P90081947

US 3 Series Wagon to be Automatic Only & Why We’re Ok With That

By / 06 Jul 2012 / 25 Comments

Yesterday BMW of North America released the first official details of the new F31 3 Series wagon. For BMW enthusiasts the wagon represents the ultimate family vehicle with it’s low kerb-weight and sedan-like reflexes. Even with BMWNA only offering the lower power engine option on every 3er wagon ever sold in the US, it still had the honor of being the thinking man’s family car.

But one thing was a little vague in yesterday’s official release. There was no overt mention of the historically standard manual transmission. Could it be that the days of the manual transmission BMW wagon are over in the US?

We reached out for BMWNA for an official comment. The answer was not unexpected; the F31 3 Series wagon will only come with an automatic transmission presumably due to low-take rates of the manual in the E91. And strangely we’re not that sad. Sure the manual is the right choice for the purist and provides greater control and feel. But the nature of the 2.0 N20 engine’s power band and BMW’s expectational 8-speed automatic transmission make a compelling combination. Not only is the 8 speed faster and more efficient than the manual, it’s damn near as rewarding. With incredibly quick shifts, blips of the throttle on downshifts and well designed (optional) steering wheel mounted paddles, it can be both fun on twisty roads and transparent in heavy commuting. Exactly the kind of attributes 3 Series wagons have always been known for.

As 3er wagon owners have always known, it’s imperative that one navigates around options such as all-wheel drive and makes sure the sport package box is checked to get the “right wagon”. Now you’ll need to add to that steering wheel mounted shift paddles for the full experience.

Will that experience live up to an E46 or E91 sport wagon with a manual? Look for our full review to answer that question.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Posted in: F31 Touring, Opinion
  • Joe C

    A milestone, perhaps. Is the the first non-SAV that hasn’t had a manual available (other than the initial run of E60/F10 M5′s? If so I’ll have to junk my descriptor of BMW’s as always having a manual transmission available. I’m not so fussed either. I do like to row the gears, particularly on a sports car or near sports car. There’s nothing like it for driver engagement. But, the most important thing is to be able to downshift to the proper gear before turn-in, and apparently the new automatics do that. I haven’t driven the new 8 (my ’11X5d has the old 6), but I’m taking you guys word for it!

    • BimmerFile_Michael

      The new M6 is only an auto (DCT) as well, 6GC and of course the last several generations of the 7 series being only autos.

      • Fritts

        Yes, but those are high end luxury cars (M6 and 7)for the person that would normally prefer an automatic. I can see why BMW is doing this, but it really limits the choices to a 1 series or a more expensive M3. I still love BMWs, but it makes me hang on to my car a lot longer than wanting to replace it. I knew I should have gotten the E46 wagon instead of the M3 back in 04, but I was single then.

      • Joe C

        You are right about the 7′s, of course, but I always forget about the 7 series when thinking about manuals! I haven’t followed the M6 and GC that closely. I’m not surprised about the GC, but what about the M6? I remember that with the last M5, the justification for the SMG was the high revving nature of the engine, which I took to mean, low torque, high engine speeds meant lots of shifting. But the M6 has so much low rpm torque it would be very flexible at lower revs and you could shift less. Surely the 911 Turbo has a similar torque curve, and was always available with a manual. I just don’t understand the rationale. Perhaps its just economics, i.e. take rates?

      • Andrew Popoola

        6GC is available with a manual, and its the default option as well…this is the second time pointing this out, you guys should check you facts.

        Our first 3 bimmers were sticks, and the 2 we own now are autos because that is the only tranny they come in. Point is this: BMWs are known for the fun to drive ratio that is very HARD to come by in other cars, that is with said stick-shifts. There are bimmer fans who love the brand because of the stickshiftability of most of their offerings. If BMW decides manuals are a thing of the past, then many enthusiasts will also decide that their love for BMW is a thing of the past.

        Seeing that BMW is wavering, I have already started looking towards other brands for my stick-shift fun. And for the first time in over a decade, I am considering a brand other than BMW. I have my sights set on a Porsche Cayenne GTS…yes, it comes with a stick!!! If BMW cannot understand whatever Porsche does and offer the X1 and X3 in a stick, they are gonna loose my biz, period.

