Here’s BMW’s latest attack on the niche market – the V3 Progressive Activity Sedan (PAS). Following BMW’s most recent crossover, the X6 Sports Activity Coupe, the V3 is a beefed-up estate based on 3-Series Touring underpinnings, designed with both passenger and luggage space in mind.
Our spyshots reveal the V3 PAS features a taller roofline than its 3-Series donor car for improved interior space, though the crossover will be a strict four-seater with two individual bucket seats in place of a rear bench.
Jacked up suspension heightens the ride and bolsters the V3’s rugged, all-terrain credentials, though the V3 is not a strict off-roader – both rear-wheel and four-wheel drive variants will be available. The same xDrive system found in the X5 and X6 will provide all-wheel traction, and expect to see the usual range of four-pot and six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines available from launch.
Set for showrooms in 2012, the V3 is part of a new niche strategy for BMW that also includes a V5 crossover, which as the name suggests will be based on the 5-Series platform and will arrive earlier, in 2010.
According to BMW executive Klaus Draeger, all future Progressive Activity Sedans will carry the ‘V’ prefix, just as the letter X is used for SUVs, and Z for sports cars.
