While popular in Europe, station wagons are more a niche model than go-to buy in the Philippines. Blame it on constant flooding and bad roads, but these cars generally don’t have a wide audience here. You can also blame it on folks who saw wagons look like hearses.
It was never the most popular body style here, although we did have a fair share of wagons back in the day. There was a time wagon versions of the Ford Cortina, Mitsubishi Galant, and Toyota Corona were sold here, but those cars pretty much unknown to anyone born after 1995.
Still, it didn’t stop a few brave automakers from actually selling them here. Subaru comes to mind, as well as Mazda, but right now, no one is more prominent in promoting wagons in the country than BMW. A bit of a surprise when you consider the German automaker was actually pretty late in the game.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
SONA 2025: Guadalupe Bridge closure postponed, 428km Mindanao road connectivity network in the works
Free Wi-Fi is now available at all MRT-3 stations
The BMW Touring: Where it all began
While enthusiasts outside of Europe fawn over the Touring models today, BMW was possibly the last major automaker to enter the wagon game. The mainstream German brands, namely Opel and Volkswagen, always had them in their stable. Audi launched its first production in the early-‘70s with the 80 wagon, and Mercedes-Benz followed suit with the S123 that laid that foundation for the E-Class Estate.
By the ‘80s, only BMW was left without a station wagon in their lineup. Enter Max Reisböck, a prototype engineer for the company at the time. The year was 1984, and Reisböck thought he needed a car that carried more space for his growing family. To oversimplify the story, he bought an accident-damaged E30 3-Series (a 323i, to be exact) and fabricated an entire rear end for it.
It was supposed to be a one-off car, but friends and colleagues encouraged him to present the car to BMW’s board of management. One fateful day in January 1985, he drove the car to the office and presented it to Eberhard von Kuenheim, the chairman of the executive board and, effectively, the CEO. By Reisböck’s own account, von Kuenheim soaked in all the details of the hand-built car for half an hour and said “Mr Reisböck, the vehicle is no longer leaving BMW.”
From there, BMW went ahead and greenlit production of the first BMW 3-Series Touring. It would take a few more years before it reached showrooms, making its premiere in 1987. The rest, as they say, was history.
Following through
The E30 BMW 3-Series Touring proved to be a success. So much to the point that BMW decided to add a wagon version for the then next-generation 5-Series that was to be launched in December 1987. But, like the 3-Series Touring, the first 5-Series Touring didn’t appear until nearly five years after the sedan version was unveiled. It was finally launched in 1992, expanding the 5-Series range.
Proof that the concept of a BMW wagon was no flash in the pan, the 5-Series Touring also proved to be a huge success for the company. From then on, those two models would get Touring versions for every generation – something that continues to this day.
BMW wagons in the Philippines
While it’s more prominent now, BMW Philippines had been bringing in Touring models since the early 2000s. Its first wagon sold officially in the country was the E46 3-Series Touring. Only offered as the 325i Touring, meaning a 2.5-liter inline-six with 189hp nestled under the hood. Not a lot were brought in, making them a rare and special sight on the road these days.
After that, BMW followed that up with the E61 5-Series in 2007. Sold only with as the 525d, it packed a six-cylinder 3.0-liter turbodiesel that put out 194hp. Again, it was only sold in limited numbers, so good luck finding them on Marketplace if you fancy one.
There were a handful of other BMW Touring models that made their way here, but it wasn’t sold to customers. Those were brought in as mobile service vehicles or Servicemobiles. As far as we know, BMW Philippines previously used a second-generation 3-Series Touring, an E36 318tds, to be exact, and a third-generation 3-Series Touring (E91 318d) in the 2010s. With that in mind, we’d love to know where those cars are now.
The resurgence
It would take a while before BMW would enter the wagon game in the Philippines again. Truth be told, we weren’t expecting those models to come here given the popularity of the X3 and X5, so we were pleasantly surprised in June 2023 when BMW Philippines brought in a trio of 3-Series Touring models, namely the 318i Touring, M340i xDrive Touring, and the mighty M3 Competition Touring.
Not content with ‘just’ three wagons, the company rolled out the i5 M60 xDrive Touring during the 2024 Philippine International Motor Show. That model is the most powerful variant of the battery-powered 5-Series range, hands down.
But, as it turned out, BMW Philippines wasn’t done with the wagon resurgence. In case you missed it, the company has finally–and officially–brought in the M5 Touring. While it’s the third model of its kind, it’s the first time we’re getting the hottest Touring model available, now with a V8 twin-turbo with a plug-in hybrid arrangement. That’s over 700hp and 1,000Nm coursed through all four wheels with enough space for an impromptu IKEA run.
With that, BMW has five wagons on offer in the country, ranging from mild to wild. It’s also the most wagons on offer from any manufacturer here in the country as most offer two at the most. Because of that, BMW has effectively become the savior of the station wagon in the Philippines, which was probably not on anyone’s bingo card.
Of course, we’d love to see more Touring models down the line, but that’s up to the market and BMW Philippines’ management to decide. That said, we’re actually glad that we’re seeing more 318i Touring models on the road nowadays. A good sign, perhaps?
It’s just amazing to think that all of this wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for a prototype engineer who just wanted a 3-Series with more luggage space. As for this writer, he’s dreaming that, someday, the 530d Touring or 550e Touring will land here someday. It seems unlikely, but let’s not forget that none of us were expecting the wagons to even be sold here ever again.
