One of the most anticipated cars for enthusiasts that can’t seem to come soon enough is, without a doubt, the upcoming G81 M3 Touring. This will finally be a dream come true for a lot of BMW fans, who have been asking for this body type with a real M3 badge ever since the first Touring version of the E30 3 Series came out. Well, BMW decided to finally offer it but, as you might’ve predicted, it does come with a couple of caveats.
The G81 M3 Touring was recently spotted out doing some testing near Munich and, from the looks of things (check the photos here, we don’t own them), it seems to be in production-ready clothes. Design-wise, nothing special will be separating the Touring from the M3, as both versions will have the same front nose, same wheels and rear bumpers. Sure, the Touring will have a different rear fascia but nothing out of the ordinary, so can make an educated guess as to how it will turn out, design-wise.
Unfortunately though, we still have a lot of waiting to do until it will enter production. According to our sources, the M3 Touring will only be on sale for a few years, and production will kick off in November 2022. That means the first models on the market will be 2023 model years and the M3 Touring will come with all the features the facelift of the G20 3 Series platform will get. The LCI of the 3er will be introduced next summer and will bring the new infotainment system seen on the i4 among many other things.
Therefore, even though the underpinnings of the M3 Touring will be the same as on the G80 M3 (3.0 liter straight-six with 510 horsepower), the interior will be up to date with the latest offerings from the get go. The biggest bad news though is that BMW has no plans to offer it in the US at all which is very surprising, especially since the US-based fans were the most vocal in asking for this body style. Maybe BMW will change its mind in the meantime but the chances of that happening are slim to none.
