Just when it seemed like wagon aficionados were going to have to make an occupy-every-auto-manufacturer movement, BMW swoops in with some exciting news.

If Endras BMW is to be believed (who by the way seems to have taken over representing BMW in Canada from the ever dormant BMW Canada), the 5-series is going to be available on our shore in diesel form! The 550d in Europe gets a tri-turbo 3.0 litre six which makes 375 horsepower and a whopping 546 pound feet of torque all while returning on average 6.3 L/100 kms and producing 167 g/km of carbon dioxide.

But wait, it gets better.

The 550d will also come with BMW’s X-Drive all-wheel drive system optional as well as BMW’s M package being available to spruce things up look-wise.

But probably the best news of all? This can all be had in wagon for as well. BMW had decided to not sell the 5-series wagon on our shores with the 5-series GT stepping in to fill the gap. However, as good as the 5-series GT is, it’s not exactly a sales star.

The 550d with the M-pack and in wagon form was actually Jeremy Clarkson’s pick for car of the year this year and it’s not hard to see why.

All this seems too good to be true and when that happens, it usually is. However, Endras BMW claims an 550d Xdrive M wagon can be available to us Canucks as early as March.

Now, all BMW needs to do is add a manual transmission to that wagon and boy, do we ever have one drool-worthy family hauler.

[Endras BMW]

By Kevin Harrison

Have you ever really liked something that was really popular, then all of a sudden people decided it wasn’t cool anymore? For instance, I like sweater vests. Believe me, I know they are terribly uncool, but the fact of the matter is, they really aren’t uncool. If you haven’t noticed, old men wear sweater vests and old men have completely fresh style. Think about it. Most old men are married and have been for a long time. How many single old men do you know? Exactly. I guarantee you their old man clothes had something to do with getting them a woman.

The same thing could be argued for wagons. I mean they used to be cool, but now, where are all the wagons? They’ve all turned into stupid useless SUV’s. As a result, wagons are seen as uncool and I really don’t understand that either. Going back to my old man analogy, how many old men to do you see in Hummers, Navigators, or even Explorers? Yet think of what old men typically drive. Cadillacs and Buick’s of course, but if they’re a bit more adventurous, they all get wagons. And on top of that, they always have a woman in the passenger seat. Wagons therefore = cool. On the flip side, How many douchebags do you see in SUV’s blasting questionable music with absolutely no girls in the car? See my point?

There are still a few automakers that are smart enough to get this. Volvo and Subaru are the ones that usually come to mind when you think of wagons, but Volkswagen should be considered as well. They’ve had the Passat wagon going for decades (and is still going strong) and they smartly introduced the Jetta wagon in the early 2000′s. It has since turned into the Golf wagon. It should also be noted that the Golf wagon name is just for Canadians. In the States, they still call in the Jetta wagon. That’s probably inaccurate now that it has a Golf front facia. Once again, Canada does it right.

But the bigger question is, does it actually do what a good wagon should?

First things first, does it look good? A big reason people don’t buy wagons is because they don’t think it’s cool enough, which largely has to do with how it looks. Luckily, the Golf wagon looks pretty slick, especially with the new Golf front end. That said, like an SUV and a minivan, there’s only so much you can do with its styling. I think a refresh of the rear end should have been in order, but otherwise the Golf wagon keeps a “sport wagon” styling theme throughout. You can even get optional 5 spoke 18 inch wheels which really bring out the look.

So, it looks good, but does that come at the expense of versatility and functionality – the marque of any good wagon. Well, no. Not at all. With 32.6 cubic feet with the seats up, the Golf wagon has more cargo space than the Matrix, the Elantra Touring, the Impreza hatchback, the Lancer sportback, the Chevy HHR, Chrysler PT Cruiser and Jeep Patriot. The Golf wagon also humiliates a lot of compact SUV’s for cargo space including its own sibling the Tiguan. That’s because, with the rear seats down (which fold flat by the way), the Golf Wagon can swallow a massive 60 cubic feet worth of stuff. It used to be with the old Jetta wagon, you had to remove the rear headrests if you wanted a perfectly flat surface, but now you can keep the headrests in place to fold the seats.

