If I told you a wagon version of a modern car was outselling the sedan, I know how you’d react. “There’s an automaker selling a wagon right now?” you’d ask, bewildered. And yet! In the case of a certain BMW, it turns out the longroof hauler is outperforming the sedan in the sales race.
Enter the BMW M5. Last year, we found out that the lovely M5 Touring would be coming Stateside. The German automaker had long neglected to deliver the station wagon bodystyle to these shores, but the time was ripe for a change. Canada and the United States would gain access to a more practical M5.It woudl be the first time Americans gained access to the historically rare and roomier model.
Earlier this year, we heard the M5 Touring was selling beyond expectations. What we didn’t expect was that it would outstrip the sedan and become the popular choice amongst American buyers. Wagon uber alles!
The news comes to us from BMW Blog. Speaking with BMW M boss Frank van Meel, the outlet learned that the American taste for wagons might be a lot greater than expected. “We currently have a higher demand in the US for the Touring than for the sedan,” van Meel told the outlet.
More US buyers are opting for the practical choice, but in Europe, the situation is quite different. “Actually in Europe, still more sedan than Touring,” noted van Meel. Traditionally, European customers have had a far greater taste for the station wagon compared to American audiences, but this time, it’s not the case. On a worldwide basis, it’s pretty much a dead heat, with van Meel noting demand split is around 50:50 between the two bodystyles.
Conventional wisdom says that the wagon is dead, and that it’s been dead for some time. Decades ago, the sedan became the default “car” shape, and then the SUV came along to stomp over everything else in the marketplace. Station wagon sales slowed, and they were quickly pruned from lineups as automakers streamlined production towards vehicles that people actually wanted to buy. However, that stance has effectively made the wagon bodystyle a sort of prized, special thing, particularly when it comes to high-performance models like the M5.
It’s fair to say that the M5 Touring has plenty of unique market appeal. It’s playing in a rarefied space with the aging Audi RS6 Avant being its main competitor as far as fast, fuel-chugging wagons go. The Audi hit the market back in 2020, and boasts a healthy 621 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. Meanwhile, the more modern M5 Touring boasts a truly wild 717 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque from its 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 combined with a powerful hybrid motor. That’s enough to fling the Bavarian wagon to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds, all with 27.5 cubic feet of cargo space to boot.
Ultimately, it seems that BMW’s decision to bring the M5 Touring to the US has been utterly vindicated. If you love speed and practicality but loathe the SUV craze, then you might just consider hopping on what is becoming a very crowded bandwagon heading to the BMW dealership.
Top graphic images: BMW; depositphotos.com
BMW would not have to amp up with the power if it doesn’t have to saddle the M5 with one of the heaviest batteries/electric motors set-up. Same with the ill-fated Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Performance that was heavily panned for assigning the vaulted “63” to a car with tinny four-cylinder motor and massive batteries/electric motors set.
Won’t surprise me when some petroheads came up with the idea of removing both batteries and electric motors and reprogramming the ECU to run purely on volatile remainders of dinosaurs or synethic fuel. That would be a huge game changer.
Taking a spirited spin in the back seat seems like a great way to get your kid(s) to vomit up whatever they ingested that they shouldn’t have.
I’d be vomiting up as I approached it from the front. I thought the Bangle era was bad, but I find the recent grilles even worse.
I saw one of these and in person, the design actually works. It has incredible road presence.
The RS6 has been around for 5 years already? How in the hell has it been that long already?
The yellow color on this wagon is the bestest.
Too close to NYC taxi for me.
Please let this lead to wagons reaching mass production again across multiple manufacturers.
My local dealer posted a short video of an M5 Touring being delivered last week to the dealership but it never showed up in their inventory, my guess is that it was already spoken for. Yet they’ve had the same 3 M5 sedans sitting in inventory for the last month. I’ve got a 9 year old 328d with 165K miles in perfect running condition , yet I’d throw cash down for a normal 5 series wagon in a heartbeat. Not this lead sled.
How’s your 328d been over the long haul? I like the theory of them, but the potential diesel emissions dilemmas don’t excite me. My ’11 328i wagon (bought it new) has been an absolute anvil – it’s only needed a battery since the warranty expired – albeit with very low miles covered (55K currently). I’ll never part with it, but I keep another wagon at my winter place, currently a Mercedes E350 that I like but don’t really love. That car gets a decent amount of miles put on it.
