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2004 BMW 325xi Sports Wagon is a true driving machine

So there we were, sitting in the driveway. Actually, sitting in this car in the driveway … with an immediate disagreement over the merits of the vehicle.

I was eager to fire up the wagon its builders call the “Ultimate Driving Machine” and tool over some back roads through Newbury, West Newbury, Groveland, Bradford, and Haverhill on a course I’d plotted to try and find the new house of some friends by “flying blind.” And, if I [we?] got a bit lost? So much the better.

She _ Mrs. G _ was unimpressed. “Hmmphh. Driver’s car. Well, the seats are comfortable and there’s plenty of leg room up front.” And, once ABBA _ a compromise choice _ was fired up in the CD player, “OK, it’s got a good sound system.”

I meanwhile, had circled the car _ a 2004 BMW 325xi Sports Wagon _ eagerly.

* Wow, it’s a wagon. Check. * 5-speed manual transmission. Check. * All-wheel drive. Check. * Xenon lights. Check.

There’s a lot to be said for a “driving machine” in the form of a station wagon _ er, Sports Wagon _ in terms of hauling either just stuff or people and their stuff.

Given my druthers, I’d always have driven a wagon.

Not Mrs. G. She always goes for style and comfort.

Somehow, in her eyes, a wagon and comfort are mutually exclusive terms, even though the fit and finish were BMW quality and the interior was leather with heated seats (part of the cold-weather package with retractable headlight washers and a ski bag).

Such is the lot of the noble wagon. Shunned by the SUV and mini-van stampede, the wagon had fallen into disfavor. Toyota even dropped its acclaimed Camry wagon.

But the crowd is coming back, and you can point to three factors: One is the price of gas. A second is the price of the vehicles themselves. The wagons are lighter, more economical to operate, and generally less expensive than their SUV brethren. A third is handling. SUVs have become more car-like while cars [especially hatchbacks and wagons] offer much of the SUV’s cargo-carrying abilities and often have more performance-oriented handling characteristics.

They just aren’t calling them wagons. For example, take the latest crossover SUVs that have inched into the wagon domain; notably the Chrysler Pacifica, Nissan Murano, Dodge Magnum (one of those turned my head on Rte. 95 the other day). And others never left, notably the key domestic players Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. Subaru quietly built a big following in the Northeast with its all-wheel drive wagons. And the Germans never gave up the niche. Audi (especially with its Quattro wagons), VW (Jetta, Passat), and Mercedes kept the faith. So did the Swedes, selling boatloads of Volvo and (of late) Saab wagons.

And it’s often sedan owners who are taking the second look at the new breed of station wagons turned sport wagons.

I came back around, too. Trouble is, every time we replaced a vehicle in the family fleet, a wagon was outvoted, 1-1.

Still, our Sunday afternoon drive was fun. Mrs. G made one more concession, “It’s got a nice ride.” That’s saying something because her idea of a “nice ride” is comfort, and mine is “stiff and responsive.” The car responded well through back country roads I’d never before found. Look out through the windshield and feel the “driving experience” through the seat of your pants, the pedals, and steering wheel, and you know you’re driving a near-luxury class BMW. Look in back, especially with the rear seats folded, and gear stowed, and you’re definitely in a high-class hauler. Zip around a corner and experience that BMW trademark “like a train on rails” handling. Come across an unexpected stop sign and the BMW glides to a halt. There’s none of that feeling of bringing a heavyweight truck ‘s momentum. SUV? Hardly. It’s a BMW sedan that just happens to be in a wagon c nfiguration.

The 325xi was true to its BMW roots, a driver’s car. The 184-horsepower, 2.5-liter, 24-valve in-line 6 had plenty of oomph (0-to-60 mph in 8 seconds) but no massive pool of power in reserve. Neither 3 Series wagon _ the sibling 325i is rear-wheel drive with traction and stability control _ has the option of the bigger, 3-liter engine, 225-horsepower that helps designate the 330 sedan, coupe and convertible.

It’s turning radius _ 35.8 feet _ proved both welcome and useful when I made a quick U-turn in trying to get unlost when we were approaching the 1/2-hour late mark. It’s one of those few occasions when a navigation system would have been welcome. Still, with the old Eastern Mass. map book as a reference, I was able to avoid the humiliation of stopping for directions.

The rear hatch is a two-piece arrangement. Hit the release and both the window and deck lid unlock. Swing up the window and most bundles can be dropped into the luggage area. Drop the rear seats, toss a blanket over the carpet and you’ve got some decent hauling space on a weekend trip to the nursery or hardware store. Of course, we were lugging nothing more than a bag of housewarming gifts.

Oh, and on the drive home. Found a new shortcut. Not so much as a hesitation, much less a wrong turn.

Fun drive. Great driving machine.

2004 BMW 325i Sport Wagon
MSRP base price: $32,550
Horsepower: 184
Torque: 175 ft-lbs.
Wheelbase: 120 inches
Overall length: 107.3 inches
Width: 68.5 inches
Height: 56.3 inches
Seating: 5 passengers
Fuel economy: 19 mpg / 26 mpg
Source: Edmunds.com