The news for the interior is also good up front where typical VW fit and finish can be found with soft touch materials and a relatively easy layout. One gripe though is the sunroof. All VW’s use a dial to operate the large panoramic sunroof located above the rear view mirror. Since it is an unconventional way of operating the sunroof, it definitely takes some getting used to. As a result, you find yourself looking up at the dial to find the placement you want, which of course takes your eyes off the road. Granted this may be something you would get used to, but being different for the sake of being different is a bit annoying and in this case, a bit unsafe. The steering wheel has controls for the audio system, bluetooth and the multifunctional information screen which ensures your eyes don’t leave the road more than they already have. The dials for the heated seats are difficult to use, I can only imagine how much worse they’d be with a glove hand.

Driving dynamics are good. The Golf wagon doesn’t have an overly firm suspension, but it is firm enough to invite confidence for more spirited driving as well. As was the case with the Audi A3 TDI that I tested earlier, the Golf Wagon suffers a tad from under steer thanks to the large diesel engine. That combined with the front wheel drive system means lots of weight in the front end making it nose heavy. Still, with its general low centre of gravity and the fully independent suspension, the Golf wagon much more nimble in the corners than its compact SUV counterparts. However, being longer and heavier than the Golf hatchback, it’s not quite as good.

The Golf wagon uses the same 2.0 litre 4. cylinder engine from the Jetta TDI I also tested a while back. It makes 140 horsepower and a healthy 236 pound feet of torque. When mated with my tester’s standard six speed manual (kudos to VW for offering a manual transmission), which replaces the five speed manual from last year, you definitely will not be left behind when the light turns green. That’s because the torque kicks in at just 1750 rpms. The only thing is though, when you push the engine hard, it reminds you that it is in fact a diesel. At normal speeds, the engine is excellently quiet. Volkswagen has gone to great lengths to deaden the sound of their diesel and they’ve done an excellent job.

But the main reason why anyone buys a diesel is because of its efficiency. I’m quite fond of this unit because it blends performance with efficiency nicely (not to mention you don’t need to sacrifice a manual transmission if your main concern is efficiency like 99% of hybrids out there). The Golf wagon TDI is rated at 4.6 L/100 kms highway and 6.7 L/100 kms city when equipped with the manual. If you opt for an automatic, you take a bit of a penalty is the auto returns 4.9 highway and 7.0 city. Obviously the Golf Wagon TDI is more suited to longer highway trips.

So the Golf Wagon is pretty much the only compact wagon you can buy these days. At least, the only one you can buy on the cheap. And of course, cheap is relative since this particular model was optioned all the way out to $33,000. What’s it’s direct competition? Well, you could say all those hatches and crossovers mentioned in the review, but none of them are true wagons. Therefore I’d venture to say the Volvo V50 is the Golf wagon’s true competition.

But let’s hope the Golf wagon sticks around and that the emergence of all these crossover SUV’s don’t kill it off. In a way the Golf wagon has an advantage of being almost the only wagon standing in its segment. But is being alone really all that cool? Damn right it is. It will only become uncool when old men stop buying it.

Price as tested: $33,230

Pros:

• Lots of cargo room
• Good blend of efficiency and performance
• 6 speed manual now available
• Excellent fit and finish

Cons:

• Rear end styling is getting dated
• Some interior controls not user friendly
• A bit nose heavy
• Price can climb fast with options

Overall: 8/10

By Kevin Harrison

For this new car review I’ll skip my usual pretentious introduction where I talk about something that seemingly has nothing to do with the car, but then I somehow tie it all together at the end . Because this review is definitely very unique – it’s about a car that isn’t even available for sale in Canada.

Why even bother writing a review that very few Canadians will get to drive? Well, for that very reason. It’s a unique experience. But on top of that, this is a car that BMW very well could bring over to Canada and it would fit in quite nicely. BMW currently sells its 1-series in two forms (coupe and cabriolet) in Canada, but there are some people that may not realize that there is actually a hatchback version available world wide everywhere but here. I think that’s a mistake. While the 1-series hatchback may not be palatable to American taste buds, Canadians tend to find hatchbacks more agreeable.

