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William Kimberely test drives the new BMW 3 Series Touring

A small but useful niche for BMW is its Touring range which competes in a fairly exclusive class that is also inhabited by Audi with the A4 Avant, Mercedes-Benz with the C-Class estate and Jaguar with the X-Type estate. Not one of these comes top of the class when it comes to load lugging, but instead offer a certain class or style that in some people’s eyes compensates for the shortcoming.

The BMW 3 Series Touring is now into its fourth iteration – the first example broke cover 17 years ago since which time it has proved to be a popular addition to the range. Although space is not the premium consideration, BMW is at pains to point out that its new model offers a greater load carrying capacity with the rear seats in place than the Audi and the Jaguar, and is larger with the seats folded than the Audi and the Mercedes Benz. When loading larger or bulky items, the 3 Series Touring offers a longer loading depth and wider boot opening width than the Mercedes Benz and a higher boot opening than the Audi.

The BMW is powered by a variety of engines. The 1,995cc four-cylinder diesel unit that was first seen in the BMW 120d in September 2004 and the lightweight six-cylinder 325i, the first time that an engine block and rocker cover constructed of magnesium-aluminium can be found in a volume production engine. The new components are 30 per cent lighter than aluminium, and the complete engine weighs just 121 kg.

Offering 218 ps (160 kW) at 6,500 rpm and 250 Nm (184 lb ft) of torque at 2,750 rpm, the new 325i Touring offers drivers the performance and flexibility needed for dynamic driving. With its lightweight engine, the new Touring accelerates from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.2 seconds while the dash from 80-120 km/h (50–75 mph) in fourth gear takes just 7.9 seconds. The top speed is 241 km/h (151 mph).

With 163 ps (119 kW) available at 4,000 rpm, the 320d Touring exceeds the competition in terms of output, while 340 Nm (251 lb ft) of torque at 2,000 rpm offers over 10 per cent more torque than the six-cylinder petrol 330i.

In October, the engine range was extended with the arrival of 2.0 litre and 3.0 litre petrol and 3.0 litre diesel-powered variants. The new 320i Touring uses the same Hams Hall-constructed four-cylinder petrol engine from the recently introduced BMW 120i. It develops 150 ps (110 kW) at 6,200 rpm and 200 Nm (147 lb ft) of torque at 3,600 rpm. This powers the car from zero to 100 km/h in 9.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 216 km/h (135 mph).

The largest six-cylinder petrol engine offered is the 3.0 litre 330i Touring, developing 258 ps (189 kW) at 6,600 rpm and 300 Nm (221 lb ft) of torque between 2,500 and 4,000 rpm. This high-performance Touring model accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in just 6.4 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

Balancing these levels of performance with frugal fuel economy is the new diesel-powered 330d Touring. Developing 231 ps (169 kW) and 500 Nm (368 lb ft) of torque, it accelerates to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds and achieves a top speed of 246 km/h (154 mph). This is, however, balanced by the car delivering 6.6 l/100 km (42.2 mpg) on the combined cycle and emissions of just 179g/km.

The new 3 Series Touring comes with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, replacing the five-speed ‘box on the E46 model.

The new Touring measures 4,520 mm in length (+42 mm over the outgoing car) and at 2,760 mm, has a 35 mm longer wheelbase, all of which has been used to address one of the very few criticisms of the outgoing car – a shortage of legroom for rear seat passengers. As with the Saloon, the BMW 3 Series Touring now leads the way in rear legroom. The new Touring is 1,817 mm wide (+78 mm) and 1,418 mm tall (+9 mm), increasing rear passenger head room by 7 mm and combining to offer class-leading head, shoulder and elbow room over its principal competitors.

The new bodyshell is 25 per cent stiffer than its predecessor but weighs an average of 15 kg less than the outgoing car. This has been achieved through the use of tailored blanks - body panels that minimise weight because they are formed into different thicknesses of steel in the same panel and are engineered to fulfil different structural requirements.

BMW has had a Touring model since 1971 when it was first used on a model based on the ‘02 series although it was a little ahead of its time as, after a brief three and a half year production period, only 30,206 cars were produced. The concept was revived in 1988 as a derivative of the second-generation E30 3 Series. Between 1988 and 1994, a total of 103,704 units found customers and, as a result of this sales success, a number of competitors launched similar concepts.

The successor E36 was conceived with a Touring variant from the outset and despite a relatively short production run, the car achieved a much higher production and sales volume of 130,611 units. The most recent 3 Series Touring was launched in 1999, notching up over 430,000 sales in the six years cars.

Unlike its predecessors, the new BMW 3 Series Touring is the second (rather than one of the latter) derivative of the new 3 Series range to be launched, reflecting developing customer interest in practical, versatile yet sporting cars. Traditionally, Touring models have followed Coupé and Convertible. The stage is therefore set for the latest generation Touring to maintain the 3 Series standards, becoming the benchmark compact executive estate car, and increasing sales volumes as a result.