Here’s a BMW 325i Touring, seen on a car market in east Beijing. It looked absolutely fantastic, painted in Titanium Silver Metallic and fitted with 10-spoke alloy wheels. The BMW E46 Touring is a very rare car in China. The owner made a few changes, including a red air intake in the bumper and red air vents in the hood.
About the BMW E46 3-Series
BMW manufactured the 4th-gen 3-Series (E46) from 1997 to 2005, with a facelift in 2001. The car in the photos is the post-facelift model. The E46 is arguably the best-looking BMW 3 Series ever, boasting a clean design and perfect proportions, particularly in Touring form. The windows are notably darker than standard – another acceptable change by the owner.
The wheels
BMW fitted the 320i and 325i models standard with these beautiful 10-spoke light gray alloy wheels, which perfectly match the car’s exterior color. The Continental tires look brand new!
The interior of the BMW 325i Touring
The cabin looked good for the car’s age, but the cloth seats need some cleaning! Most Chinese car owners fit protective seat covers, especially with expensive cars like a BMW, but not in this case. The center stack looks completely original, including the audio system with a CD player.
The rear bench looked a little dirty; barely used and never taken care of. The E46 was, however, quite spacious in the back. The E46 was a decent-sized car: 4470/1740/1420, with a 2725-millimeter wheelbase.
Specifications of the E46 BMW 325i Touring
The owner also added four shiny exhaust pipes at the back. Again, good work. The pipes make for a sportier look without overdoing it. The standard car had only two exhaust pipe tips on the left side. The 325i model had BMW’s famous inline-six engine under the hood, with a displacement of 3.25 liters and an output of 192 hp and 245 Nm. BMW mated the motor to a 5-speed automatic, sending horsepower to the rear wheels. BMW claimed a 238 km/h top speed.
It came from Wien
BMW didn’t sell the E46 BMW 325i Touring in China, so it is super rare. However, some examples arrived via diplomatic channels or the gray market. This one has an interesting sticker on the back: BMW Wien Heiligenstadt · Donaustadt. “Wien” is the German name for Vienna, Austria. Heiligenstadt and Donaustadt are districts of Vienna.
The sticker strongly suggests that the car was originally delivered in Austria, or at least spent part of its early life there. Notably, there is no single BMW dealer in Vienna today that covers both districts, which implies the sticker likely dates from an earlier dealer structure, when BMW Wien operated multiple locations or used combined branding for different branches.
Maintaining a rare wagon like this in China is not easy. BMW dealers generally lack experience with the Touring model, as it was never officially sold there. However, because BMW did sell the E46 sedan in China, many mechanical parts are still relatively easy to source. In recent years, wagons have also become cool again, developing a dedicated fanbase, which has further helped parts availability.
In any case, it is great to see this well-kept example still on the road in Beijing today.