On top of that, this particular model would likely do quite well. It’s a diesel and diesels are well suited for long distance driving. And if you haven’t noticed, Canada has the second largest land mass in the world. As a result not only do we do lots of driving, but we are the 3rd largest emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2) per person in the world because of it.

So is the 118d a car that we’re missing out on, or is it best kept elsewhere?

Firstly, I should explain how I was actually able to drive the 118d in Canada. By now, you’ve likely noticed all the English and French writing on the 118d’s paint. That’s because the car belongs to Transport Canada. They were in town doing to real world evaluations of three cars, one of which is the 118d. They bought the car straight from Germany (the owners manual is even in German which is pretty cool) and have been taking it across the country. Transport Canada’s evaluations will help the government with future policy regulations. Obviously they would like to have public input.

Since I’m really into cars and am an upstanding Canadian citizen (though the Halifax Regional Police seem to disagree for some reason), they actually let me take the 118d out for a spin. Usually they don’t let people do this. The other two cars were a Toyota Prius plug-in and Mitsubishi’s all-electric i-Miev. The latter is generally used for people to try out if they want, but the BMW is not to be used by the public. Obviously I talked my way into driving it like an asshole.

The 118d does not use the same diesel engine that can be found in the 335d and the X5d. It’s a smaller 2.0 litre turbodiesel which produces 148 horsepower and 221 pound feet of torque. The 118d recently won World Green Car of the Year and it’s not hard to see why. The 118d is rated at an impressive 4.9 L/100 kms. By comparison, the Toyota Prius is rated at around 4.0 L/100 kms and it uses a million pieces of technology to help it achieve that. The 118d relies on the engine alone for its rating – meaning, it’s quite simply a brilliant engine. The 118d is a million miles kilometers ahead of the Prius when it comes to driving dynamics as well.

While you won’t have your head slam back into your headrest at take-off, there is still decent punch, especially when mated to the 6-speed manual, which this car has. 0-100 takes about 8.8 seconds which is a full second faster than the Prius. It certainly feels faster than it is actually going. Engine noise is very untypical for a diesel in that it doesn’t sound like one at all. If I didn’t know it was a diesel before hand, I probably wouldn’t have noticed right away. It sounds and feels like a regular gas injected engine. Again, kudos to BMW for making such a great engine. One notable problem though was the engine cover. When I started to push the 118d, you could hear something clattering around in the engine bay. After pulling over for further examination, I found that the cover was lose. I tried to snap it back in, but no dice. I then just removed the cover all together and stored it in the hatch. I told myself that I would just put it back in before I returned the car, but as I write this, I realize that I didn’t do that. Oops. In fact, you can see it in the hatch in one of the pics I took. Anyway, that’s either some shoddy build quality which is not typical of BMW at all, or Transport Canada was messing about with the engine and didn’t put the engine cover back on properly.

Cruising at highway speed is definitely this car’s forte. Even though the engine is not designed for performance (at least not performance typical of BMW’s) I still found myself way above the speed limit most of the time without realizing it. The engine is quite smooth – extremely smooth in fact for a diesel. And despite my driving over the speed limit, I was averaging 5.1 L/100 kms. One of the Transport Canada guys told me that they actually beat the 118d’s 4.9 L/100 kms rating as they got 4.2 L/100 kms on the way to Nova Scotia. That’s quite impressive since it’s hard to meet or beat any vehicle’s efficiency rating, though admittedly they probably used efficient driving techniques to help out.

One interesting gas saving feature is the stop/start technology. This is typically used in hybrids where the engine automatically shuts off when you come to a stop and restarts itself once you take your foot off the brake. It’s all very seamless, and quite easy to get used to. I’ve never experienced it on a manual transmission before, however. What you have to do in order for the stop/start to work is put the car into neutral before coming to a complete stop and keep your foot off the clutch. The engine will then automatically shut off. The engine will restart itself once you depress the clutch. It takes some getting used to if you are used to keeping the clutch depressed and in gear when stopped.

Being a 1-series, handling is sublime. Very sharp, precise steering with no body roll. The 118d has a tendency to over steer every so slightly, even with the traction control still on, but this definitely will not hinder in spirited driving. Despite having smallish 16 inch wheels with ridiculous hubcaps, the 118d will not disappoint in the handling department.

