Evosport E55Make no mistake; this is no svelte little sport wagon. In fact, considering its hefty weight (4,410 pounds) and sizeable proportions, not to mention its spacious luxo/cushy cabin, the stately AMG E55 Touring could be considered the anti-sport wagon. Then again, dyno-tested with 372 whp and 412 lb-ft of torque, who's to argue? Despite being bone stock and the only un-modified wagon in our group, this autobahn family hauler kicked some major ass. Truth be told, Evosport received the vehicle prior to our invitation and did not have the necessary time to perform any modifications. Regardless, it easily took top power and torque honors with ear splitting growls from its beastly 5.5-liter supercharged V8, hand-built no less.
This muscle gets put to good use. Smash the throttle and in a matter of 4.9 seconds, you'll find yourself surpassing 60 mph and into triple digits with rocketship force. The 200 mph speedometer is not helpful, constantly glaring, tempting, "Step on it. Step on it." Same can be said about the steering wheel-mounted shift buttons. It makes you forget you're behind the wheel of multi-passenger vehicle and more like an F1 racer.
On the highway, there was no touching the E55's flat out performance and straight-line stability. However, its abundant weight proved too much for the steeply raked banks and unforgiving hairpin corners along the mountain portion of our drive. Hot tires and equally smoldering brakes kept it at the rear of the pack, while the more nimble wagons advanced. A canyon carver this is not. But that's OK. All things considered, the AMG E55 Wagon shines with flying colors. I guess that's what you can expect from a $90,000 sticker.-Robert Hallstrom.
2005 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG
Engine5.0-liter V8, single overhead cam, three valves per cylinder, supercharged and intercooledMods: none
PerformancePeak Power: 372 whpPeak Torque: 412 lb-ft
Rogue Engineering/Evosport M3While the idea may look good on paper, more often than not an engine swap project ends up being a huge waste of time and money. This is one swap, at least, that seems to make a lot of sense. In fact, it is probably the coolest swap we've seen yet, because it's the only M-powered wagon on the planet-as far as we know, anyway. In the M3's 30-year tenure, not even the Germans saw fit to offer an estate version, strange considering the popularity of wagon platforms in Europe.
The project was conceived and executed by Rogue Engineering in New Jersey, where they began with a 325i wagon and installed the desired driveline components: engine, diff and rear axle. They installed M-spec brakes and suspension pieces, as well as aftermarket treatments like an intake, exhaust and coilovers. The car later found its way to Evosport's Southern California headquarters, where it was tuned further to deliver an extra 40 bhp on top of Rogue's already exemplary work.
Admittedly, I haven't driven many swap cars, but this one surpassed my stringent expectations. It feels like a factory car; it pulls strong, it's fast, the gears operate smoothly, and it sounds great. Everything fits and feels exactly the way you'd expect it to. Then you look into the rearview mirror and see all this space in the back. When it comes to 3 Series BMWs, this car truly does offer the best of both worlds. -Karl Funke
Engine3.0-liter inline six (S54), dual overhead cams, four valves per cylinderMods: AFE cold-air intake, Rogue Engineering pulleys, Evosport headers, Powerchip/Evosport software, UUC aluminum flywheel
SuspensionMods: RRT control arms, tie rods, bushings, brake cooling kit, wheel studs, H&R coilovers
BrakesMods: Four-wheel M3 disc assemblies
Wheels and TiresBBS RC-J, 8x18 (f), 9x18 (r)Toyo T1R, 235/40-18 (f), 255/35-18 (r)
ExteriorUmnitza Halo headlamps
InteriorUUC short shifter
PerformancePeak Power: 237 whpPeak Torque: 296 lb-ft