In theory, I would be interested in a new BMW wagon, 3 or 5 (definitely NOT an M car – I have no such need for speed). But reality is I just don’t get along with the screens, screens and more screens modern interiors, so your generation is probably the newest I would ever consider, and now that Euro Delivery is history, that is a disincentive to bother buying new. I do think the F31 is usefully improved in various ways over my E91 (less cramped, more efficient with either engine), but worse in others (interior quality, steering feel).
Since you don’t mind foregoing a new car, why don’t you wait for a clean example of an E61 to turn up? I believe for the 2006 model year only, you could get a 530xi with a manual.
It’s very rare but if you wait long enough, I’m sure one would turn up. I have seen a few on the market over the years.
I’m not a fan of the e61. Too much of a Bangle-mangle, and most of them are N54s, which is a huge NO THANKS. The N52s are a bit underpowered in such a barge, rare, are nearly 20 years old now, and I much prefer the 8spd if I have to have an autotragic. And down here, I do – I need one car my sainted mother can drive, and she can’t manage a clutch anymore. The 3 is really more my jam. If I were going to get a car of that generation I would look for a low miles minty e91 and have the advantage of having three of that generation – I have an e88 in addition to my current e91. But minty e91s aren’t much cheaper than minty f31s at this point, and that much older.
Worth noting that the N52 in the 530i has a three-phase manifold, which makes 27 hp more than the single-phase manifold version in the 328i. So there is actually minimal loss of power to weight ratio from the 328i to 530i, as the E61 only weighs a modest amount more than the E91. Can’t fix the looks though lol.
Also, I have an autotragic E91. Would not recommend. Don’t get me wrong, I love the car, but driving it is just a continuous tease. You feel the heavy and sharp steering, the effortless revving, the compliant handling, but it’s all let down by the sloppy transmission which takes forever to respond to your inputs.
Worth noting my car is an xDrive (which is the only way E61s and E91s were offered here in Canada), so it has a GM transmission. Maybe the RWD cars with the ZF transmission are better. But my point is if you want to forego the manual, you might as well get an F31.
Yes, I know it has the 3-stage – and the e61 still feels slow in a way that an e91 doesn’t (probably because it is more isolated) – I have driven every US variation of them over the years. And yes, the lousy autotragic is one reason I don’t really want an e91 with one – but I also would NEVER buy an e91 with AWD. It complicates far too many things, and I need AWD in *Florida* like I need a couple of ex-wives, so given the choice – noooope. But sadly, both my current Mercedes and the f31 are universally afflicted with that BS. Mercedes system at least is rather more robust than BMWs, and doesn’t seem to complicate things in nearly the same way.
For 328i’s, I don’t believe there is any difference in automatic between RWD and AWD, they all got the GMs. IIRC only the turbos got the ZF. I don’t see much of any difference personally, they both suck. So does the 8spd, it just sucks less. Thankfully, I ordered my car properly – RWD and a stick. But that was no longer a thing when the f31s came out sadly.
My municipality is horrible with snow removal, so the xDrive has made my life easier a few times (literally a few times, as in countable on the fingers of one hand). But then again, I am on my third transfer case lol. When I am able to justify having two cars in my household, I plan on buying a manual RWD E90 and calling it a day.
Just out of curiousity, why do you like but not love your E350 wagon? (If you don’t mind sharing) I have actually contemplated one a few times to replace my automatic E91.
Maine didn’t have that problem – with proper tires my e91 was perfectly fine in the snow, in fact, it was the equal of the Saab 9-3 Combi it replaced, just different strengths and weaknesses. If it’s bad, I just stayed home anyway. Learned my lesson some years ago about going out in the snow when my well-equipped Saab got clobbered by some idiot in a Subaru who thought that AWD meant he could drive like a bat out of Hell on no-season tires. He could GO, but he couldn’t steer or stop.
I like the E350, but I don’t love it. it’s a bit of a barge, and it has some expensive potential dilemmas (though overall they are pretty reliable cars). The seats are not as good as BMWs. I do LOVE the self-leveling rear air suspension – that is absolute magic for hauling heavy loads around, and it is definitely a great highway cruiser on my migrations from FL to ME and back. But it’s also a touch louder at speed than one would expect from a luxury car. Ultimately, I just like BMWs better, and hindsight being 20:20 I should have bought an F31 when I bought this car. But I’ll probably keep it for a good while regardless.
Though if I sell my place in Maine, the e91 will move to FL and the E350 will be history. Mom will just have to rent something if she needs a spare car, or suck it up and drive a stick. She knows how, she just doesn’t want to and she does have bum knees.