The interior on the other hand is a bit of a disappointment. It’s quite obvious that this car is a base car. Even the steering wheel looks cheap. Quality of materials are decent, but overall the layout is quite bland and uninspiring. The seats, however are supportive. The rear seat room is tight, there’s no other way of putting it. In fact, it feels smaller back there than in the 1-series coupe. Still, the 118d has a middle seat and the 1-series coupe doesn’t, so it’s a bit more practical. The boot is also smallish, but with the rear seats folded down, there’s a decent amount of room.

The overall styling is something I’m not quite sure about. The coupe is so sexy and eye-catching that when you turn it into a hatch, it sort of loses something. Plus, those wheels really take away from the overall look in my opinion. The side profile gives almost a bit of a micro-van look, but the view from the rear is good. Also those clear euro turn signals are quite a nice touch, but those would never pass Canadian safety regulations if the 118d ever came to our shores.

Speaking of coming to our shores, I really hope it does. Until this point, if you wanted to save gas or if you had any concern for the environment, you had to sacrifice performance. BMW has proven that you don’t necessarily have to anymore.

The 118d is an excellent blend of acceptable performance with incredible efficiency.

Price: N/A But Transport Canada paid $35,000 for this 118d.

Pros:

• Incredible fuel efficiency
• Handling abilities
• Brilliant engine – one of the best in the world
• Solid feeling on the highway
• Added versatility of the hatchback over the coupe
• One of the cleanest diesels around
• Being a diesel is not noticable

Cons:

• Strange styling
• Dorky hubcaps
• Subpar interior for a BMW
• Tight interior space

Overall: 8.5/10

By Kevin Harrison

I was driving behind an old Mercedes-Benz diesel a while back and I have to say, it was about as desirable as playing strip poker with your parents. It was just awful.

I actually had to turn my radio up because that diesel clatter was making my ears bleed. Then, despite being 30 degrees outside, I had to roll up my windows because the exhaust coming out of the tailpipe had a rather black/purple-ish hue that would make even Stephen Harper concerned about its effect on the environment. On top of that, the smell was less agreeable than a hockey player locker room after the second period.

For the first time ever, I finally started to understand North American tendencies. Diesels of the past were terrible.

Since then, many automakers have refined diesel technology, most notably Volkswagen. Even though most automakers bailed on the idea of bringing diesels back, Volkswagen stuck with it, leaving them with virtually all the market share. Not a bad move. BMW and Mercedes-Benz have followed suit with each brand offering a small dosage of their diesel technology for open minded North Americans.

Volkswagen has expanded the technology into four of their models. But what if you want a little premium with that oil burner? Well, for the first time Volkswagen has made its famous TDI engine available in the Audi A3. Is it worth it?

The A3 is a bit of an odd entity. While I understand that Audi wishes to usher people into the brand with a lower priced model as BMW has done with the 1-series and Mercedes-Benz has done with the B-Class, I don’t quite understand why anyone would pay the premium over a Golf, which is essentially what the A3 is. Adding the TDI as an option certainly helps separate it from the 1-series and B-class however.

First things first, the A3 looks good. While I’m still on the fence about Audi’s LED overload on all its models, I think it works nicely on the refreshed A3. It definitely has a sleek premium yet sporty look to it with the black roof and multi-spoke wheels. The single exhaust pipe looks terribly out of place on an Audi, however.

Inside is very much on par for Audi though as fit and finish is terrific. Some have complained that Audi/Volkswagen have lost their reputation as being among the best in the business, but I’m not one of them. Quality of materials is superb, and while the positioning of all the buttons and switches takes a bit of getting used to, the layout is quite pleasant as is the white gauges with red undertones.

There is adequate space in the backseat for two adults – three in a pinch- and good cargo room especially with the seats down.

The engine is identical 2.0 litres that Volkswagen uses in the Jetta and Golf diesels. As such, it produces 140 horsepower and a very healthy 236 pound feet of torque which gives it its get-up-and-go. This is a tremendous engine only bested by BMW’s diesel offering in the 335d. It is smooth and refined. Even at idle, you have to listen very hard for that infamous diesel clatter. When the engine is pushed, the A3 makes more of a roaring sound, untypical of the traditional exhaust note, however it is inoffensive and is not intrusive to the cabin.

