No Rear Wiper - 2014 BMW 328i xDrive Gran Turismo Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited December 2014 in BMW
imageNo Rear Wiper - 2014 BMW 328i xDrive Gran Turismo Long-Term Road Test

Hatchback sedans like the 2014 BMW 328i xDrive Gran Turismo usually have rear windshield wipers, but the 3 GT does not.

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  • iamthestigiamthestig Member Posts: 85
    At least the rear spoiler is retracted. :-)
  • 7driver7driver Member Posts: 145
    Supposedly Americans are hatchback averse. Leaving off the rear wiper visually downplays the fact that this is a hatch. Plus, BMW saves a few bucks. Sounds like a win-win for BMW.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    edited December 2014
    7driver said:

    Supposedly Americans are hatchback averse. Leaving off the rear wiper visually downplays the fact that this is a hatch. Plus, BMW saves a few bucks. Sounds like a win-win for BMW.

    ...And a lose-lose for the customer. I think all cars should have rear wipers. In Japan many sedans have rear wipers.
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    Treat the rear window with RainX or Aquapel. I don't necessarily like using those products on front windshields, but they are great for side and rear windows.
  • wheelmccoywheelmccoy Member Posts: 97
    It's a BMW. You're supposed to drive so fast you don't need a rear wiper. :)
  • victorminatorvictorminator Member Posts: 18
    The first gen Mazda 6's hatchback body was such a genius design for the NA market. It looked like a regular sedan but infinitely more practical. I lugged so much stuff with it thanks to the retractable cover, and the rear wiper had a very wide coverage. It baffles me we can't integrate wipers on all sedans. Such a useful thing.
    That a hatch from BMW doesn't have it is really ridiculous. Pretty sure the A7 has that same issue and I cannot understand that.
  • dmosdmos Member Posts: 8
    I suppose I'm odd in that every vehicle I've owned has had a rear wiper (okay, my Jeep only counted in winter when the hardtop went on), but not having one is a deal breaker for my future E91 replacement. I'm going to guess that the 4 Series Gran Coupe has the same problem? In Canada a rear wiper is essential come slush months if you have a window tucked that close to the end. Like now.
  • legacygtlegacygt Member Posts: 599
    I'd be curious to know how much more of an issue the lack of a rear wiper is on this car vs. a 3 series sedan. I don't think it's the angle of the rear glass that matters as much as where it's located. In the case of the GT, the glass doesn't go all the way to the back of the car. Plus there is a good aerodynamic shape to it (as opposed to SUVs and wagons that have nearly vertical glass right at the rear wiper. In the case of the GT I would imagine you're seeing water droplets in the rain (similar to a front windshield) but not so much of the dirt and mud that make rear wipers essential on SUVs and wagons.
  • victorminatorvictorminator Member Posts: 18
    Dmos, I'm in Canada and can relate. My Mazda 3 hatch is the first "true" hatchback I own and I can now see just how easy they can be dirtied. The 6 hatch was a lot less prone due to the fact it did look like a normal sedan and the glass wasn't meeting the end of the car.

    Legacy, it probably isn't a big issue on the 3 GT like it would in a real hatchback with the more vertical hatch, but I've found that once you've owned a car with a rear wiper, especially one like the 6 hatchback which shows you what it's like to have a sedan with a rear wiper, you feel like it's impossible to go back. It just feels wrong. It's a little like experiencing good xenon headlights and then going back to reflector setups. That's my just take though.
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