Yeah, I know you can manage with RWD, but with the xDrive, you can just do stuff and not worry. I can park on snowbanks and drive through unplowed roads, with complete assurance that I won’t need to dig myself out. I don’t need to of course, but since I’m putting up with the reduced reliability and fuel economy of the xDrive, I like to have fun with it.
Thank you for sharing your insight on the E350. I tend to prefer driving smaller cars with more nimble chassis, but have a soft spot for cushy luxobarges as well, so I’m not turned off by that aspect of it. But I would want good seats and good sound insulation in my luxobarge, so I would be disappointed if I found it to be lacking there.
I will still check them out regardless, but maybe I should consider an F31 as well.
You just need to try them out. I don’t love the seats, but you might. I don’t care for BMW sport seats either. They still drive German, but in a much more dour way than BMWs. They are fundamentally more expensive cars than a 3-series though, both in purchase price and in maintenance and repairs. But not too terrible to DIY either.
I used to live next door to a couple who had an E39 M5 and it was one of the most beautiful cars I have ever seen. My personal experiences with BMWs were not great. But wow. That thing was peak BMW in my opinion.
I must live a charmed life, as all six of my BMWs have been absolute anvils. Even the ones I bought aged with a ton of miles on them before I could afford new or super minty fresh used ones. But i skipped THAT generation entirely. I went from e30s and e28s to an e91, an f22, and later an e88. I do agree that the immediately pre-Bangle era was peak BMW for looks though. But those +/- turn of the century cars had lots and lots of baked-in dilemmas. After that, you just have to avoid the hur-dur versions. anything with an NA I6 is stout as Hell.
Yeah, the ’15 X5 Sdrive35i’s engine and ZF transmission were not the problem. It was a lot of other things. The run-flat tires, the sagging self-leveling rear suspension. The fact that it (with the optional M-package) would dart around any camber change in the road… It just all added up that it was time to ditch it. When we traded it in on an MDX, we didn’t take a clobbering. The rear suspension was nice enough to not sag while we were negotiating.
On its best behavior, the X5 would’ve been faster around a track, but the MDX was so good on abnormal pavement, of which there was a lot in SE TX, and perfectly happy at 90+ mph (when my then wife was driving).
My ’17 V6 Accord (essentially the same engine) also handled all that with aplomb. She had a heavier foot than me, and told me she’d taken both of them to 110. I think the Acura was probably better at that.
I did 115 in a friend’s parents’ ’74 MB 450 SEL. On an imperfect country road, in 1974. 12 years later, I bought an ’86 Accord and opened it up on the same road and what the Merc just swallowed, were MAJOR events in the ’86 Accord. The ’17 almost certainly would do better, but that road has been repaved so it would be an apples to oranges comparison now.
BMWs and Mercedes are at their best at their simplest. All the more reason I have zero interest in the hur-dur versions of them.
I have yet to drive an X-anything BMW that I didn’t think sucked. I get they need to build what sells, but they will never sell one to me. And they always seem to have more dilemmas than the equivalent non-X.
Honda has always made really great V6s, just a shame they have nothing good to bolt them into (and for eons, no good transmissions to bolt behind them). Kind of like Toyota – it took Lotus to give theirs a good home. 😉 I don’t get along with the ride, handling, or especially seats of Japanese cars, as a rule.
The big difference is that in Europe you don’t have to buy an M5 to get a 5-series wagon. Here it’s the ONLY way to get one.
Yeah. An M-Sport model would be perfect in this instance.
My choice would be a basic 530e mild-hybrid, but I am a weirdo like that. I have rarely found the handling increase of BMW’s sport packages to be worth the reduction in ride quality.
Let’s be honest the M-Sport package is mostly about looks. The sports seats are great too.
Certainly, M-Sport just makes the car uglier, IMHO. I also generally, with exceptions, don’t care for the sport suspensions, which is the same for just sport or M-Sport. I don’t fit in pre-fxx sport seats, but I agree the later ones are fine.
They even get i5 wagons which is so cool.
I’ve traditionally been an M5 fan, but I don’t like the heft electrification has brought to this version. That being said, this checks out. Enthusiasts like autobahn rocket ships. Enthusiasts like wagons. Enthusiasts really like fast wagons.
That’s some good wagon.
