No question about it, the darling of the '60s nuclear family - the station wagon - has made an almost startling recovery the past few years. Nearly relegated to the automotive ash heap during the '80s, the revived popularity of the venerable wagon has proved not every family with two parents, 2.5 kids and a dog wants a minivan.
And station wagons can now be found from the bottom of the string (Honda Civic) to the top (Mercedes). In between, there are wagons from Saturn, Subaru, Toyota, Volvo, Buick, Ford and the subject of our test drive, BMW.
Specifically, it's the BMW 525i Touring, the station wagon for the family with some extra cash to spend, the desire for the driving fun of a sports sedan, and the need for the cargo/passenger versatility of a wagon. In short, it's for the family that does not want to drive a minivan and can afford not to.
For starters, the Touring looks like a
BMW sedan with a cargo area tastefully attached where the trunk used to be. Which is good, because 5-Series
BMWs look good to start with, and this expansion into a wagon was nicely carried out.
For 1995, the 525i Touring gets a slightly modified, more kidney-shaped grille, rocker panel strips and panels under the bumpers in body color.
Behind that distinctive grille is a 2.5-liter, DOHC in-line 6-cylinder engine with variable valve timing. (Variable valve timing maximizes torque output over the entire engine's speed range for improved throttle response.) This powerplant produces 189 hp at 5900 rpm and 184 pound-feet of torque at 4200 rpm. Other engine features include electronic fuel injection and electronic engine managment.
A 4-speed automatic transmission with economy, sport and manual shift modes is standard. In the economy mode, transmission shifts are made at lower engine speeds to conserve fuel. In the sport mode, the shifts are made at higher rpm for better performance. In the manual mode, the driver can shift the transmission from gear-to-gear manually for performance driving, or to better suit conditions, such as starting in deep snow.
BMW's sports sedans have a justified reputation for impressive handling characteristics, made possible by race-developed suspension systems. The slightly more pedestrian station wagon has not been shorted in that category.
It rides on the same 4-wheel independent suspension used in the 5-Series sedans. In technical terms, the front suspension is of the double-pivot, strut-type, while the rear is BMW's patented Track Link system. More important to know than the nomenclature is the fact that the front and rear systems work together quite nicely.
Four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock brakes are standard, as is power-assisted steering that varies effort depending on engine speed: more assist at low speed for easy maneuvering, less assist at highway speeds for better control. Cast alloy wheels and wide 225/60R-15 radials are also standard.
On the safety side, the Touring offers dual airbags, front and rear computer-designed crush zones that dissipate crash energy as they collapse, and side-guard door beams.
Other popular standard features include intermittent wipers (car speed determines wiper speed), heated outside mirrors and heated driver's door lock, central locking, built-in tracks for an optional roof rack and metallic paint.