The good news with this engine continues as it gets a combined rating of 5.8 L/100 kms. That is excellent. A Smart Fortwo gets a city rating of 5.9 L/100 kms by comparison. In addition the A3 TDI emits only 111 g/km of C02. Good stuff.

Handling is adequate. The A3 TDI has a tendency to under steer however, mostly due to the fact that it is nose heavy. Diesels are usually heavier than gas engines, however BMW is able to retain handling abilities with its diesel, so it’s not really an excuse. Oddly enough, I didn’t experience the same under steering nature in the 2010 Jetta TDI (review coming soon!). But considering Audi is known for its handling abilities, I was slightly taken aback.

Likewise, Audi is known for their superb Quattro all-wheel drive. Don’t expect to experience it in the A3 TDI though. Front wheel drive only is the order of the day. I have no idea why Audi decided to do this. Buying a front wheel drive Audi is like trying to eat soup with a fork. Pointless.

And that’s the thing. While this car is very well put together, has typical Audi style and quality, decent handling and excellent fuel mileage it really doesn’t make any sense. At $35,000 to start, I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone would take this over a Golf TDI which is just as good looking, has the same quality materials for the interior, virtually the same room, the exact same engine and handling capabilities but it’s $10,000 cheaper. If Audi had done something to set it apart – to justify the extra premium if you will, then it could have made sense. Audi could have put its Quattro standard and it would be the only all-wheel drive diesel engine car available. It would have the market to itself. Or maybe they could’ve boosted the torque, or improved the efficiency. Something. Anything.

But alas no. The only thing the Audi has the the Golf doesn’t is LED tail lights, leather and a premium badge. And if anyone thinks that’s worth 10 grand more then I’m pretty sure there is still tons of room available to check themselves into the Betty Ford Center.

I really wanted to like this car, and in fact I do, but I just can’t justify the price premium, much in the same way the Jersey Shore cast can’t justify why they’re famous.

Base Price: $35,500

Pros:

• Great style
• Great engine
• Great interior
• Great efficiency
• Great power

Cons:

• None of that matters when you can essentially have all of that in the form of the Golf for 10 grand less.

Overall: 7/10

Fact: BMW’s diesel’s are tremendous.

Fiction: North Americans love diesels.

Fact: BMW is trying to make North Americans love diesels.

That’s basically how the diesel story goes. BMW isn’t the only one trying to make us love diesels as VW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz have all thrown their hats into the fray. The truth is, we are immensely stupid for not warming up to diesels and should consider oursleves lucky that said manufacturers haven’t given up on us.

And, to prove they haven’t given up, BMW has just announced that the new 2011 5 series will have a diesel varient to choose for us North Americans. The 5-series diesel is currently offered in Europe (where they do things properly) and it has been pretty successful so far.

But on top of that, BMW recently confirmed that two more diesels will be making their way to our shores. They didn’t drop any hints as to what they would be, but the only logical models left that don’t have diesel variants are the X6 and the 1-series.

And the wagon invasion continues!

BMW has officially released pics of the new 5-series wagon Touring which reaveals no surprises in terms of design. It is essentially the new sedan body style from the B pillar forward and a lot more room for your stuff in the back.

If it’s half as good as the 550i GT is, then consider us to be very excited. It will get the same twin turbo V8, but unlike the 550i GT, it will not be available at launch. A 535i variant is expected to hold down the fort until the 550i version arrives. The 535i will get 300 horsepower from BMW’s new 3.0 twin-scroll turbo inline six. We’re betting that Europe will get a diesel version, but we probably won’t get it here.

So the big question is: which would you rather? A 5 series GT or a 5-series Touring? We think the wagon design definitely looks cleaner.

Check out the new 5 wagon in action after the jump

A lot of people tend to wonder why no one has thought of combining a diesel with hybrid technology, as oppposed to a regular gasoline combustion engine, since diesels are inherantly efficient to begin with. Seemingly combining two forms of efficient technology would be the ultimate in both efficiency and power as diesels tend to have high torque ranges.

