[DTM]

So as we all know the wagon 3-series is commonly referred to as a "touring", so messed up pride-conscious americans don't mistake it for a wagon and figure its a poor man's alternative to an SUV (not saying wagons are bad, thats simply how alot of americans treat them, I used to own a wagon.)

So the question is: Is the E91 a wagon or a touring model? Is it called a touring simply for the American markets sake, or for Europe as well?

[dude007]

I still remember how we used to call cars when I was in school (I was born outside of US): Sedan, Toring, Coupe. Never heard station wagon name before coming to US.

[KL2DC]

I think 'wagons' have a more utilitarian connotation (utility and space above all else) - think volvo wagon and 'touring' is more stylish and sporty...more 'lifestyle' choice, often at the slight expense of not having full utility (think bmw e39/e60 tourings)...just my personal ramblings

[DTM]

I always thought "touring" was simply a substitute for the word "wagon" in order not to scare away the vast majority of americans.

[bavarian19]

I still want to call it a wagon, but BMW marketing has me calling them tourings now....


I guess it is a modern development being as poineers did not drive E90's across the US in its expansion westward. It probably could have been more comfortable though...

[DTM]

Originally Posted by bavarian19

I still want to call it a wagon, but BMW marketing has me calling them tourings now....


I guess it is a modern development being as poineers did not drive E90's across the US in its expansion westward. It probably could have been more comfortable though...

My great-great-grandpa chose the 760li with his own personal shofur.

[bavarian19]

Originally Posted by DTM

My great-great-grandpa chose the 760li with his own personal shofur.

Must have been captain fancypants


He didnt have the panorama sunroof though

[red_wagen]

Sportswagon

[DTM]

Originally Posted by bavarian19

Must have been captain fancypants


He didnt have the panorama sunroof though

It was fully loaded. Don't be calling my ancestors cheap.

[rss]

In the UK, they are called Estate cars. e.g. Mondeo Estate, Vectra Estate.

I guess because the 3 series touring doesn't have the same load space and it isn't marketed as such they came up with the Touring name as some kind of middle ground.

Either that or they assume we spend all our time driving around Europe from one ski destination to the next

[bluemagic]

The touring vehicle is the european solution to the fuel expense of owning an SUV or Truck. Larger space than a sedan or coupe but not as gas hungry as a truck or SUV. Alot of touring vehicles are deisel here as well. In the US for a long time the station wagon/ touring vehicle was portrayed in tons of movies as being owned by the poor, comedic family with multiple screaming kids. Not exactly the image most would try to project.

[Dante]

Originally Posted by DTM

So the question is: Is the E91 a wagon or a touring model? Is it called a touring simply for the American markets sake, or for Europe as well?

All of BMW wagons are called "Touring", the name was made up by BMW in the early 70s for this multi purpose vehicle:



BMW and many other sophisticatd car brands wanted to avoid the negatively flavoured term wagon, because these cars are much sportier today and are used for other purposes.

Hence BMW touring, Audi Avant, Mercedes Benz Model-T, Volkswagen Variant... (at least in europe).

But I don't know if BMW owns the rights of the name, there is a Chrysler 300 C touring.

[dtelle]

I was thinking that Touring is like a "copyright" from BMW.
At least in EU, it was always called touring, and in fact until the 300c, Touring = BMW, i don't know how Chrysler choose the same label? May be some old marketing manager from MB, now working for Chrysler and was during 20 years in Stutgart dreaming of using the "touring" Label for his new product but was always frustated since i can't imagine in Germany a MB called "touring".....

[LEDZEP]

"Touring" is really only used in the European market, so it is really not an American marketing term but a European one. In the US the E91 is marketed as a Sports Wagon because we know what wagon means and we know what sports means - but most people wouldn't know WTF they mean by "Touring".

Perhaps a triva buff here could tell us where the designation "station wagon" came about (might even pre-date the automobile).

Different makers come up with different euphomisms to describe the "extended enclosed body type designed for cargo convinience": Audi has Avant; VW has Variant; BMW has Touring. These models are all more popular in Europe than in the U.S. where people tend to be more practical and less snooty (except of course, for France).

[davinet78]

in europe its also called touring

[mapezzul]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

"Touring" is really only used in the European market, so it is really not an American marketing term but a European one. In the US the E91 is marketed as a Sports Wagon because we know what wagon means and we know what sports means - but most people wouldn't know WTF they mean by "Touring".

Perhaps a triva buff here could tell us where the designation "station wagon" came about (might even pre-date the automobile).

Different makers come up with different euphomisms to describe the "extended enclosed body type designed for cargo convinience": Audi has Avant; VW has Variant; BMW has Touring. These models are all more popular in Europe than in the U.S. where people tend to be more practical and less snooty (except of course, for France).

Good old Wikipedia to the rescue:
A station wagon (United States usage), wagon (Australian usage, though station wagon is widely used) or estate car (United Kingdom usage) is a car body style similar to a sedan car but with an extended rear cargo area.
The first station wagons were a product of the age of train travel. They were originally called 'depot hacks' because they worked around train depots as hacks (short for hackney carriage, an old name for taxis). They also came to be known as 'carryalls' and 'suburbans'. The name 'station wagon' is a derivative of 'depot hack'; it was a wagon that carried people and luggage from the train station to various local destinations.
Most station wagons are modified sedan-type car bodies, having the passenger area extended to the rear window (over the normal trunk area of the vehicle). Unlike a hatchback car, which otherwise meets this description, a station wagon is the full height of the passenger cabin all the way to the back; the rear glass is not sloped too far from vertical. A station wagon is distinguished from a minivan (MPV) or SUV by still being a car, sharing its forward bodywork with other cars in a manufacturer's range.
Station wagons were originally considered commercial vehicles and were built on truck platforms. Prior to the introduction of the 1949 Plymouth all-steel station wagon, wagons in the United states relied upon wood passenger compartments. By 1954 all American had made the transition to all steel bodies, with Buick's 1953 woody model being the last mass-produced vehicle of its kind in the United States.
As they became more consumer-oriented, station wagons enjoyed their greatest popularity and highest production levels in the United States during from the 1950s through the 1970s. The late 1950s through the mid 1960s was also the period of greatest variation in bodystyles, with pillared two and four door models marketed along side hardtop (no "B" pillar) four door models. AMC's Rambler line was the first to enter into this body style in 1956, followed by Mercury, Oldsmobile, Buick in 1957; Chrysler entered the market in 1960. Expensive to produce and buy, the hardtop wagon sold in limited numbers. GM was the first to eliminate the hardtop wagon from its line-ups in 1959, AMC and Ford existed the field beginning with their 1960 and 1961 vehicles, leaving Chrysler and Dodge with the body style through the 1964 model year.

[E90Fleet]

To us a wagon is a wood thing on wood wheels.


All official BMW technical documentation calls it a Touring