And for the first time, the 3 Series Sports Wagon offers LATCH attachments on the front passenger's seat as well as the two outboard rear seats for optimum safety with up to three children in the car.
Complete with Panorama Roof for a unique open-air experience
A wide range of creature comforts enhances the versatility of the 3 Series Sports Wagon: the panorama roof, for example, virtually changes this practical touring car into a convertible. Almost two feet longer than a conventional sliding roof, the panorama roof lets in up to 60 per cent more fresh air.
Handling and agility - raising the standard again
The BMW 3 Series Sports Wagon is first and foremost a BMW 3 Series, combining a comfortable ride with sports car handling. It is a very dynamic car on the road, with that recognizable "BMW feel". Near 50-50 weight distribution, all-wheel drive, a long wheelbase, and short body overhangs front and rear are simply ideal for outstanding agility and driving safety under any circumstances.
The double-pivot front suspension, newly developed for the 3 Series Sedan, offers an optimum balance of driving dynamics and ride comfort in the Sports Wagon as well. Utilizing extensive aluminum componentry, this innovative suspension design offers superior tracking stability and low unsprung weight. Class-leading agility and dynamic handling, in turn, are ensured by the five-link rear axle in lightweight steel, ensuring precise wheel guidance as well as excellent roll comfort.
Active Steering: Unique in this Class
The optional Active Steering system, a BMW first, offers two significant benefits:
- Widely variable steering ratio; steering-wheel movements for parking maneuvers, U-turns and sharp corners are greatly reduced for amazing agility. With increasing vehicle speed, the steering becomes "slower," favoring stability over agility.
- Vehicle stabilization; in critical situations, Active Steering can intervene to preserve stability. For example, if the driver applies the brakes while driving on a surface with uneven traction (one side of the road slick, the other grippy), Active Steering can recognize the effects of varying traction and steer to compensate.
Latest-Generation DSC
BMW's Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), featured here in its latest generation, helps ensure extraordinary safety on the road. New for 2006 is a wide array of important functions that make driving even safer and more pleasant. They are:
- Brake Fade Compensation. Brake fade occurs as the brakes heat up under hard use; a given degree of deceleration requires more pressure on the brake pedal. As brake temperature rises, Brake Fade Compensation automatically compensates by increasing the hydraulic pressure relative to pedal force.
- Brake Stand-by. When the driver lifts off the accelerator pedal abruptly, DSC recognizes that sharp braking may be about to occur and applies just enough pressure in the brake system to snug up the pads against the rotors. Thus, the short lag time which normally results from bringing the pad to the rotor is dramatically decreased. The reduced stopping or deceleration distance could reduce the likelihood of an accident.
- Brake Drying. Acting on input from the rain sensor (an element of the standard rain-sensing windshield wipers), the pads are periodically brought up to the rotors - just enough to eliminate any film of water between pads and rotors, but not enough to cause a brake application.
- Comfort Stop. Especially with an automatic transmission, unless the driver consciously eases off on the brake pedal, a jerk can occur as the vehicle comes to a stop. Comfort Stop automatically eases off, making for smoother stops.
- Start-off Assistant. Keeps the vehicle from rolling backward when stopped facing uphill. The driver can then start up without doing a ballet with the clutch, brake and accelerator (manual transmission) or doesn't have to hold the accelerator or brakes while stopped on a hill (automatic transmission).
With all these features, the MSRP of the 325xi Sports Wagon is $34,695. A typically equipped Sports Wagon includes the Premium Package, an automatic transmission, leather upholstery and metallic paint. At $39,345, a typically equipped 2006 325xi Sports Wagon is only $200 more than its 2005 counterpart and has substantially more equipment.
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