While BMW's 335i Touring has been spotted testing in the California Desert, don't expect to see the 300-hp five-door in showrooms anytime soon. BMW has again confirmed that the 328i Sports Wagon, with its 230-hp powerplant and a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive, will be the most powerful 3 Series wagon in the States in the immediate future. We are not surprised, as this follows BMW's trend initiated when they launched the E46 3 Series Touring to the U.S. market in 2001. That model, like the current version, was never fitted with anything but the entry-level six-cylinder engine. Those who crave BMW's award-winning twin-turbo six-cylinder under the hood of their family hauler can opt for BMW's 535xi Sports Wagon. The engine, and all-wheel drive, are standard.
Click for high-res gallery of the Aznom MINI Chateau
Mothers Against Drunk Driving are not going to like this one. Italian coachbuilder Aznom, which has previously rolled out custom MINIs like this pickup "tender", has now produced a Clubman inspired by a vintage of another sort. The Aznom MINI Chateau is distinguished by a mobile wine cellar installed in the trunk, capable of housing six wine bottles in isolated comfort, along with six wine glasses with which to enjoy them. Aznom's wood veneer finish decorates the exterior and cabin, which also gets a unique leather trim. Riding on 18-inch TSW Pace rims shod with Yokohama rubber, Aznom will only produce 12 examples, each one individually numbered and personalized for their owners. We'll have to wait a few years to see if the Chateau gets better with age like the vino it transports.
Images in the gallery below and press release after the jump. Please enjoy responsibly.
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Subaru Exiga.
When we showed you Subaru's new MPV last week your response was pretty much unanimous: man that is fugly. The car's reception on the other side of the Pacific has been a lot warmer though, particularly for the headlights' signature blue flash; the only criticism is that it's taken Subaru way too long to get this car to market.
Make the jump to read our initial impressions of the Subaru Exiga.
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Cadillac CTS Wagon.
Cadillac's product onslaught will continue with another iteration of the CTS that takes aim at the Kraut-wagons from Mercedes and BMW. The CTS wagon will debut in 2009 and will be sold worldwide, and it's expected that the CTS coupe will debut later that year.
As expected, the Provoq concept will replace the SRX in 2010 and will ditch its predecessor's Sigma underpinnings and utilize a new platform created by blending the Theta and Epsilon architectures. Power will be provided by a V6 and Cadillac's general manager, Jim Taylor, expects annual sales to land somewhere between 60,000 and 70,000 units.
Click above for high-res gallery of the Subaru Exiga
If you want a seven-passenger vehicle in the States, your choices are few. Those of you shopping for just such a vehicle can longingly gaze at the Subaru Exiga. It goes on sale today in Japan, but in the latest press release from Subaru, there are no plans for U.S. export mentioned.
The Exiga's naturally-aspirated 2.0L engine outputs 146 hp, while the sportier GT model with intercooler and turbocharger makes 221 hp. Passengers are treated to a huge panoramic roof that rivals even the new Jetta Sportwagen.
Around the Autoblog office complex, there are several wagon fans who love to get their hands on one of these. But for now, we have no reason to believe Subaru will bring the Exiga over here. Check out our gallery for more high-res shots of the Subaru Exiga and read the full press release after the jump.
For the last eight years, Subaru and L.L. Bean have partnered on high-end versions of Subaru's line of all-wheel-drive vehicles. No longer. According to Subaru spokesman Dominick Infante, the duo have decided that it's in the best interests of both brands to call it quits. Infante notes that the Subaru brand has done rather well for itself in areas where snow and winter outdoor activities are common but has lacked appeal in more sun-rich states where the L.L. Bean brand isn't very common. It shouldn't be too difficult for Subaru to shed its rugged but staid image. With awesome models like the STi, Subaru seems entirely capable of making vehicles with which to scorch asphalt as opposed to the ski slopes.
In lieu of using the L.L. Bean nomenclature, Subaru will instead endow its higher-end models with the 'Limited' badge. With the last of the L.L. Bean models currently sitting on dealer lots, those outdoorsy individuals aching for one had better act fast.
