BMW 3 Series Touring prices confirmed | Update
You'll need £35,505 for the entry-level 320i; the 374hp M340i is £50,055...
BMW has UK confirmed that its new 3 Series Touring costs from £35,505 in Britain, where order books for the G21 wagon have now opened. The starting price is for the petrol four-pot 320i, but PHers will likely be more interested in the £50,055 required for an M340i xDrive, which uses the manufacturer's 374hp inline six to rival the very slightly more powerful and expensive Mercedes-AMG C43 Estate 4Matic. The M340i's list price means Audi's S4 Avant is the most affordable performance wagon in the segment, although that model's 354hp also makes it the least potent of the trio.
Power outputs aside, BMW reckons its G21 machine will be the driver's choice of the class thanks to the car's wider talents. With the same rigid 3 Series underpinnings, it's claimed to offer the same driver-centric handling characteristics as the well-received saloon, a model that's impressed in almost all variants - even the 320d provided PH with entertainment - so we've high hopes for the G20's bigger-booted sibling. The UK line-up is certainly not short of potential; above that 320i sits a 258hp (and rear-wheel drive) 330i for £39,285, while the diesel range is topped by the 265hp 330d, priced from £41,465.
Presumably because us Brits love options, BMW's added a UK-only M Sport Plus Edition trim to the line-up, adding to the M Sport Plus package with key features such as Adaptive M Sport suspension, M Sport Braking System and, for the 330i and 330 xDrive, the M Sport Differential. There are also 19-inch wheels and a raft of uniquely finished M Sport bits both inside and out, building on the already plentiful spec list - further details of which we cover in the older story below. If you like the sounds of it all, first deliveries are due later this year.
ORIGINAL STORY - 19/06/19
While never the world’s most practical estate, the BMW 3 Series Touring has appealed to buyers for more than 30 years now with its combination of style, space, dynamism and performance. More commodious wagons have been on offer, but none of those have been as good to drive. With a promise of “a noticeable increase in driving pleasure and optimised functionality”, the familiar 3 Series Touring traits are set to carry on in this latest generation.
Now a ‘G21’ model, this 3 Touring will be unveiled to the world later this month at the BMW Group #NEXTGen expo. Compared to the previous F31 Touring, this car is 76mm longer, 16mm wider and 8mm taller; wider tracks and a 41mm extension in the wheelbase should benefit stability, passenger space and handling. As for the important estate numbers, this Touring can carry 500 litres of stuff with the seats up – five more than before – which extends to 1,510 with the 40:20:40 seats folded. The opening rear window’s aperture has grown by 20mm, the load compartment is 112mm wider and the load sill isn’t as high as before. Options on the practicality front include button operated backrest release, anti-slip rails and storage solutions for the luggage compartment cover and boot partition net.
Good, that’s out the way – time to talk engines. The Touring will mirror the 3 Series saloon’s powertrain line up from launch, topped by the 374hp 340ixDrive which, BMW says, “sets out its stall in particularly emphatic fashion thanks to its class-beating driving dynamics”. Buyers will also be offered a 320i, 330i, 318d, 320d and 330d xDrive. A plug-in hybrid will follow in 2020.
There are some interesting chassis tweaks implemented for the Touring; with the 3 Series saloon having been received so well already, BMW will also be keen for the estate to excel dynamically. Indeed, this car is claimed to deliver “exceptionally precise handling and a persuasively comfortable ride… the result of a rigorously driving pleasure-led development process”. Highlights including a reduction in kerbweight, a 25 per cent increase in torsional rigidity and stiffer chassis mountings bode well; the Touring also gets “lift-related dampers”, which are “continuously variable and adjust the damper firmness progressively according to the changing spring travel”. Options include both passive and adaptive M Sport suspension, variable sport steering, M sport brakes and an M Sport differential.
Beyond that it’s standard 3 Series fare, with the usual raft of driving assistance features, trim levels and gearbox choices, plus the latest BMW Operating System 7.0. At present, there are only images and specs available for European market cars; expect the UK equivalents soon and deliveries not long after. With a 318d SE saloon retailing at £32,455, the Touring range will likely kick off around £35k – there’s life in the humble estate just yet!
The auto/manual debate is a bit moot in estates, only need to look in the classifieds to see how few people bought. I was a die hard manual fan but stopped caring about a week into big auto estate ownership.
Only offering 4wd on the M340i is much more a shame to me however, lets hope Xdrive + MSport diff still does RWD things. As it stands the most powerful RWD 3 and 5 you can get are the 30d models which is a bit disappointing.
Only offering 4wd on the M340i is much more a shame to me however, lets hope Xdrive + MSport diff still does RWD things. As it stands the most powerful RWD 3 and 5 you can get are the 30d models which is a bit disappointing.
Anyway, scratch the 3-series touring off my potential next car list as well. Looks like I'm down to the Focus ST Estate...er and that's it.
When I bought my Leon estate, it was very hard to find an non-diesel, non-DSG estate - I guess this is going to get harder in the future.
My current potential next car list is; i30N Fastback, Focus ST Line or ST, New Mazda 3 & maybe the Proceed GT - I hope I can add the new Golf & Leon to that list but what whether it's still an estate or becomes a hatch it'll definitely be a petrol & manual.
Only offering 4wd on the M340i is much more a shame to me however, lets hope Xdrive + MSport diff still does RWD things. As it stands the most powerful RWD 3 and 5 you can get are the 30d models which is a bit disappointing.
If auto is the only option then that car is off the cards and the same goes for Diesel.
Admittedly this does stick me in somewhat of a quandary because there is almost nothing left and I'm left with the prospect of running the current car until it dies.
In this class of cars, I think we'll struggle but there are still some in the Golf/Focus class - the other problem is that if you buy second hand, you relay on the manual petrol cars being made in the first place. It was much harder than it should be find a manual petrol Leon estate.
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