BMW To Bring 5-Series Diesel Over In Wagon Form?!

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]

Got Wagon Withdrawl? A Bit of Good News…

Good news, wagon fans!

Just when it seemed like your favourite body style was going extinct, BMW has made sure at least one of their wagons will solider on in our streets. The next generation 3-series wagon is going to be coming to North America.

The 3-series is going to come in four body styles for sure (sedan, coupe, convertible and wagon) but there were rumours of a 3-series hatchback being in the cards a la 5-series GT for North America only. This put serious doubt that the 3-series wagon would be available as the 3-series GT would likely replace the need for a wagon. BMW used this method with the 5-series GT and opted not to sell the wagon version here.  But as cool as hatchbacks are, the 5-series GT isn’t exactly flying off dealer lots and nothing can truly replace a proper wagon. So far BMW hasn’t confirmed or denied the possibility of a 3-series GT for North America, but the wagon will bow for sure.

This welcomed news comes on the heels of several cool wagons no longer being available for sale in Canada including the new Volkswagen Passat, Volvo V70 and V50, Subaru Legacy wagon and Mazda6 wagon.

Now, let’s just hope BMW makes a wagon available in 335i form with a six-speed manual!

[Autoblog]

Volkswagen Passat Wagon Not Coming to Canada

Bad news, wagon fans. Prepare to add another to your R.I.P list as Volkswagen has just announced that the redesigned version of the Passat wagon will not be coming to Canada. The news comes on the heels of rumours of Dodge bringing back their full size wagon, the Magnum, and things were looking up for wagon aficionados everywhere.

The news is especially disheartening since the new wagon was spied testing a while back on U.S soil, leaving the impression that VW was looking to see how it handled our North American climate.

So why the lack of wagon love for us Canadians? Well, VW says that SUV’s and crossovers are still in high demand and slow Passat wagon sales in the U.S helped drive the nail in the coffin. The Touareg and Tiguan are selling strongly and VW says they’re working on a seven passenger CUV as well. Besides, the Golf wagon is still around to satisfy wagon-lovers’ taste buds, says VW. But while the golf wagon is an impressive vehicle for sure, those looking to replace their existing Passat wagons may see it as a bit of a downgrade.

[Car and Driver]

BMW M3 GT Coming?!

Rumours are floating around the internets (from fairly reliable sources too) that the next generation M3 sedan will be replaced by a GT hatchback version similar to the 55oi GT pictured above.

I must say, I really liked the 550i GT that I tested a while back because it blended excellent performance and handling with a luxurious comfortable drive and excellent versatility. But that’s not what M cars are about.

M cars, specifically M3′s are all about raw performance and eff anything else. That means ride quality, luxury, versatility, and reliability even all take a back seat to the raw performance.  Adding some versatility to a vehicle that has traditionally been a raw performance coupe since its inception is a bit like adding a business degree to a porn star’s education.

Still, there’s something deliciously awesome about the CTS-V Wagon, the C63 AMG wagon and the RS3 hatchback.  And when you think about it, BMW has no high performance car that is also practical. The M3 GT is probably meant to that void. Sure the X5 M and X6 M are options, but let’s get real here. While they are tremendous for SUV’s they are still SUV’s nonetheless. Showing up to a track in your X6 M is pretty ridiculous afterall.

[Inside Line]

Smart Move: Hyundai Sonata Wagon Spied

All the luxury automakers have their wits about them as most are offering or are about to offer more wagon variants for us to choose from.

Unfortunately for normal folk, the non-luxury mid-size wagon market is quite dry. There used to be lots to choose from such as the Ford Taurus wagon, Mazda6 wagon, the Camry Wagon and the Dodge Magnum. But all of those have bitten the dust and as a result the mid-size wagon segment has been mostly abandoned. If you want a mid-sized wagon these days without spending north of 30 grand, you are pretty much limited to the Subaru Outback or the Volkswagen Jetta Wagon.

Hyundai is apparently seeing the huge gap in the market, and thus lots of potential. Its newly redesigned Sonata is receiving high praise of late, so they figured they could pull off a similar trick with a wagon version. I’m willing to bet that they will. People won’t be forced into buying an SUV if they need versatility, but it will also serve as a good solution for many businesses and would take up the company car role nicely.