Where are the EV wagons? At a reasonable price? (sorry Taycan)
There are a few outside the US. For a while the only two electric wagons you could get in the UK were the Porsche Taycan at over £100000 and the MG 5 at like £20000
North American and European buying patterns have a funny way of swapping sometimes.
The E60 and F10 M5s were both offered with manuals here because there was demand for them, while being auto only for Europe.
Same applies for the B8 S4.
North Americans also buy more 2.3L Ecoboost Mustangs than 5.0s, whereas in Europe it’s the opposite. So much so that the S650 is only offered with the 5.0 in Europe now.
This is a bit of a misnomer I bet though and almost like “lying” with statistics. Whereas the earlier examples total volumes probably aren’t all that different and therefore you can actually compare them somewhat fairly. But I’d bet Europeans buy so few Mustangs, you can’t really even say the 5.0 was the preferred engine. What did they sell, like a 90 Ecoboost Mustangs and 100 5.0s the entire last year both were offered? I’d bet the US buys that many almost every day.
This not very credible looking source says they’ve managed to move a few thousand per year in Europe. As dodgy as it is, I think it’s good enough for this purpose. They certainly don’t sell as much as in the US, as you would expect, but it’s not a statistically insignificant amount either.
In the UK, the Ecoboost only had a 15% take rate in the S550 Mustang. Wouldn’t be much of a stretch to assume continental Europe had a similar ratio.
If you are going to put up with something like the Mustang in Europe, what would be the point of NOT buying the full-fat V8 version? If you just want a four cylinder turbo, there are lots of local options that are just as fast and much more practical. It’s in for a penny, in for a pound, might as well get the one that makes all the noise.
Wagons are great when they provide extra practicality to great platforms. However, now that sedans are based on platform designs that prioritize CUVs, wagons no longer make as much sense, especially for platforms that have decent-sized batteries, which keep the COG low.
On the one hand “hooray wagons!!!” On the other hand “damn they are all paywalled for the extra rich, late stage capitalism bull$&!+”
It looks better than its sedan counterparty, for sure.
As a sedan owner with a family, it is not the most practical vehicule for sure, but the lack of a good wagon choice will push me to get a SUV/Crossover.
Maybe, if this trend continue for a while, we will see more (cheap) wagons.
Looks less worse, but I agree. The touring fits the whale-sized aspect of the new M5 better. If you’re going to own a massive that generates its own gravity field, make it as roomy inside as you possibly can.
This is what we have been saying for over a decade. It had long been reported that Mercedes wealthiest customers were E-Class wagon owners, not S- or G- class owners. The wealthy love wagons, and the PHEV of the M5, while making it morbidly obese, has some HOV, Tax, and other advantages for many areas of the country that makes it a genuinely compelling option.
IIRC, Buick’s wealthiest customers were Regal TourX purchasers.
I definitely believe it, it was the only wagon GM sold at the time, and probably the only Buick that any wealthy person would have considered.
This is nothing new.
The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG wagon outsold the sedan for so long that MBUSA eventually stopped bringing the sedan over.
I’m pretty sure the E63 has never sold more wagons than sedans in the US. The W214 doesn’t currently offer anything above the E53 AMG in either sedan or wagon form.
Agreed. I know the plural of anecdotes is not data, but I’ve seen 5 or 6 E63 sedans in my life, and zero wagons.
I kind of miss seeing the 2-3 R63 crossovers that used to live near me. The factory is about 30 miles away, so a lot of the managers commute from my suburb. It’s a lot less interesting today, just EQS electrics or more likely just a normal GLE SUV with Manufacturer tags.
My sister drives an E63 wagon. She is kind of weird, though.
I love wagons. If Mazda had ever brought the 6 wagon to the United States, I would have immediately bought one. I loved my 6 sedan, but the wagon version was lovely and even more practical.
The ’00s 6 wagon was brilliant, much more fun than the 3.
Oh yes, I should have specified. I was referencing the third gen 6, that first gen wagon was a nice one too!
I mean, we know rich people still love wagons. This isn’t news. You know who else does? The rest of us. Maybe give us a 540i wagon? I’m 100% sure that a B58 will be more than enough to have fun in a 5 Series wagon. Hell…I’d be intrigued by an i5 wagon too.
BMW pls.
BMW? Hell at this rate maybe Toyota should give the Corolla Touring Sports a try.
