March 6, 1999

BEHIND THE WHEEL / Audi A6 Avant, Mercedes-Benz E320, BMW 528i and 540i

American Icons Made in Europe

By LEONARD M. APCAR

UST say "station wagon" and any baby boomer's brain starts flipping through its memory book: driveway car washes, car pools and Dinah Shore beckoning fresh-faced families to "See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet."

Big station wagons with three rows of seats and faux wood paneling on the side have been only a memory ever since minivans and sport utility trucks became the family vehicles of choice.

	A rendering of a possible Jaguar station wagon.

But minivans and sport utilities drive like trucks because they are trucks. If you want some room but want to drive something that makes you smile, is there salvation from minivan and sport utility madness?

In Europe, where station wagon memories linger, Audi and BMW are the latest car makers to believe they have an alternative for the thinking driver. Powerful engines up front, sizable room in the rear and plenty of leather and wood trim in the middle. Grab the wheel, touch the pedal and instantly you have the pleasure of sure-footed handling and heady acceleration.

And four-wheel drive? Fancy traction control packages, which do the trick for virtually everybody, are available from BMW and Mercedes. Audi and Mercedes also offer all-wheel drive; in fact, it is standard on Audi's pleasant midsize wagon, the A6 Avant.

As for seating, the Audi and the Mercedes E320 wagon can handle up to seven in three rows. In the Audi, the rear-facing third row is for children only, but the roomier Mercedes can seat two compact adults -- though no one would want to sit there long. The BMW, a five-seater, forgoes a rumble seat.

The wagon rebirth is intended to appeal to people who camp, ski or scuba -- or look as if they do -- and want the zip of a performance sedan at the tip of their toes and the prowess of its road-holding in their hands.

In the last year or so, sales of midsize luxury wagons have risen 50 percent, suggesting that there may indeed be a meaty niche here. Volvo's all-wheel drive V70 XC AWD wagon is its best-selling car. Saab is about to unveil its first wagon in 20 years. Even Jaguar is rumored to be preparing to leap in.

But can they really carry the load of a minivan or a sport utility?

No. While designers have worked hard to prevent rear wheel wells from encroaching on space, and a network of cargo nets allows you to pile your gear high, the Audi and the BMW do not have as much cargo room as a Ford Explorer or even a Volvo wagon. With the Audi, I kept running out of room for golf clubs, suitcases and the like on a family trip. But if you can regularly lighten your load, there is true joy behind the wheel.

BMW introduced its 5-series sport wagon in October after being off the wagon train for a few years. It delivers BMW's trademark handling with aggressive power. Take a turn, even at high speed, and you seem magnetized to the road.

The magicians in Munich have shaped that sense of harmony between car and driver. Simply put, you lead the car; the car doesn't lead you.

There are two power plants, a 2.8 liter, six-cylinder with 193 horsepower for the 528i, and a 4.4 liter V8 yielding 282 horses that turns the more expensive 540i into a muscle machine.

By comparison, the Audi and Mercedes engines, both V6's, fall in between at 200 and 221 horsepower, respectively.

Since the 528i is the lightest, it seems to accelerate without hesitation. Not so for its German competitors, which both seem a tad underpowered for their weight.

Of course, the BMW V8 overpowers everything in the class, moving from 0 to 60 miles an hour in a slender 6.3 seconds. The price for this neck-snapping fun is a $1,300 gas guzzler tax and dismal fuel economy: 15 miles a gallon in the city, 21 on the highway.

Only BMW offers a manual transmission: a five-speed on the 528i only. It also offers its sporty M package, a $2,470 option, that includes 17-inch wheels, high-performance tires and a drum-tight suspension.

Whatever the power train, the BMW's dimensions don't differ. The interior is the usual BMW mix of instrumentation, leather and walnut. The doors close like those on a bank vault. It is also the shortest of the cars. While that makes parking easier, it means rear legroom is tighter and cargo room is less than in the Audi or the Mercedes.

The Audi, on the other hand, is the longest and widest of the threesome, but the roof line is the lowest. That results in plenty of compliments because the long, low profile is nicely proportioned and eye-catching. Rear legroom is exceptionally generous.

Surprisingly, headroom is not a problem.

It also has an inviting interior. The terra cotta color scheme in Audi's "Advance" motif has inlays atop the shift console, the center of the instrument panel and along all four doors.

The seats adjust a dozen ways and have three lumbar settings. Door pockets open out like bins, and thoughtfully designed lighting is found at each door opening, above the rear seats and even neatly tucked into the ceiling, to light mirrors on the visors.

Audi offers a third seat as a $700 option, but it seems impractical. Because it does not fold away completely, it limits cargo space. It can be removed, but it's 40 pounds.

The Mercedes does offer a third row that folds down completely and it has the most room by far behind the rear seats. The rear-wheel-drive version starts at about $48,000 and the all-wheel-drive wagon begins at just above $50,000. The BMW 540i is the most expensive, though, starting at $54,050.

In terms of safety these three wagon masters are similar. Each has two front air bags in the dash and side air bags for the two front passengers. Rear air bags are optional at Audi and BMW, not available on the Mercedes. BMW has head protection bags above the front seat as standard equipment.

Where do they differ? Tailgate doors on the Audi and the Mercedes are one piece; the BMW door conveniently allows you to open the door or just the window, and it's lighter.

Annoyances? Audi's steering wheel design hides the cruise control and high-beam stick on the left and the wiper control on the right. The Mercedes cruise control and turn signal stalk are so close you can accidentally accelerate when you mean to signal.

One other notable difference: Audi carries a three-year, 50,000 mile warranty, BMW and Mercedes add an additional year.

Children of the 50's would hardly recognize these performance wagons from the family cars of their youth. But they'd certainly appreciate them.

On a drive with the BMW 528i, my wife and I left for dinner, forgetting a bottle of wine we needed for the meal. Taking the manual transmission through the paces on a lake shore road was so much fun I took the long route. "We need to go back for the wine, and you'd better hurry," she warned.

Did she say hurry?

INSIDE TRACK: Hot rods for country squires.