Well, someone has thought of it before. Mainly mostly every car manufacturer. The problem with a diesel hybrid set up is that diesels are bigger and heavier than traditional gas engine. Therefore, there generally isn’t enough room in the engine bay for both the diesel and electric motor. On top of that, the set up would be quite costly. Both hybrids and diesels tend to be more expensive than gas engine vehicles, so having a vehicle with both likely would likely produce some sticker shock.

But, that of course doesn’t stop manufacturers from trying. Kia has recently been flirting with the idea of a diesel-hybrid, and Mercedes-Benz has just announced a production diesel hybrid version of their E-Class sedan.

Details after the jump.

The E 300 BluTEC Hybrid will make its debut for the 2011 model year. It will feature an upgraded 2.2 litre CDI engine and a 15 kw electric motor charged by lithium-ion battery technology.

Combined power will be good for 224 horespower and the set up is expected to return a rather impressive 4 l/100 kms.

The eight-speed automatic with stop/start technology, and the ability to run up to 35 kilometers on the electric motor alone help the new E-class hybrid acheive its efficiency.

No pricing as of yet, but expect to pay a  premium for all this technology. Chances are, if you have the kind of dough to spend on an E-Class to begin with, then the price jump may not be such a hard pill to swallow.

By Kevin Harrison

A few days ago, I was on my way to Halifax from Dartmouth via Metro Transit’s superb bus services. It was around lunch time and I expected it to be quite busy. It was. However I was able to get myself a seat near the front of the bus which is typically reserved for the elderly, people who are disabled or have  young children. At one point a woman got on the bus and sat down next to me. This annoyed me because at no point during her time on the bus did she do anything remotely surprising. I had her ‘type’ pinned down as soon as the bus pulled up. She was clearly a crazy woman. Now, normally I don’t tend to judge books by their covers, but there seems to be a law in the universe that anyone that is remotely ‘loony tunes’ will interact with me, no matter what the circumstances.

I knew that this woman would choose to sit next to me rather than take the empty seats across from me. I knew that she would hit me in the face a few times with her bags as she attempted to sit down. I knew that she would ask me to hold her travel mug while she composed herself, then once settled in, act like the mug wasn’t hers. I knew that she would spend the majority of the trip talking to me about her dog “Jack” who may or may not exist. Seriously, the way she spoke about him made me question whether he was all in her head. It was at this point when I had started to pray that an elderly woman would get on the bus so I could give up my seat and get a break from hearing about how she once met a man with the same name as Tom Cruise, but wasn’t Tom Cruise, yet she still asked for his autograph anyway.

Sometimes you can nail down the personality of a car before driving it too, which is also irritating. For instance before you get into a Toyota Corolla (it does not matter what year) you know you will be in for a rather boring ride, but at least nothing will go wrong the gas pedal you’ll be able to save some gas. Before you get behind the wheel of a Ferrari 599 you know you’ll be in for one of the most thrilling adrenaline inducing rides of your life, but only if you can get it started first without jumper cables.

I thought I had the Touareg nailed down too. Turns out, I didn’t.

With its massive eye-catching 20 inch wheels, low profile tires, silver exterior trim, and blinding xenon headlamps I had VW’s mid-sized SUV pegged as another wannabe off-roader that only saw city streets and spent more time in mall parking lots than on a gravel road. In fact during my time with the Touareg, one guy referred to it as “a wannabe Cayenne”. It seemed this SUV was but one in a very crowded luxury ute market that only had big wheels to help it stand out in a crowd.

But the fact is, this Touareg is a capable machine that does stand out and a lot has to do with what’s under the hood. The V6 TDI is a new option for 2010. With 225 horses and 425 pound feet of torque, it’s a wonder why VW waited so long to drop it in the Touareg’s engine bay. It’s perfectly suited for this kind of vehicle. Due to all that torque, the optional tow hitch can actually be used to tow pretty much anything, which gives some credibility to the Touareg’s rugged appearance.

Power is readily available at low RPM’s, and is most noticeable when the automatic switches to second gear. The Touareg TDI can run a respectable 8.1 second sprint from 0 to 100. Not bad considering this porker weighs just over 5000 pounds. All that weight doesn’t necessarily translate into bad fuel economy either thanks to that impressive diesel. Rated at 11.9L/100 kms city and 8.0L/100 kms highway, the TDI gets significantly better mileage than its gas engine brother which is rated at a dismal 14.6L/100 kms city and 10.4L/100 kms highway.

