The F31 is the estate of the sixth-generation 3 Series, arriving just under a year after the saloon. It holds 495 litres, around 1,500 with the seats down, and keeps the 3 Series Touring trait BMW has carried since the E46: the rear window opens on its own without swinging the whole tailgate.
That window brings its own hinges, struts and latch mechanism. The rear lights are also split — one half in the body side, the other in the tailgate — which is worth settling before you buy. On top sits the 2015 LCI line, where the headlights and lamps changed.
At the front the F31 is identical to the F30, front doors included; only from the B-pillar back does it go its own way. The range ran from the 316d to the straight-six 340i, plus the 330e plug-in hybrid.
Driven as a high-mileage company car, what stays usable at the end is mostly what sat protected inside: door cards are our commonest F31 part. Cloth, Sensatec and leather ran alongside each other, and the insert colour follows the donor car's interior.
