BMW has released the first details about its M3 Touring, with the car making its public debut at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed before going on sale in September.
The new BMW M3 Touring will be the first ever estate version of the M3 to go into production, powered by the same 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine as the M3 saloon, driving through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
Like the saloon range, the M3 Touring will only be available in the UK in its range-topping ‘Competition’ guise. Only the all-wheel drive ‘xDrive’ configuration is available, to ensure that the estate car has sufficient traction on the road, accounting for its heavier rear end. That said, switching off the car’s ‘Dynamic Stability Control’ function essentially makes the M3 Touring rear-wheel drive.
BMW says that this new estate car can complete a 0-62mph sprint in 3.6 seconds, which means that it is faster off the line than its closest market rivals, the Audi RS 4 and the soon-to-be replaced Mercedes-AMG C63, which can complete the same run in 4.1 seconds and 4.0 seconds respectively.
The manufacturer has capped the M3 Touring’s top speed at 155mph, but opting for the optional ‘M Driver’s Package’ will increase this figure to 174mph. Adaptive ‘M’ suspension technology with electronically controlled shock absorbers are available as standard, and the M3 Touring can be specced with carbon ceramic brakes and track tyres for an extra fee.
Apart from its extended estate car rear end, the exterior of the BMW M3 Touring is identical to its saloon twin, with the same enormous kidney grilles that extend from the lower front bumper up to the bonnet, sporty bumpers, side skirts and flared wheel arches, and a large four-pipe exhaust spread across the car’s rear diffuser. 19-inch alloy wheels feature in the front, with 20-inch alloy wheels in the rear.
Like estate versions of the standard BMW 3 Series, the M3 Touring has three full seats in the rear. The electrically-operated tailgate includes a rear window that can be opened independently of the boot lid.
When it comes to storage, the estate car has 500 litres of boot space (five litres more than the Audi RS 4), which becomes 1,510 litres with the rear seats folded. Anti-slip rails that rise up automatically from the boot floor to stop luggage from sliding in tight bends can be ordered as an option.
The BMW M3 Touring has the same ‘M’-themed interior design trimmed in leather as the M3 saloon, except for the curved digital console that features prominently on the dashboard – connecting a 12-inch digital cluster to a 15-inch infotainment screen – software that also features in the all-electric BMW i4 saloon.
Further carbon fibre elements with carbon bucket front seats can be added to the interior for an additional price.
At around £5,000 more than its saloon sibling, the M3 Touring Competition is priced at £80,550, which is over £14,000 more expensive than the Audi RS 4, and over £40,000 more than an entry-level BMW 3 Series Touring.
BMW says it will start taking orders for its new performance-enhanced estate car in September this year, ahead of the model going into production in November.
The BMW M3 saloon has been on sale for over a year now, praised for its thrilling performance but criticised for its polarising front-end styling. It currently holds an Expert Rating of 85%.