Expect the Sonata wagon to receive a 2012 release date.

[Autoblog]

Oh Hi: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

This is how you do a wagon properly, Acura. People who buy wagons don’t necessarily want to be reminded that they are driving a wagon. You don’t want to make your customer feel like a 70 year old just because they have kids and need more space.

How do you do that? Well, you offer a copious amounts of power. Then you offer a manual transmission (we can’t stress that one enough). Then you make it handle like the dickens and ta da! You have just made a desirable wagon. That’s it. That’s all you need to do to keep performance purists who happen to need room more often than not, happy.

And it just so happens that Cadillac has discovered the uncomplicated formula as they had the bright idea of making a wagon version of the CTS-V sedan. The CTS coupe is also going to be offered in V guise as well. Kudos to Cadillac for making a family car for us performance nuts. The CTS-V wagon will get the same 556 horsepower V8 with 551 pound feet of torque that the sedan gets.

The CTS-V wagon will go on sale in late 2010, expect “limited availability” however.

You Were So Close, Acura

We were pretty excited that Acura had finally decided to make its wagon version of the TSX available to us, but then they had to go and ruin it.

Stupidly, the new TSX wagon will be automatic only and will not have SH-AWD. What?!

Good luck trying to take on the likes of BMW and Audi with that set up, Acura. You might as well make the paint colour beige only and make it only available to people 70+ years old.

The same 2.4 inline four found in the sedan will make its way under the wagon’s hood. Still no report on when it will be available for sale, but after what we’ve just learned, its release date pretty much irrelevant now.

Next.

Let’s Try This Again: Next Lexus IS to Spawn Wagon

We called it just a few posts down, and Lexus is helping to prove us right. We said to expect to see more wagons coming in the near future.

You may be forgiven if you’ve forgotten all about the IS 300 SportCross you see pictured above. But it did indeed exist from 2001 to 2005  and it sold badly. So badly that Lexus had decided it was wasting its valuable time and money on it and the SportCross swiftly got the axe.

But AutoCar is reporting that the next generation IS will see the return of the wagon. Whether or not they’ll call it SportCross again is anyone’s guess, but we’re going to go on record as saying they won’t call it the IS wagon. Wagon is such a taboo word for some reason.  Also, the next IS is rumoured to receive a hybrid variant.

So, let’s take a look at the wagon list. BMW has the 3 series wagon, Audi has their A4 Avant, Volvo has their V60 coming, Acura has just announced a TSX wagon will debut this year, and now we have Lexus. Expect Mercedes-Benz to re-examine their decision not to sell the new C-Class wagon here very soon.

Wagon Comeback: Acura TSX To Get More Junk in the Trunk

Call us crazy, but we are going to predict a swift return of the wagon. That’s not to say the end of the SUV, but CUV’s are definitely becoming all the rage, and let’s face it, they’re just jacked up station wagons. The term ‘station wagon’ is pretty taboo in the car world so you’ll hear car companies come up with new cooler sounding names such as ‘Sportcombi’ or ‘Avant’. Call it whatever you want, they’re wagons.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes you just need to haul more stuff more often than not and you shouldn’t have to sacrifice performance and fuel consumption (like an SUV) in order to get it. Hence, our prediction of the return of the wagon.

Honda has officially announced that the Acura TSX wagon will make its debut at this year’s  New York Auto Show. You don’t debut a model at a U.S auto show unless you plan on selling it in the U.S, so it’s safe to say it’s on its way and insiders are whispering rumours or a fall debut at dealerships. No word yet on powertrain options, but the RDX’s turbo’d  4-cylinder is a strong possibility along with SH-AWD. If they make a stick available then colour us officially intrigued.

Acura is just the latest to step up to the wagon plate with Cadillac introducing a wagon version of their CTS (with rumours of a CTS-V wagon in the works), Saab continuing on with 9-5 and 9-3 wagons, and Volvo slotting a new wagon in their lineup as well.