2008 BMW 3 Series Touring (E91) 325i 6MT (218 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Along with the refreshed 3 Series Sedan in October 2008, BMW also introduced the facelift for the station wagon version, traditionally named Touring for the European market or Sports Wagon in the U.S.

With the upcoming Euro 5 emission standards in Europe that were due to come into force starting in 2009, the German automaker needed to improve the engine lineup for the 3 Series range. After all, it was the cash cow of the family and had to be kept up to date. But BMW didn’t stop there. It also improved the car’s exterior and interior, especially in terms of technology and features. Furthermore, the automaker replaced some parts that were not on par with the brand’s high-quality standards to make them more reliable. Surprisingly, even though many automakers started to downsize their engines, BMW did the opposite and provided the family-oriented vehicle with potent engines that could threaten well-known hot hatches and leave them in the dust.

BMW didn’t like to call its facelifted vehicles like anyone else, so it used the LCI (Life Cycle Impulse) term. Regardless of the name, it was a refresh for the lineup. The 2009 BMW 3 Series Touring, known as the E91 in factory internal coding, featured a revised front fascia. Its headlights featured available bi-xenon lights, while the turn signal lamps were LEDs under clear covers instead of amber ones as on its predecessor. In the middle, the kidney grille was redesigned, sporting a chromed rim. As a result, the hood had to be reshaped, sporting V-shapes that emphasized the vehicle’s dynamic look. The lower side of the front fascia was covered by a wrapped-around bumper featuring smoother inner-upper angles for the side scoops in the apron, flanking an upside-down trapezoidal shape of an air intake. At the back, the L-shaped taillights introduced LED turn signals on red upper corners, while the LED reversing lights were slim bars placed on the tailgate.

Inside, the most significant upgrade was for the available iDrive infotainment unit, which boasted an 8.8 Gb of internal storage on a hard drive. In addition, the new system could connect to the Internet via the Connected Drive technology using GPRS data transmission. Furthermore, unlike the previous unit, this one showed data arranged in a list, not in a grid-like style. The 2009 BMW 3 Series Touring (Sports Wagon) was one of the few station wagons available to boast luxurious interiors and upscale amenities, unavailable for most other brands. The 40/20/40 split-folding bench in the rear allowed the trunk to increase its size from 460 liters (16.2 cu-ft) to 1,385 liters (48.9 cu-ft)

Under the hood, BMW introduced a new family of Euro 5-compliant and even Euro 6-ready engines, the latter being due to become mandatory in late 2014. Surprisingly, for a station wagon, the 3 Series Touring was available with engines up to 306 PS (302 hp), which transformed the family-oriented vehicle into a hot rod that was also good for doing grocery shopping and school runs. The turbodiesel engine range also grew, providing excellent fuel efficiency and decent performance. These were available in selected countries. Also, depending on the market, the car was available with rear or all-wheel drive systems. As a result, despite the world financial crisis that started just months before the model’s introduction, sales slowed down a little in 2009, only to rise again in 2010.