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      07-06-2012, 02:20 AM   #1
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Post 2013 3 Series Touring First Drive Reviews

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2013 3 Series Touring First Drive Reviews
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The BMW 3 Series Touring first drives are underway. Here are a few of the first reactions to the F31 touring model.

BMW NA has just announced info on the 328i Touring for the US/Canadian market.
See http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=714556.


AUTOCAR

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Also new is a 40:20:40 split rear seat – rather than 60:40 – which improves the cabin’s flexibility, as does a 35 litre gain in seats-up boot-space to 495 litres. That’s just best-in-class, while seats down this number rises to 1500 litres, the backrests flopping onto their cushions to form an almost flat deck, although they don’t fold electrically. Nor is there a tumble-fold feature to allow the rear seats to form a protective bulkhead – the deep transmission tunnel prevents that – but you can lock the forward section of the rear seats’ cross-bar assembly onto the ends of the folded backrests to form a luggage-arresting lip. And you can then unfurl a load net that hooks into the ceiling. This assembly is now separate from the luggage blind mechanism, complaints about the weight and unwieldiness of the combined unit used in the previous model prompting their separation.

A further advantage of this arrangement is that the luggage blind assembly - now much lighter - can be stowed under a lid in the boot floor. All of which may sound like tedious detail, but makes a big difference to the car’s usability during the battle to load it at B&Q on a Saturday morning. This latest 3-series also offers more room for occupants, the wheelbase stretch yielding 17mm more knee-room, and there’s a fraction more headspace too.

Mechanically the Touring is identical to the saloon except for stiffer rear springs, which may have been why this 328i presented a ride slightly less accomplished than that of a recently sampled 320d saloon. Sharper bumps are the trouble, this 328i wagon riding them less pliantly. But its quick, precise steering and well-balanced, low-roll cornering remain, making this a genuine sports estate.

Diesel will be what the bulk of British Touring buyers opt for of course, and thus powered the Touring should prove almost as enjoyable a drive as the equivalent saloon, but with a whole lot more classy utility.

Source: http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/...w-328i-touring

AUTOEXPRESS

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There are now more features designed to make your life that little bit easier. The tailgate, for example, is electrically powered as standard and can be opened when you hands are full by waving your foot under the rear bumper. If you just want to sling some shopping bags in the back though, the rear windscreen opens up separately.

In performance terms it’s an engine [320d] that does everything you ask of it, pulling hard from low revs with only the faintest hint of lag from the twin-scroll turbocharger. The eight-speed auto is as close to perfection as it gets, fading into the background in auto mode and firing through the gears when you used the paddles like a heavier twin-clutch box.

The sound it makes though is a little flat, and when the stop-start system fires it back up, it sends a judder through the chassis. The impressive fuel economy and effortless performance are hard to ignore, but it can’t match Audi’s 2.0 TFSI for smoothness.

The only significant chassis change is firmer dampers at the rear, to account for the extra 70kg of weight. But on a blind test you’d be hard pressed to notice any difference in the way it drives next to the saloon, which is excellent news. It’s no sportier to drive than its predecessor, but high-speed refinement has taken a step up, and so long as you order the optional adaptive dampers (£750) the ride is supple in all but the firmest setting and the body control is superb.

As with all electro-mechanical set ups, the steering is light and loses some feel next to a hydraulic system, but toggle up through the four driving modes (Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport and Sport+) and it weights up nicely without feeling too artificial. Throw it into a few corners and it’s not the last word in agility, but you’ll walk away with a bigger grin than an Audi A4 Avant owner.

Source: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carrevi...#ixzz1zp98rqb5

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