Click above for gallery of the remade Family Truckster
People have remade the iconic Family Truckster wagon from the movie National Lampoon's Vacation before, but we don't think many have done so well as forum poster ls1nova71 over at ls1tech.com. He's faithfully recreated the metallic pea (everything except for turning the white wall tires into green walls) from a Ford LTD Country Squire wagon and dropped in a stock 5.3L small-block GM V8 to keep it road worthy. As we caught up to the forum thread, ls1nova71 had loaded up the Truckster and made it to a stop on the Hot Rod Power Tour, where he did us all proud and ran the Griswold's wagon down the quarter mile at 14.9 seconds at 94 mph. Clark would've no doubt been ecstatic if his version could do that in the movie. Perhaps then he could've kept up with Christie Brinkley's Ferrari.
click above to view high-res gallery of the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback
Mitsubishi announced today that it will unveil the production version of its Lancer Sportback and Lancer Sportback Ralliart at the Paris Motor Show in early October. The Lancer Sportback is just what it sounds like, a five-door hatchback version of the recently redesigned Lancer model that's on sale around the world. Mitsubishi already revealed in its latest global business report that it would be selling the Lancer Sportback in the U.S. as well, but the only time frame given was sometime after the introduction of the Evo X, which is already on sale here.
In Europe, the Lancer Sportback will be powered by a 1.5L or 1.8L four-cylinder, or a 2.0L turbodiesel, while the Sportback Ralliart will feature a turbocharged 2.0L MIVEC engine producing 237 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque that's mated to Mitsubishi's Twin-Clutch SST transmission. It will also feature an Active Center Differential to help send torque to the wheels that can use it, as well as two-piston front brake calipers. Sounds like the same setup we saw on the U.S. version of the Lancer Ralliart sedan that debuted at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show in January. We were particularly smitten with that car, so adding some more interior cubes and a fifth door should only serve to increase our anticipation for Paris.
For three weeks in a row, now, we've brought you a new Autoblog Podcast courtesy of the B-Team. Here's episode #96 of the Autoblog Podcast, where Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid, and Dan Roth kibbitz over some morsels of recent news. There's the requisite trip to the Autoblog Garage to start things off, then we move into actual discussion points like the CTS Wagon, a gasp of life on the Ford Ranger front, the massive confusion around Cerberus and Chrysler, and Hyundai's nose-thumbing at Toyota's hybrid technology. Remember to send in questions, comments, and suggestions for ways to mark the passing of upcoming episode #100 to podcast at autoblog dawt com. See you next week!
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While the big Japanese auto manufacturers have been incrementally improving their vehicles ever since they were first launched in the U.S., Hyundai has been bettering itself in leaps and bounds. While we're not quite ready to anoint Hyundai as the second coming of Toyota, it just isn't all that shocking anymore to hear that the Hyundai Elantra is now Consumer Reports' top-ranked 2008 vehicle amongst 19 other compacts and subcompacts. Beating out such high-quality stalwarts as the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Prius is very impressive work, and Hyundai is justifiably proud of the accomplishment. Jim Trainor, a Hyundai spokesman, told the Detroit Free Press, "As I got the note from Consumer Reports, we were ecstatic. Coming from such a highly regarded industry source like Consumer Reports, it really says a lot about what we're doing."
Besides the aforementioned Honda and Toyota models, Mazda also scored fairly well with its popular 3 sedan and hatchback. The popular-with-the-people Ford Focus managed a mid-pack rating. Holding up the rear was the Chevy Aveo, which shouldn't be too surprising given the extremely low cost of entry into that model.
For three weeks in a row, now, we've brought you a new Autoblog Podcast courtesy of the B-Team. Here's episode #96 of the Autoblog Podcast, where Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid, and Dan Roth kibbitz over some morsels of recent news. There's the requisite trip to the Autoblog Garage to start things off, then we move into actual discussion points like the CTS Wagon, a gasp of life on the Ford Ranger front, the massive confusion around Cerberus and Chrysler, and Hyundai's nose-thumbing at Toyota's hybrid technology. Remember to send in questions, comments, and suggestions for ways to mark the passing of upcoming episode #100 to podcast at autoblog dawt com. See you next week! 
Saleen makes new value-oriented Racecraft brand official
Officially Official: 2009 BMW 7 Series
Officially Official: 2009 Ford Focus RS
I want my FPV: Super sedans hit the desert in new TV spot
Happy Independence Day from Autoblog
Track Test: 2008 Roush 427R Trak Pak Mustang
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Porsche Cayman S
First Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata Retractable Hard Top
In The Autoblog Garage: BMW 128i Convertible