VW likes to make sure the words ‘Clean Diesel’ follow the TDI, and a big reason why is to enhance public perception. The TDI emits 5508 kg of carbon dioxide (C02) per year. That’s roughly only 300 kg better than the gas version but a whopping 2000 kg worse than the Jetta TDI. Again, if the TDI went on the Jenny Craig diet, this would like help with better Co2 scores. Still, it’s on par with the BMW X5 diesel and Mercedes-Benz Blutech diesel. Less C02 and particulate matter is always a good thing, no matter how small the improvement, so kudos to VW for the effort.

On pavement around town, the Touareg TDi is quite comfortable, despite those large 20 inch wheels, low profile tires and a sport suspension, which are part of the optional $3,500 sport package. In fact, the handling is quite decent because of it – it’s not just all for show. The suspension isn’t so firm that you need to drive it like you have hemorrhoids, yet is firm enough to take a corner at relative high speeds without that unnerving feeling that you’re going to flip if you don’t slow down. It is very possible to have fun driving this vehicle, but again, fun is relative for a heavy SUV. BMW’s X5 Xdrive35d handles better despite it’s awful name (and having a name worse than Touareg is hard to do). The BMW just feels a tad tighter in the corners and the stability control doesn’t interfere as much.

I was lucky enough to get a snowfall of around 15 centimeters during my time with the Touareg TDI. I initially was a little concerned as low profile tires are usually hopeless in snow, so I drove it cautiously on the main roads. The TDI handled it fine, but admittedly any vehicle would’ve handled it fine considering how I was driving it. So, to really let loose, I found an empty parking lot. It turns out, the Touareg’s all-wheel drive system can handle snowy conditions with ease, despite the tires (that’s not to say that winter tires aren’t necessary as I believe the Touareg would’ve done even better with a good set on).

With no one around, I let out my inner nine-year-old and turned off the traction control. The Touareg felt right at home, slipping and sliding between doing donuts and and some slalom exercises, all the while feeling composed and almost relaxed.
The interior is the place to be if you have a button fetish. There are way too many. On top of that, they are all mostly on the small side so pushing them with a glove hand means you unintentionally hit two buttons at once. Using a dial for the heated seats made it even worse.Eventually you become frustrated and just take your gloves off. A heated steering wheel would be appreciated in this instance. But despite the button overload, the interior presentation is excellent with superb quality materials for fit and finish, with only one exception of the dials which made very cheap clicking sounds. At night, the soft blue backgrounds over red dials really gives it a unique futuristic look. VW really does know how to make a great looking and feeling interior.

Cargo room is definitely not lacking as it can easily swallow up 31 cubic feet with the rear seats up, and 71 cubic feet with them down. The only issue is that the seats don’t fold completely flat. Otherwise, you’ll have no trouble fitting cargo back there.

Likewise, you won’t have any problem fitting three average sized adults in the back seats either. There is more than adequate leg and foot room, even with the drivers seat set back all the way. The rear leather bench is just as comfortable as the two bucket seats up front, and the middle seat is actually usable. When no one is sitting in it, it makes a nice arm rest or can turn into a cup holder for two. The cup holders actually fit North American sized drinks, which is both great and embarrassing at the same time.

There are a few issues, however. For a vehicle of this size and of this price, the windshield wipers seem like they came from a salvage yard. They’re absolutely dreadful, including the rear wiper as well.

Secondly, about a day after picking up the Touareg, the computer had decided I was an idiot. It kept telling me I was out of windshield wiper fluid by popping it up on the disaply screen literally every seven seconds or so. Yes, I get it. There’s no washer fluid. There’s no need to repeatedly tell me this, I understood it the first time – English is my first language after all. There should really be a “read” button like Volvo has where you can push it to let the computer know that you understand what it’s telling you and wish to continue on without interruption until you have time to buy windshield wiper fluid.

