The M3 Touring is BMW’s current media darling and BMW knows it, which is why all of the coverage from Goodwood is of it, instead of the M4 CSL. In fact, BMW took some journalists—including our own Horatiu—for a ride on the famous Goodwood hill climb in the M4 CSL and we’re still mostly talking about the M3 Touring. Let that soak in for a moment: a hardcore, track-oriented performance car with almost 505 horsepower, a stripped-out cabin, and BMW’s fastest Nürburgring lap time is being overshadowed by an all-wheel drive, automatic wagon. Must be one helluva wagon, right?
In this new video, Horatiu greets you from Goodwood to show off the new M3 Touring and give you an up close and personal look at BMW’s hottest new car. The M3 Touring’s design shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as it’s literally just the combination of a 3 Series Touring and an M3. So it has the same basic roofline, window trim, and profile as a 3 Series Touring but also has the flared fenders and aggressive body work as the M3.
Obviously, it has the same massive grille but I’m sick of beating the dead horse that is BMW’s kidney grille design, so that’s the last we’ll speak of it today. Even though the M3 Touring’s design is a bit predictable, it’s still a good looking car and one that most car enthusiasts would be thrilled to own.
Inside, the M3 Touring actually gets the updated LCI interior, before the 3 Series sedan does. That means it has BMW’s new curved iDrive 8 display and digital gauges. Some fans will miss the physical climate controls but I think the far better infotainment system and digital gauges are worth the trade off.
Under the skin, the BMW M3 Touring is no different than the M3 Competition xDrive sedan. It gets the same 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six, with the same 503 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque, as well as the same eight-speed automatic, and xDrive all-wheel drive. Though, at 3.6 seconds to 60 mph, it’s about a tenth slower than the sedan, due to the added weight of the wagon body style. What also increases weight is the M3 Touring’s lack of carbon fiber roof option. On sedans, you can forgo a sunroof in favor of a lighter-weight carbon fiber roof but not so in the M3 Touring. Instead, you can get the roof painted black, to make it look like the carbon roof, or you can get it painted in body color.
Without question, the BMW M3 Touring is the most hotly anticipated BMW of the year. We cannot wait to drive it when it’s finally available.
