The BMW 3 Series Touring isn’t the biggest estate car around – it offers almost exactly the same amount of load space as the A4 Avant and C-Class Estate, while less prestigious alternatives such as the Volkswagen Passat and Skoda Octavia have far larger boots. However, BMW has ensured the space available is very intelligently deployed.
What size is the luggage compartment?
With the seats up the total boot area has grown five litres over the previous model to 500 litres. But the most easily accessible space – the part you see upon opening the tailgate, rather than including all the various tucked-away cubby holes and so forth – is actually 32 litres bigger than in the preceding 3 Series Touring.
Think about 32 litres in terms of bottles of water, and you’ll get an idea of how much more room that is. With the rear seats folded, maximum boot space is now 1,510 litres – 10 more than before.
At the same time, BMW has made the boot opening 125mm wider, squaring off the aperture for easier loading. A pop-out rear window (below), activated by the keyfob or a button on the windscreen-wiper base, makes it easy to drop in bags when there’s limited space to open the whole boot lid – and the opening this leaves is 20mm wider than before as well.
The boot lid is power operated as standard, with optional hands-free operation, and for the first time in a 3 Series Touring the load cover and passenger-protecting mesh barrier now fit in a compartment under the boot floor when not needed.
Folding the rear seats is a matter of releasing them and watching the headrest automatically tuck themselves away as the seat backs drop flat in a 40:20:40 split. This process can be power-operated at extra cost, too, an option that comes in a ‘load compartment package’ with unique new anti-slip loading rails.
These are rubber and metal strips in the boot floor; the metal makes it easy to slide heavy items in, then when you close the tailgate, the rubber centre sections automatically rise up a couple of millimetres to stop those very same items roiling around while you drive. They drop back down again when you switch off the ignition so you can easily slide the stuff back out. No rival has anything like it. Bonkers but rather clever.
What about passenger comfort?
Passengers also get a better deal in this model – especially in the rear – thanks to its modest increase in size. At 4,709mm in length, this Touring is 76mm longer than the last one, with an extra 41mm between the front and rear axles – which directly translates into more passenger space.
It’s also 16mm wider (1,827mm) and 11mm taller (1,440mm). Which means more elbow room and more headroom. The optional panoramic glass roof comes with increased headroom now, too, thanks to the way the electric blind works. A new front seat design helps keep driver and passenger comfortable on longer journeys. This is also a quiet car to travel in for the most part.
As a sportier choice, don’t be surprised to hear some carefully modulated engine noise when driving enthusiastically (and the handling is such that you can quite confidently take the tyres up to their limits; you’ll hear that coming as well), but with an acoustic glass windscreen and foam-filled windscreen pillars as standard, cruising refinement is very good indeed. Want it quieter still? Then BMW will happily sell you acoustic glass for the doors, too.
Towing capacity
This varies with model, but only by 200kg. The 320i, 330i, 318d and 320d manual are rated to tow 1,600kg with a braked trailer, while the rest of the range (including the 320d automatic) can tow 1,800kg. BMW UK reports that towbars are a very popular option on right-hand drive cars, telling you plenty about the intended use many owners have for their estate cars.
Safety
BMW Active Guard comes as standard
More safety kit can be added optionally
Five-star Euro NCAP safety rating
The 3 Series (in saloon form) scored the full five-star rating when tested by Euro NCAP, with a near-perfect score of 97% for adult occupant protection – a really impressive result. Scores of 87% in both child and pedestrian safety are also very strong showings, as is a 76% score for Safety Assist.
As standard, the 3 Series Touring comes with Active Guard Plus which consists of front collision warning with brake intervention and pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning and speed limit assist, while airbags throughout boost the safety kit count. As an optional extra, buyers can add the Driving Assistant Professional pack, which bundles together a long list of driver assistance and safety equipment:
The basic equipment list includes equipment that is standard across all versions of the BMW 3-Series Touring.
3x3 point rear seat belts
ABS
Alarm
Audio remote
Central locking
Climate control
Cruise control
Driver`s airbag
Electric mirrors
Folding rear seats
Front electric windows
Height adjustable drivers seat
Isofix child seat anchor points
Parking sensors
PAS
Passenger`s airbag
Rear electric windows
Remote locking
Sat Nav
Service indicator
Side airbags
Steering wheel rake adjustment
Steering wheel reach adjustment
Traction control
Equipment by trim level
To view equipment options for a specific trim level, please select from the following list:
Equipment included on some trim levels
Alloy wheels
Body coloured bumpers
Cloth seat trim
Electric driver`s seat
Electric passenger`s seat
Electric sunroof
Heated seats
Leather seat trim
Metallic Paint
Roof rails
Sports seats
M Sport equipment
M Sport standard equipment
Body coloured bumpers
Electric driver`s seat
Electric passenger`s seat
Heated seats
Leather seat trim
Roof rails
M Sport optional equipment
Alloy wheels
Electric sunroof
Metallic Paint
Sports seats
M Sport Plus Edition equipment
M Sport Plus Edition standard equipment
Body coloured bumpers
Electric driver`s seat
Electric passenger`s seat
Electric sunroof
Heated seats
Leather seat trim
Roof rails
M Sport Plus Edition optional equipment
Alloy wheels
Metallic Paint
Sports seats
M Sport Pro Edition equipment
M Sport Pro Edition standard equipment
Body coloured bumpers
Electric driver`s seat
Electric passenger`s seat
Heated seats
Leather seat trim
Roof rails
M Sport Pro Edition optional equipment
Alloy wheels
Electric sunroof
Metallic Paint
Sports seats
M340d equipment
M340d standard equipment
Alloy wheels
Body coloured bumpers
Electric driver`s seat
Electric passenger`s seat
Electric sunroof
Heated seats
Leather seat trim
Metallic Paint
Roof rails
M340d optional equipment
None available
M340i equipment
M340i standard equipment
Alloy wheels
Body coloured bumpers
Electric driver`s seat
Electric passenger`s seat
Heated seats
Leather seat trim
Metallic Paint
Roof rails
M340i optional equipment
Electric sunroof
SE equipment
SE standard equipment
Body coloured bumpers
Cloth seat trim
Electric driver`s seat
Electric passenger`s seat
Electric sunroof
Heated seats
Leather seat trim
SE optional equipment
Alloy wheels
SE Pro equipment
SE Pro standard equipment
Body coloured bumpers
Cloth seat trim
SE Pro optional equipment
Roof rails
Sport equipment
Sport standard equipment
Electric driver`s seat
Electric passenger`s seat
Heated seats
Leather seat trim
Roof rails
Sport optional equipment
Alloy wheels
Body coloured bumpers
Electric sunroof
Metallic Paint
Sports seats
Sport Pro equipment
Sport Pro standard equipment
Heated seats
Leather seat trim
Metallic Paint
Roof rails
Sport Pro optional equipment
None available
Euro NCAP Rating – 5 stars
The BMW 3-Series Touring was tested by Euro NCAP in 2019 and was awarded a 5 star overall rating.
This overall rating is calculated from the following individual ratings:
Euro NCAP provides motoring consumers with a realistic and independent assessment of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars sold in Europe.
The safety ratings are determined from a series of vehicle tests, designed and carried out by Euro NCAP.
These tests represent, in a simplified way, important real life accident scenarios that could result in injured or killed car occupants or other road users.