Fast wagons are cooler than ever in 2014. Even a lowly Jetta Sportwagen on dark steel winter wheels can cause a double-take. They are rare, and achieve a low-roof profile that all the sportiest SUVs envy.

Even better? Sweeping on-ramps and highway curves can be confidently driven fast, on throttle, with family and kids in the back.

Try the same thing in many SUVs, and there will be much more body roll and potential life partner jabs to ribs. Slow down!

 

 

But the low, low center of gravity is like a gift that keeps on giving with the BMW 3-series wagon. In most crossovers, how high off the road is the luggage and passenger weight?

 

 

This leads to all the wobbliness in most loaded SUVs at speed, or very firm settings in back from air-suspended vans or trucks.

 

The BMW 3-series Touring is back in the U.S. market after a brief hiatus – and better than ever before. xDrive AWD is standard along with a brilliant eight-speed automatic transmission and huge turbo boost at low revs.

 

 

The 328i xDrive Touring is fast. Do not let the badge fool you. A sprint to 60-mph in about 5.9 seconds is paired with fantastic real-world power and responsiveness.

 

 

Worth recalling here is that the 335i is a 4.8-second sprint car these days, but also about $8,000 more expensive and not available on the wagon.

The 328d xDrive is a new entrant, and in a very exclusive list of diesel-powered luxury cars.

That list gets even more exclusive in the under-$50,000 price bracket, where the only other options can be counted on one hand: VW Jetta Sportwagen and M-B GLK250 Bluetec.

Both engines of BMW are fantastic, with lots of power and class-best efficiency numbers in most scenarios. That being said, the sprint pace and mileage EPA ratings for the 328d Touring are not yet available.

 

Mid-30s city ratings and low-40s highway cruising are a general diesel fuel benefit, and are a good ballpark for the official ratings.

Sprint pace is also very good: despite a short rev range in the diesel, the eight-speed auto is the perfect pairing because it can fire off crisp and rapid shifts with no lag and no drama.

The only downside of this super-torque-y pair of engines is the stop-start system, which exposes some harshness on re-start but can be disabled via iDrive settings, I believe.

 

 

 

Starting the configuration process involves selecting a trim line:

Standard trim line

Luxury line for $2,300 extra

Luxury Line         $2,300

• 18″ Light Alloy Wheel Multi-spoke Style 416 with All-Season Tires

• Roof rails in Satin Aluminum

• Leather Dakota Black exclusive stitching; Leather Dakota Saddle Brown exclusive stitching; Leather Dakota Venetian Beige exclusive stitching

• Anthracite Wood Trim, Burled Walnut Trim with Inlay

• Highlight trim finishers pearl gloss chrome

 

Sport line for $2,300 extra

 

 

Sport Line            $2,600

• Sport seats

• Anthracite headliner

• Door mirror caps in black

• Highlight trim finishers Coral Red matte or Highlight trim finishers Black high-gloss or Highlight trim finishers pearl gloss chrome

• 18″ Light Alloy Wheel Double-spoke Style-397 w/ Perf.(opt 840) or A/S Tires

• High-Gloss Black Trim or Brushed Aluminum trim

• Anthracite Wood Trim   $250

• Black SensaTec/Red Highlight

• Leather Dakota Black/Red highlight or Leather Dakota Coral Red/Black highlight

• M steering wheel

 

 

 

M Sport line for $3,850 extra

 

The M Sport is my preference, because it brings better seats and steering wheel, exterior style that recalls the M3, and a few other treats.

M Sport line    $3,850

• Aluminum Hexagon interior trim

• Dark Burl Walnut wood trim

• Highlight trim finishers Estoril Blue matte

• Highlight trim finishers Black high-gloss

• Highlight trim finishers pearl gloss chrome

• 18″ star-spoke 400M wheels w / all-season tires  or         18″ star-spoke 400M wheels w/ mixed summer tires

• Shadowline exterior trim

• Aerodynamic kit

• Anthracite headliner

• Sport seats

• M steering wheel

• Black SensaTec or Venetian Beige SensaTec

• Black Dakota Leather      $1,450

• Venetian Beige Dakota Leather $1,450

• Leather Dakota Coral Red/Black highlight  $1,450

 

 

• Alpine White

 

• M Sport : Black Sapphire Metallic  $550

• M Sport : Glacier Silver Metallic     $550

• M Sport : Melbourne Red Metallic   $550

• M Sport : Mineral Grey Metallic    $550

• M Sport only: Estoril Blue          $550

 

 

 

BMW 328d and 328i xDrive Sport Wagons – Interior animation

Exterior Galleries

 

 

 

BMW 328d and 328i xDrive Wagon – Options/Packages

Cold Weather Package  $950

•             Heated front seats

•             Heated Steering Wheel

•             Retractable headlight washers

•             Heated rear seats

Dynamic Handling Package          $1,000

•             Variable sport steering

•             Adaptive M Suspension

Lighting Package               $900

•             Xenon headlights

•             Adaptive light control

Premium Package            $2,200

•             Comfort Access keyless entry

•             Lumbar support

•             Satellite radio with 1 year subscription

 

 

Technology Package       $3,150

• Enhanced USB and Bluetooth plus Smartphone Integration

• BMW Apps

• Advanced Real-Time Traffic Information

• BMW Online

• Navigation system with touchpad

• Instrument cluster with extended contents

• Remote Services

• Head-up Display

 

   

 

Driver Assistance Package            $950

• Park Distance Control

• Rear view camera

    

Driver Assistance Plus Package  $1,900

• Active Driving Assistant

• Active Blind Spot Detection

• Side and Top View Cameras

• Speed Limit Info

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Performance Options

• 17″ Light Alloy Wheels Star-spoke Style 393 with All-Season Tires  $0

• M Sport Brakes $650

 

Convenience Options

• Rear manual side window shades $250

• Heated front seats          $500

• Active Cruise Control      $1,200

• Parking Assistant  $500

• Navigation system with touchpad            $2,150

• Concierge Services          $250

 

 

 

Entertainment Options

• Harman Kardon surround sound system   $875

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Safety Options

• Anti-theft alarm system    $400

• Automatic high beams   $250

• Side and Top View Cameras        $750