        End Rant

        • BimmerFile_Michael

          I should have clarified that it is the 650 GC that is not being offered in a manual and the initial information given to the media was that there was going to be no manual option for the 640 as well so it is a bit engrained.

          • Andrew Popoola

            Oh I see, got it. But…. that is even more bothersome. How much more could it cost to certify same body different engine with a manual? Same argument for the M6. It is the same engine as the M5 so what is so special about the body of the M6 that costs so much to certify a manual for? I think BMW is getting soft, and in doing so they will lose their core buyers, the people who prop up the brand and have made it into what it is today. There are very few brands that enjoy the level of loyalty and followership that BMW does. And to think I was going to get my daughters the “Future Driver” shirts…sigh.

  • dmicah

    How can NOT having the option of selecting the manual transmission be a good thing? I can understand that you may prefer to select the auto, but there’s no way removing choice can be considered good for the consumer.

    • http://bridger.us/ Gabriel Bridger

      It’s a good thing if it was between offering that or no wagon at all.

      • dmicah

        I don’t imagine that that was the choice. You two have reported that BMW now recognizes that they lost a class of buyers in the 5 series segment by moving to the 5GT. Is the argument that offering the 3 series wagon with both automatic and manuals as options pushes the estate into negative margins?

      • Andrew Popoola

        Honestly, I think it would bug me more knowing that I could have the new 3 wagon with a stick shift in the US IF BMW cared… Having the wagon with auto only makes it no different (almost) than an Audi or Merc product. Either way, this discourse has caused me to start searching. And I found a CTS-V wagon with a manual. Cadillac obviously gets it.

        • http://bridger.us/ Gabriel Bridger

          The people that made this decision are fans of the manual. They want a manual wagon. But they have to answer to their bosses in Germany and the US with every decision they make. And if the take rate is so low (and getting lower by the day) that they can’t make back the initial investment then there’s no way for them to justify potentially getting fired over it.

          • Andrew Popoola

            If BMW increased the price, ever so slightly of all auto tranny 3 series, then it could make the money it needs to justify bringing it over. I am sure you realize BMW makes more money on some its cars than others…but that doesn’t mean they stop making ‘em, it’s all about satisfying bimmerphiles, let the posseurs get the bill ;)

            Heck stop the X6 and % GT from the US market and bring cars people desire and clamor for instead of forcing so-so designs on us.

    • Adam

      I hear a whole lot of bitching and moaning about transmissions in cars that half the people commenting wouldnt buy in the first place. I’m in the “rather have it like this than not at all” camp. I know for a fact the take rate is slow because I have searched endlessly for manual wagons and only once in a blue moon do I find one, let alone one with the colors/options I am looking for. I swear people on the BMW forums especially of late have been pissing themselves over the smallest things/rumors on cars they can neither afford or buy here in the first place. I am so sick of it! grow up people or go find another brand that does represent your “pure” values, and good luck finding a better brand! because not even Ferrari are sticking to dogmas anymore. If these people had thier way they’d still be using asbestos insulation because its traditional. End rant.

      • Andrew Popoola

        Need a popsicle dude? Wow, chill out! BMW not offering manuals is like KFC no longer serving fried chicken. It’s a big deal to most, at least let us grieve :)

        • BimmerFile_Michael

          I’m not sure I can agree with that last part. I think on the whole not many people care; here at BF it is a different story but the truth is that there are not many wagon lovers and stick lovers. I was once told by someone at BMW that my E61 was one of a kind for my color choice, options and the huge fact it was the last stick built with the N52. For a regular production BMW that is saying a lot.

          • Pete

            Unfortunately I agree. I had to struggle to get my E91 ordered. Most dealers couldn’t be bothered to search out a rare production slot. Fortunately I could get delivery at the Performance Center so buying it from a west coast dealer was feasible. It is a shame that the certification costs are so unreasonable – how much difference can there really be between the sedan and the wagon with only a transmission change?

