[optimaxed]

Yes the light truck loop hole...so you can drive a gas guzzling, poor handling SUV (Compared to a wagon with a lower CofG) and never pay any Gas guzler tax....yet the guy who buys a for example Merc E63 AMG wagon has to pay this tax becuase he is driving a car !!

You have to admit the US car manufacturers really designed some UGLY wagons in the 80s...no wonder people bought SUVs..

It's a sad day that BMW will not bring any more wagons to the US once the e91 ceases production...I can sleep in the back of my wagon and haul around all the stuff I buy from Lowes garden centre...and I dont bust by back loading the stuff in and out because its a more convenient height...

[gdwenger]

Originally Posted by plugboots

Huh?
I had a hitch on my 2007 that is going on my 2011, and for 101K miles of the 2007's life there was never a warranty issue. The hitch was a NON-issue.

SUVs suck to drive, plain and simple, and most people don't care.

Check with your dealer and I'm betting you will find that any engine; trans or rear suspension problems will not be covered do to non-approved towing. My 2009 has a bad shock on pass rear not covered due to hitch, I don't call that a NON-issue.

[plokij]

Originally Posted by Wild Squid

Not true, I have a Toyota 4Runner and it has served its purposed wonderfully for 150K miles. I mainly bought it because I go skiing a lot every winter and the 4WD and high clearance of the vehicle has never failed me as I watch other cars need to pull over to put on chains. The highway authority here known as CALTRANS forces you to put on chains if you don't have snow tires and 4WD. I haven't ever had to stop before, and I feel safe plowing through many snowstorms. Not everyone has an SUV just for the hell of it.

Wagons are just plain ugly to some people, including me. I don't really care about the utilitarian aspect of it, it's ugly and I won't drive it. I'd rather keep a SUV on the side for hauling stuff and hitting the mountains.

yeah, you're right, not everyone has an SUV for the hell of it - only a mere 99% of people do - and another 99% of those people are women.

[plokij]

Originally Posted by Want

I think most people on this forum would prefer the x3 over e91.

not much of a sports car enthusiast, are you?

[h0ffman]

i have a beutiful E91 LCI and i love it. i'm from europe and the only reason to buy an E91 is because i love wagons. like me several people buy wagons only because love ther look...

[plokij]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

Hmm, I see more E90 sedans on the road with the "weak" NA motor than 335i with their potent HPFPs.

The reason you don't see more E91s is folks who would rather drive SUVs.

Tom

hahaha, exactly. the 335i might be the shittiest car bmw has ever made.

"efficient dynamics" is corporate beancounter speak for "it's much more profitable for us to snap on a cheap turbo charger and replace broken parts as needed while claiming higher performance numbers to get the fanboys erect and their wallets open - and who cares about long term reliability because most of them will end up leasing anyway... cha ching, baby!"

[username604]

Originally Posted by plokij

hahaha, exactly. the 335i might be the shittiest car bmw has ever made.

"efficient dynamics" is corporate beancounter speak for "it's much more profitable for us to snap on a cheap turbo charger and replace broken parts as needed while claiming higher performance numbers to get the fanboys erect"

Watch yourself.
It's more profitable to place the same engine in 2 cars that cost thousands apart (the 330i and the 325i) than to put a completely different engine in the 335i vs the 328i.
Turbo's aren't cheap.
I don't think bmw planned on replacing thousands of failed hpfps.
Bmw does not only claim higher performance numbers, the 335i clearly provides higher performance over its NA counterparts.

[plokij]

Originally Posted by davidkneiber

Watch yourself.
It's more profitable to place the same engine in 2 cars that cost thousands apart (the 330i and the 325i) than to put a completely different engine in the 335i vs the 328i.
Turbo's aren't cheap.
I don't think bmw planned on replacing thousands of failed hpfps.
Bmw does not only claim higher performance numbers, the 335i clearly provides higher performance over its NA counterparts.

not so fast...

they are all different engines, the turbo being a different "type" of engine.

turbos ARE cheap power - they just blow air into the chamber. want more power? simple: add another blower. tuning an n/a engine requires altering more elements (bore/stroke/valves/carbs/etc.) to work together as a system to achieve the desired result. and there's no reason bmw couldn't have tuned up the n/a 6 cyl (or tuned down the e46 m3 n/a 6 cyl for that matter!) to get 300 horses with acceptable fuel efficiency UNLESS IT WAS FAR CHEAPER TO USE A STINKING OFF-THE-SHELF TURBO SYSTEM ACROSS ALL OF THEIR PLATFORMS (dipshit mba's call this "streamlining" the business)

now, if we're honest with ourselves, bmw made a decision in one of two ways:

1.) they actually thought they had designed the n54 turbo system adequately and were shocked to find so many failures

granted the FACT that petrol turbos have a lower MTTF than n/a counterparts due to thermal dynamics (higher heat levels burn oil faster lowering it's lubrication properties causing line clogs and general wear at a higher rate than lower heat n/a engines)....

