The Lockdown series continues with me and my 2 driving buddies, Alfred & David, also sharing our experiences, comments and reflections of the different cars we have owned.
David’s 11th car, continued the diesel theme! Now we move to the Touring/ Wagon option that may go against the popular trend of buying SUV’s for family duties, mostly.
However, the enthusiast always finds the value equation to this motoring recipe. You will find that you can have your cake and eat it when you own a wagon.Practicality, drivability & driving enjoyment while hauling a family. Who said you had to go without!
If this reminds you of a special car you have owned please share your experience or just name it or just “like” ours.
#mynextcarbuying #melbourne #automotiveadvocate #lockdown #carsweowned #bmw #bmw318d #touring #wagon #diesel
2012 BMW 318d Touring
2 litre turbo diesel 8 speed auto
105kW 320Nm
0-100km/h in 9.2 seconds
Perfect family car. Practical, economical and with a bit of luxury, feel good factor thrown in.
Initially I was sceptical about the 318d because looking at the numbers I thought the detuned engine might feel like there was something missing compared to the previous 320d I had owned. But the 318d always felt muscular with plenty of go for a family car and still retained the nice growl as it revved to the red line.
A classic example of performance figures not always telling the whole story. The 318d was actually a little nicer to drive with what felt like a lighter, more nimble chassis. Any power deficit was more the made up for by the much improved 8speed ZF gearbox. This particular car also had some nice features like bigger wheels, sports leather seats and a panoramic sunroof.
On the practical front, I think a station wagon is still king and the BMW touring had lots of little touches that made it easy to live with. The touring also had a longer wheelbase giving more leg room in the backseats. I think the 3 series Touring looked pretty good too, especially with the 18 inch sports wheels.
Very comfortable cruiser that rode well even on run flat tyres and we racked up plenty of miles driving to basketball games over the 5 years we had it. Fuel economy was exemplary and I personally recorded 4.2 litres per 100 kms on the freeway from Greensborough to Geelong and regularly hit 6-7L/100kms around town. There were no reliability issues whatsoever, with more than a 100,000km on the clock and the servicing wasn’t too bad once you got away from the BMW dealers. Sue’s favourite of all the cars we have owned and that’s got to mean something.
Richard comment:
There is no doubt that Wagon /Tourers are still a nicer place to be than a SUV with styling uncompromising and natural flowing lines allowed to finish. You get all the benefits of sedan handling and the plus of an extended wheelbase that allows for more room, comfort and a more absorbing less twitchy chassis. Your BMW always looked good to me with the optional 19” wheels. Though, not as powerful as your previous 320d, that torquey diesel with its free revving characteristics and grunty sound. Undoubtedly an enjoyable driving experience, especially, when often in that compromising family hauler mode. Some of the best iconic performance cars are in wagon form like the Audi RS6 wagon.
I would never rule one out for its practicality but I know it wouldn’t be at the expense of my driving pleasure and performance.