      • dmicah

        Well, one of my cars is a b7 A4 with 6MT that I would dearly love to replace with a 328i xdrive wagon with 6MT. I’m lucky enough to be able to drive to the mountains to go skiing during winter weekends, and all wheel drive + 6MT in the snow is a great great thing. Plus, I do find manuals more fun than automatics, particularly with a driver’s mark like BMW. It didn’t exactly shock me when Audi dropped the transmission of my choice, but I had, I suppose, held out greater hope for BMW. So, while I may not represent a huge swath of the buying public, I don’t really think your rant appropriately depicts me, the guy you directly responded to.

      • chas58

        Adam, I already bought mine (6MT, sport pack wagon), and I’m not complaining because I’m not selling. I had worried that a car like this would be difficult to sell, but now I know I’ll get top $$$ from people like you, if I just wait to find the right person. (and I also drive Mazda, because often they represent purer side of my driver’s values).

  • Bimmer-Bob

    I don’t care how good they make automatic transmissions, they just will never be as intimate and connected as a manual. Right now I have an F10 535i loaner car in my drive way. Automatic, of course. It is wicked fast, no doubt, and enjoyable in it’s own way. But a few minutes ago I left the house to run errands and chose to take my wife’s 5MT 160 HP MkIII Ford Focus instead. It’s simply more fun.

    • BimmerFile_Michael

      Totally get that but they are also different size and class cars. The niche models are only going to be autos going forward- I remember when the X3 stopped being offered in manual and people complained then it slipped out (on purpose I am sure) that over the span of years it was offered in manual less than 100 were built for the US- the out cry was huge and yet almost no one bought it.

      The 3 and 5 sedan will still remain manuals as will the future 2 and 4 coupes as well as the M3. The rest of the lineup is debatable as the take rates are so low. As it is the manual now costs money (the auto is the same price so really they are charging for a manual) to help cover the development costs associated with it, new EPA testing required for each new model etc.

      • Bimmer-Bob

        I can see the business sense in selling low-volume models in auto only. The fact is, those of us buying exclusively manual transmission vehicles are a teeny minority, and can’t prop up the entire industry. I have two new MT cars in my driveway, so I’m doing my part – but it’s just a drop in the bucket. I for one am not even in the market for an F31 Touring, manual or otherwise, so I can’t really put my money where my mouth is on this one. But I think it’s a shame, because with a manual transmission I think this really could be a “one car for all occasions.” Of course, my opinions don’t put dinner on the tables of BMW’s execs and I suppose they have to do what makes financial sense.

  • johnparke

    I am sorry but if BMW said they were going to start making only SUV’s you guys would find some way to promote it as a good thing.

    • BimmerFile_Michael

      Sorry, but you must have us confused with someone else. We call BMW out regularly but the truth is in this instance we both (Gabe and I) agree with the choice to bring the F31 in auto only. Sure no manual sucks- we get that but at the same time no F31 sucks worse. I would rather have an auto box in a sports wagon everyday of the week rather than being in a sedan. If you can’t see it that way then I am sorry- but how many people are driving around in the F11 5 Series in the US? None- how many will at least be driving in the F31 3er wagon? At least some… and if that means sacrificing the manual then so be it. The cost of EPA/Crash testing would have made the F31 as a whole a no starter if they HAD to bring it in both transmissions. There are certain products that will no longer be offered in a manual and that is because people don’t buy them, if there was a market BMWNA would bring them but the truth is when push comes to shove most people that say they are lovers of the manual get older, traffic gets worse, they look at the fuel savings and performance gains with the 8 Speed and are sold on it and lost is another manual sale. My last 5 BMWs have been manuals, My MINIs have been manuals- I don’t need to apologize for thinking BMW made the right decision with this one. People really need to step back and take a look at the big picture sometimes and quit getting stuck on the little things- I’d be surprised if more than 10 a month were being sold with the last generation and that doesn’t even cover development cost.

  • Pete

    I understand the business case, but remain saddened by the conclusion. I pulled the trigger on a 2012 E91 xDrive Sport Pkg with the manual in October and am now REALLY happy with that decision. I drove the sedan back to back with the X3 and X5 and just could not get my head around the difference in driving feel, especially in relation to its R53 and Z3 stablemates. The new one is handsome to be sure, but my lusting for the E91 replacement is hopefully many many years down the road. Wave if you see a vermillion E91 with a saddle interior driving by. It’s likely me.