry and Accord wagons. OK, so that is not exactly true. One of my favourites, the Subaru Outback, debuted that same year, t
he Ford Taurus was still available as a wagon and Mercedes still offered E-Class wagons although they were rare. Getting back to the Outback, its success was so phenomenal that just about every manufacturer, over the last half-decade, has slowly begun to reintroduce a wagon of their own.BMW is no stranger to Tourings (Wagon in BMW speak) as 3 and 5-Series have been accessible for a very long time, in Europe of course. Although a few E34 525i and 530i (V8) and the odd E39 wagons do roam neighbouring streets, they are few and far between. The all-new E60 has been here since 2004 and the Touring version is all-new for 2006.
Few would say that family cars are things of beauty; they are after all only a sedan with an extended roofline. Well, to this I would state that if you take one of the boldest and unique sedans to which you add a longer roof and a hatch, the final tally has to be good. The 530 is an attractive if not stunning car. It is in fact my second favourite BMW after the all-new 3-Series. Given a wide stance, broad shoulders and, in this case, gorgeous 1
8" M double-spoke wheels, my silver grey tester is a beauty. There is something about the way the aggressively styled headlights flow from the signature kidney grille into the angled beltline towards the rear that make the car's proportions look perfect. Oddly, I actually find the sedan more eye-catching now that I have driven the wagon. All BMWs all assembled with utmost care and the wagon is no different.The cabin of the 5-Series is not as congruent as the exterior. Yes, the fit and finish as well as the materials are of superior quality; however I have difficulty with the symmetry of the dashboard. The instrument panel is clear and simple, an adage to past BMWs. The center-high mounted LCD display screen is what breaks up the harmony of the interior. This is where the Navigation screen is located as well as the infamous i-Drive. I am being picky but I would expect BMW to be able to make the dash flow fluently without lumping up and up and then down. The said i-Drive remains a thorn in BMW's side. As I stated in my 645i test, the system now works better than it did a few years back although it still needs some work before it can really become a useful tool. All wagons are equipped with a huge panoramic sunroof. Normally, I would be concerned about the weakened state of the chassis and the existence of rattles but seeing as though the Bimmer is so stiff, there are no problems or noises.