The second generation of the 3-Series was launched in 1982 but it wasn’t until the car’s mid-life cycle refresh until the station-wagon was launched.
It was the first 3-Series that had the Touring name.

The station-wagon mania started in the mid-’80s and the premium manufacturers didn’t offer that kind of bodywork on the compact-sized vehicles. While Mercedes-Benz and Audi already had station-wagons in its lineup, BMW didn’t have anything to offer in that segment.

The 3-Series touring was the same car from the grille to the B-pillars, but after that, it was changed with a longer roof, different rear quarter panels, and the addition of the D-pillars. The C-pillars were slimmer than those from the sedan. The tailgate featured an innovative system with the window opening independently from the rest of the tailgate, or together with it.

Inside, there was no difference in headroom between the sedan and the touring since the sedan already featured a long roof. The rear seats featured a folding seatback to extend the trunk space. It also kept the go-through folding panel to allow ski-transport.

The 3-Series Touring was offered with 4 and 6 cylinders engines, both gasoline and diesel. The introduction of the all-wheel-drive system for the 325 iX version was also introduced for the station-wagon.