Wagon Trails In The Sunset

The once ubiquitous station wagon — replaced by SUVs and crossovers — makes up less than one percent of US vehicle sales. But having owned two: a 1975 Buck Century that literally became a band wagon (hauling drums, amps, guitars and aspiring rockers) and an ‘89 Ford Taurus named Linda (after the mother-in-law it was inherited from) — we stipulate a soft spot for this fading automotive genre.

The new 2014 BMW 328i xDrive Sports Wagon dismisses all preconceptions. While the prim and proper looks can be deceiving, the new BMW can turn snarling competitor discharging 240 horsepower from a hot new 2.0 liter TwinPower 4 cylinder engine. Significantly this brisk performance is delivered along with particularly good mileage stats of 22 city and 33 highway. Choose the diesel engine option and highway jumps to 45 mpg.

The BMW 3 Series exterior has a classy modern appeal while retaining a connection to its history in the conquest in the American automotive market over the last 30 years. Among the most striking visual features of this $55,000 wagon are the Xenon headlamps wrapping sensuously around the sides with make-up artist perfect smoky eyelid effects.

This George Polgar of GT Marketing for KYW News Radio.