2560px-2024_Toyota_Corolla_Touring_Sports_Hybrid_(E210)_IMG_9874.jpg (2560×1226)
Throw the GR 3 Cylinder or the PHEV powertrain in it and I’ll buy one tomorrow
FWIU most (all?) of them are hybrids, and my GIS showed up some full-fat GRs (the pic is a “GR Sport”) but those are all photoshops.
If anything I’m leaning hybrid for my next car. That GR Sport RAV4 PHEV checks a conspicuous amount of boxes, but I’ve got a few years to be wooed by something else. If more wagons arrive between now and then I’ll do due diligence.
Like I said…a 540i wagon with the mild hybrid system sure would be neato. It’s not happening, especially considering I’d have to let someone else take the initial depreciation hit and buy certified or lease (I ain’t dropping goddamn $70,000 on a car), but a man can dream.
Damn I wish those were in the US I would look at one for a replacement for the fiances TourX in the future if they were.
It’s high time someone brought back an affordable wagon. The VW has been gone a few years at this point. And something reliable sure would be a nice change.
I first saw these during the last Olympics and decided that this was a Corolla I could see myself in.
Alas – Toyota doesn’t want to see Americans in wagons.
Just CUV/SUVs.
Damn. I could do without the black roof, but that’s nice. That green is great.
I’ve already been tempted enough to make the dubious financial decision to ditch my CX-30 for a GR Corolla, if they gave us a wagon bodied GRC, I’d be calling dealers to slap down a deposit without a single thought.
If your CX30 is the turbo and you don’t plan on doing any serious driving (rallycross, track days, etc.) I actually think that would kind of be a lateral move. If you’re really going to make use of the extra power and want to use the GRC as a tool to become a better driver then I say go for it, but if it’s just gonna be a daily I think the CX30 probably does the job better.
…and I say this as a guy who made the dubious financial decision to trade in his MK7.5 GTI for a Kona N 3 years ago. I wanted something harder edged and have gotten a few track days out of the Kona. It’s been a fun car and I enjoy it, but looking at the big picture I probably wouldn’t make the same choice again, and the GTI was a way better daily.
Mine is the turbo, and a GRC hatch would be lateral in terms of practicality, but a GRC on the corolla wagon would be a big cargo size bump with the fun of a stick. As it stands I intend to sell my 07 Tundra soon and get an NC/ND as a fun car, but if a GRC wagon were available, it would do all the things I’d want from both cars combined minus the convertible, and I’d make the move.
I’m also in a similar boat where about 2.5 years ago I traded in my Mk7.5 6-Speed Golf Wagon 4motion on my CX-30 turbo, so we came from very similar vehicles and moved into very similar vehicles, just slightly different flavors.I wanted a slightly less aggressive, more premium, but still quick little crossover, and am a sucker for Mazda in general, which is why I went with it over something like a Kona N, or even Maverick Ecoboost AWD which I had also looked at.
I’d probably make a similar choice again, but might look at used GRCs as well, since my 30 is a base Turbo which had color options, which has since been replaced with the mono-spec Carbon Turbo, which I don’t love the color combo on, and pricing has jumped enough for a slightly used GRC to be close to parity with a new CX-30 Turbo Premium, which was not the case when I bought. MSRP which I paid on my 30 was 32k, while a mono-spec Carbon Turbo is 34.5k, and a Turbo Premium is up to 38k with the same accessories mine was forced into.
I currently have the Corolla hatchback, and this touring gets rid of the awkward lines I don’t like on my hatch. I’d rather have this.
Yes. A PHEV Corolla wagon would be perfect. I’m thinking about a RAV, but after riding in a few Corolla wagon taxis in Europe, I can’t believe we don’t have them already. Consider that Civic has a sedan and hatch; and that the Kia K4 is about to launch a wagon. Fingers crossed…
I have one of those! It’s called a Matrix.
The first of the current-gen A6 Allroads are coming back from leases. They are in the high 30s range now.
Not saying buying an used Audi is a good idea, but if you must….
Just checked Craigslist for Allroads and one of the first results was from “S&M Motors” – I will take that as an omen.
Hey to each of its own!
Wonder what kinds of head restraints come with these?
Warm leatherette of course.
You can find them with that turbo V6 that was codeveloped with Porsche as well….
Late edit: I think they’re only available with the V6 in the American market?
Seeing the M5 is 110k+ did the wagon sell like a whole 1 more then the sedan?
I have questions… Does it come in brown? And can I get a Diesel V8 with 3 pedals?
Yes! The these are the key questions for Autopian members!