After passing a slow moving vehicle on the highway, with much gusto thanks to that torque-y engine if I’m honest, the engine light came on. I made sure I checked the gas tank cover and it was sealed properly. This engine should be able to handle passing any vehicle no matter how aggressively without issue considering how new it is.

Then there were the front sensors which seemed to consistently warn me that I was immanently going to hit something when there was clearly nothing there. The first time I thought maybe a cat or something had ran out in front of me and I hadn’t noticed so I slammed on the brakes just in case. But then it kept happening. It happened five more times throughout my time with the Touareg. Again, no cats or any objects, just the Touareg apparently messing about with the driver.

Then there’s the issue of the price. The over $63,000 as tested price is quite the sticker shock – not what you’d expect from “The People’s Car”. You can get the BMW X5 diesel for the same price and it has a better engine and better handling, although admittedly, if it is optioned out like the Touareg, the price climbs steadily from there.

But in a way that doesn’t even matter. This is one of the few SUV’s that can actually be proud to be one and which surprises in a good way. It has excellent rugged looks (despite being an eight year old design), it proves to hold its own in bad conditions, the interior is great, there’s lots of cargo room, it handles exceptionally well and it has a tremendous engine under the hood. If you take away the shaky VW reliability and cut the price down you’d have yourself one hell of an SUV. And that’s something people just might not expect, which makes the Touareg TDI refreshingly non-irritating.

Base Price: $58,300

Price As Tested: $63,380

Pros:

• Excellent engine
• Great looks
• Handles decently for its weight as size
• A bit of piece of mind for the environment

Cons:

• Shaky reliability
• Steep price
• Too many buttons on the dash

Score: 8/10

All photos are property of cardriven.ca and are not to be used or distributed for without permission.

BMW is known for being the benchmark in many areas, specifically handing and performance, but not many people would consider the brand when it comes to efficiency or the environment.

Well it seems BMW wants even more accolades as it is trying to take the ‘Green Leader’ crown in the premium segment as they have confirmed production of a hybrid supercar. On top of that BMW finally has their awesome diesels for sale in both the 3 series and X5 in our market, they’re in pilot production stages of an all-electric Mini, they recently introduced an all-electric 1-series concept and now comes word that BMW will add two small cars beneath the 1-series. This new venture into the green territory is likely the result of new stringent efficiency standards, but if anyone can somehow match performance with efficiency, BMW is likely to do it.
Find out more about the new models after the jump
The first of the two new introductions is an all electric Megacity car which appears to have a set up similar to the Chevy Volt. Details beyond that are quite scarce.

The second vehicle is rumoured to be a small front-wheel drive hatchmack. Yes, you read that correctly, front-wheel drive.  This new hatch is rumoured to be dubbed the “o-series” (one thing that BMW apparently sucks at is vehicle name schemes) and is supposed to be offered as an alternative to a Mini owner who is looking for more premium aka someone who just wants a BMW badge to show off to the neighbours.

Seriously, if people wish to have a premium hot hatch from BMW, then bring over the 1-series hatch, match it with that superb diesel of theirs and- ta da! You’ve got a proper rear wheel drive efficient hot hatch. It’s really not that hard.

BMW purists are sure to shout blasphemy from the rooftops, but truthfully BMW has proved with its Mini brand that it could make front-wheel drive cars fun too. Again, leave it to BMW to seemingly do the impossible. But we would tend to agree that any vehicle that dawns the BMW name should be rear or all-wheel drive. Leave the front wheel drive business to the Mini division.

2013 is going to be a very good year.

Possibly the most innovative concept to come out in a while, BMW attempts the difficult task of combining power with efficiency. Also, BMW obviously couldn’t just stand by while their main rival Audi releases their all-electric E-tron.

The production version will obviously be a lot tamer than the concept you see, still, expect a shapely supercar like body.

What’s under the hood? Well, not what you’d might expect. It will reportedly feature a 3-cylinder diesel with a range extender and two electric motors. Sound underwhelming? Well the complicated hybrid set up will produce around 356 horsepower and a ridiculously insane 590 pound feet of torque!

There’s more good news. Vision EfficientDynamics will not be the name of the production version. BMW may be considering reviving the M1 moniker for it.  But really, they could call it pig-farter and we’d still buy it.
Check out more pics over at autoblog.