BMW’s new M3 Touring wagon brings a small premium over its sedan couterpart.
The long-awaited Touring version of the much-loved BMW M3 is almost here, and pricing outside of Australia reveals the wagon model demands around a $4000 premium over the sedan.
The first-ever M3 Touring wagon comes as the BMW M division celebrates its 50th anniversary and it goes on sale in Australia in 2023, exclusively in Competition M XDrive guise. Ahead of then, the model lands in the UK in right-hand drive and BMW says UK pricing will start from £80,550, which is £2,375 ($4100) more than the M3 sedan equivalent – a bit more than the premium that the 330i Touring deamnds over its sedan stablemate.
With that in mind, Australian pricing for the BMW M3 Touring Competition M XDrive sedan starts from $166,500 before on-road costs, so we expect a circa-$170,000 price for the Touring wagon if the specifcation list matches up.
BMW M fans were teased with the possibility of a wagon M3 back in 2000. The German firm produced a one-off concept Touring version of the E46 M3, which was a technical exercise for M engineers, rather than a serious exploration into a practical bodystyle for the then coupe and convertible-only performance icon.
Since then, the M3 has become a sedan, while the coupe and convertible models have adopted the M4 badge. Now, the wagon version is finally here, and it has the Audi RS4 Avant firmly in its sights.
The 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed was the first time we saw the new M3 Touring in public. Ahead of sales commencing, the M3 Touring has made its track debut at Silverstone, during the 2022 British MotoGP round. Two cars were on show – an M3 Touring in Frozen Black was joined by the official M3 Touring MotoGP Safety Car – decked out in M Performance Parts. This year also marks 20 years of BMW M’s partnership with MotoGP. To celebrate this milestone, the fastest qualifier for the year will receive an M3 Touring.
Under the bonnet of the M3 Touring is a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six developing 375kW and 650Nm torque, with a redline of 7200rpm. That power gets to the road via an eight-speed automatic gearbox and xDrive four-wheel drive. BMW claims 0-100km/h takes 3.6 seconds, which is just one tenth of a second slower than the M3 Competition xDrive saloon.
The visual transformation compared with the 3 Series Touring includes the addition of the vertical kidney grilles, an aggressive bodykit, wider wheelarches and a large diffuser featuring a quad exhaust set-up.
There are plenty of optional carbon-fibre trim elements and lightweight, forged alloy wheels measuring 19 inches up front and 20 inches at the rear, behind which sit larger brakes. Carbon-ceramic discs are available as an option, but the brand’s adaptive M suspension is standard fit.
Boot space matches that of the standard 3 Series Touring. With all seats in place, the M3 Touring can take 500 litres of luggage, while folding the rear bench increases this to 1510 litres. The M3 Touring retains the standard car’s novel tailgate glass, which can be opened independently.
Inside, the M3 Touring adopts the updated interior of the newly facelifted 3 Series, complete with an M division makeover. The brand’s new ‘Curved Display’ infotainment and instrumentation system is used, with a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel seamlessly combining with a 14.9-inch central touchscreen.
M Sport seats are standard, but carbon fibre-backed bucket seats are available as an option. Merino leather upholstery is standard, too, but full leather in four different shades is also available.
BMW Australia will reveal the pricing and specifcations for the BMW M3 Touring locally closer to its expected Q1 2023 arrival.