In Europe, the general answers are yes for brown (and it’s a nice metallic brown too, plus Individual colors), no for V8 diesel (only ever in the 7 a long time ago now) and definitely not for 3-pedals. The quad-turbo diesel sixes make a lot more power than the V8 did anyway.
This is just the first in what I’m sure will be a pile on of comments like this, but this vehicle literally has the dimensions and weight of an SUV already. Do people really think an inch or two of ride height is that important by comparison?
This dumb car is almost the exact same weight as a goddamn Tahoe
I’m happy the Sedan is proving to be kind of a flop as it shows BMW there’s a size and weight limit to what enthusiasts consider a sports sedan. The fact that the touring is more popular essentially proves that buyers see this more like a lowered SUV. It fits the car’s size/weight better as a touring.
There is no reason for a wagon to be more than minimally heavier than the sedan it is based on. In the case of my 3-series, it’s about 150lbs, and fully half of that weight is in the unfortunately standard panoramic sunroof. The wagon is actually the same weight as the coupe, and lighter by a lot than the convertible. Both versions of this car are simply *ridiculous*.
This is almost certainly going to ride better than the X5M, which is reason enough to choose it, IMHO.
I think it’s selling better than the sedan in the US simply because it’s cooler. The ONLY way to get a BMW wagon in the US is this car – so if you want an M5, why wouldn’t you? in Europe, you can get a 5-series wagon from mild to wild, so it is not the unique proposition it is here. And a 550e M-Sport wagon is not THAT much slower than an M5, but it’s a HELL of a lot cheaper.
I don’t want any of these lead sleds though. Literally a ton more than my 328! wagon – sheesh. I don’t have anywhere near enough need for speed.
It weighs almost exactly the same as an X5 Competition, IIRC.
Nothing would make me happier than seeing the X5 beat it around some track.
These are actually slower than the last gen M5s. It could be done.
I’m all for wagons, but this is just a poor effort all around. I don’t know why you’d buy this over an X5 or even X3 Competition, the latter of which weighs about 1k pounds less and is close to $40k cheaper. Makes no sense.
I’ve toyed with getting an X3M. Unfortunately they’re apparently so caffeinated and hard edged that they’re kind of miserable to daily. There’s a reason why they depreciate so much more than other M cars. I’d be willing to bet that this is much easier to live with….although the cost delta is huge.
This. I thought I wanted a 328 wagon once (~2015 model). Then I drove one alongside an X3, which had the N55 (I6 turbo) for the same price and it was a no-brainer.
The following week Covid lockdowns started and those 2015 models are still almost as much today as they were in early 2020. Yay!
Similar story with the Audi Allroad and the Q5. You give up so little to gain so much, that’s why crossovers are the sales kinds. I still miss being close to the ground, but I can get over it.
I went through the same and chose the Allroad.
The Q5 (Q7 in my case) is a boring-ass crossover. The Allroad is a legend that Audi USA brings over once every two decades.
YOLO
That has been a BMW problem for a long time. The wagons should have had the same engine choices as the equivalent sedan, yet they sandbagged them for the last two generations.
To be fair, a big part of the reason was production costs. It costs BMW a LOT less to build an X3 in the US than a 3-series in Germany, and for the MUCH smaller production volume of US-spec wagons something had to give.
I’d still buy the wagon (and I did) because X3s ride like buckboards.
Yes.
I can assure you that having driven the closest SUV equivalents to both my BMW 328! wagon and Mercedes E350 wagon, they both drive FAR better than the tall alternatives. You can make an SUV handle decently (BMW) or ride decently (Mercedes) but they never do both at the same time. X3s ride like buckboard wagons, while the Mercedes GLE handles like a sailboat.
I hate sitting any higher than I need to for practical driving visibility which, with all the tall vehicles I need to be able to see around, means even my GR86’s seat is higher than I’d prefer in a perfect world, so that would be a yes from me. The other factor is ride quality. With the lower height, the suspension can be tuned to ride better for a given level of performance as it doesn’t also have to counter a higher cg. Of course, this is a BMW and an M, so I’m sure it still rides poorly and it’s also an ugly, overweight, overpriced pig, so my comments on wagons is more general rather than this thing I have no interest in. A third factor for wagons over C/SUV would be that the load volume tends to be more horizontal than vertical and I find horizontal load area to be far more useful than the more vertical spaces of equivalent SUVs. A proper sports wagon should essentially be a more practical sedan that feels little to no different to drive (or might even drive better as the weight distribution could be more balanced depending on the car).