2.) they all sat in the war room and said, fuck it - we've obtained 300 horses and the fanboys will line up around the block to get one. let's roll the dice with system malfunctions, we've got free maintenance in effect and most people turn over cars within 4 years these days anyway.

my opinion is that something like option 2 was executed.

[plokij]

Originally Posted by davidkneiber

Watch yourself.

watch yourself - spending a shitload of time in the service department while i drive my 328i n/a for 10+ years enjoying the sweet sound of it's 6000 rpm music compared to a turbo silent-but-deadly fart

[zorglubxx]

Waiting for my 318d Touring. Combined consumption is 49+ mpg, highway 56 mpg. We're driving it across Europe this summer.

[MisterSkiMask]

Originally Posted by zorglubxx

Waiting for my 318d Touring. Combined consumption is 49+ mpg, highway 56 mpg. We're driving it across Europe this summer.

why won't they send these to the US and kill the stupid prius!!!!???!!!!!

[Nalod]

Had a moment of wagon love this weekend. 2010 A4 avant back and forth to the beach. 225 miles each way. 31.5 mpg. Just broken in at 6000 miles.

Phuch SUVs! Got my quattro, comfort, and economy. Audi sells 75% of its cars in Europe are wagons.

My wife wanted a Highlander after we were done with the minivan years. Big tall and heavy they are.

Get used to 4 cyl engines with turbo's. Audi does it well and reliable.

BMW needs to get on this and do it right.

Back to wagons, IM sure BMW wants americans to buy x3's even more so they are built in South Carolina and profit is heavier. Very nice truckster btw.

I contimplated a euro delivery last year and my order would have been a e91 with the rails deleted, sport and maybe msport. Build one out and with a window tint its a great looking machine.

What is the Image? To a 20 year old they don't get it, but the "effiecient dynamics" are a better use of space. SUV's appeal to the american independant spirit and basic need to conquer mother nature and drive all over her ass. That comes at a price.

Before we got the Avant we drove the X3, and the X5. X5 is bloated. Q7 was not much better. Q5 was nice, but once my wife got over the desire to ride higher the dynamics of the A4 are great. There was no consideration to have 2 3 series in the driveway.

IM a big fan of diesel but understand our refinary capacity is set for the time being and if we refine more diesel it means less Gasoline and higher prices.

Best car on the planet would be a 335d.

[JatinderC]

It's not really a wagon vs SUV thing in the US. Wagon isn't that popular here because most Americans think wagons are for pussies or soccer moms. Real talk.

[JanG71]

I think here in Belgium that 50% (or even more) of the E9x, E91's are. 90% are diesels (the fuel is cheaper, mostly more torque and less fuel consumption). In Belgium almost everybode love the wagons.

It's a strange world we're living in.

[smack]

I love my E91. It goes along well in the garage next to my E90. The E91 is the perfect family car.

[roundle]

Originally Posted by zorglubxx

Waiting for my 318d Touring. Combined consumption is 49+ mpg, highway 56 mpg. We're driving it across Europe this summer.

This is awesome. I get 24.5 MPG.

[Majikthese42]

For a number of reasons, spanning the EPA, NHTSA and popular culture, minivans, "crossovers" and SUVs have almost completely replaced station wagons in the US market. I've thought that the 5-door hatch configuration is the most versatile body style for a car. Call it a wagon or a hatchback or "GT". So I'm puzzled as to why cars with trunks outsell cars with hatches by such a huge margin in the US in this marked segment.

If I wanted to drive and have fun, and didn't need to carry any cargo, I'd just drive a sports car. I need some amount of cargo capacity in a daily driver so if BMW doesn't sell the F31 here, it's off to Honda or Volkswagen next time.

X3? BMW dropped manual transmissions how many years ago in the US market? In addition, when I last looked at the X3 it was more expensive than the E91. It also doesn't handle as well. That's just basic physics.

The mindset of SUV buyers seems to be "different". From some years ago: Was Freud a Minivan or S.U.V. Kind of Guy?

[BAL278]

I think this is where the anti-wagon stigma in the US comes from...

EDIT: I was beat to the punch with the pic.

[welches]

Love my wagon. Wish they made the 335d available in the states.

[osubg1]

Resurrecting an older one. I almost sold mine this week, but then decided it really is a fun/versatile car. 2006 xi. It does everything except go off road - which the bikes are for.\

[Meeni]

Isn't the F31 supposed to become available for MY 13 ? It's still not on the bmwusa website though. Neither is the F11 that's been available for several monthes in europe now...

I would get a 335d F31 in a blink of an eye. I'm waiting with my money BMW.

[pepsih]

Originally Posted by osubg1

Resurrecting an older one. I almost sold mine this week, but then decided it really is a fun/versatile car. 2006 xi. It does everything except go off road - which the bikes are for.\

I love that pic

Originally Posted by Meeni

Isn't the F31 supposed to become available for MY 13 ? It's still not on the bmwusa website though. Neither is the F11 that's been available for several monthes in europe now...

I would get a 335d F31 in a blink of an eye. I'm waiting with my money BMW.

As I remember it will be available in USA, in spring 2013 (correct me if im wrong).