The 2011 BMW 3-Series Is Superb, But What About the Sports Wagon?

Recently we talked about the 2011 Acura TSX Wagon and it got us thinking about the other wagons on the market. As mentioned in our previous article, the one that seems to dominate the near luxury segment is the Audi A4 Avant. That said, there is another German near luxury wagon that you should consider if you like the Acura TSX Wagon or the Audi A4 Avant—the 2011 BMW 328i Sports Wagon.

Now we won’t dance around the truth, the BMW isn’t the cheapest option of the bunch, but it does come with all of the celebrated quality and performance that the 3-Series is known for. In fact, the 3-Series has been making the Car and Driver 10Best for the last 20 years—consecutively. The base price for the 2011 BMW 328i Sports Wagon tips the scales at $36,575, but if you outfit it with the creature comforts like navigation, heated seats and Premium packaged you can expect to pay closer to $45K.

Is it worth the money? If you are a driving enthusiast, but need more room to carry cargo than the standard BMW 3-Series would allow, then the answer is yes. If you were looking at the 3-Series already, but are expecting a larger family, then the answer is yes. If you can’t stand the idea of not having a BMW, then the answer is yes. However, if you are looking for the best standard equipment and best bang for your buck then you might either want to wait for a sale or shop the competition carefully.

The biggest downfalls of the 328i Sports Wagon—poor cup holders and hard to understand radio tuner. On the other hand, by purchasing one you will be buying a wagon based on one of the best sports sedans on the market. What about all-wheel drive you say, then check out the 2011 BMW 328ix Sports Wagon.