Space, pace and qualitative grace. Is the BMW M3 Touring the perfect allrounder?

BMW, the “Bavarian Motor Works”, have always been known for building sporty sedans since many decades. Especially their M-department has gifted us with various impressive cars that were equipped with glorious engines and capabilities to get from A to B real quick. I’m speaking of legendary cars like the BMW E9 3.0 CSL, E31 8-Series, E36 M3 Limousine, E36/8 Z3 M Coupé, E39 M5 and E60 M5, E90 M3 Limousine and many more. And the new BMW M3 Touring could definitely get added to this list. The following review explains why:

What is it all about?

Building a fast estate isn’t new to BMW. Who remembers the E34 and E61 M5 Touring? Both legendary cars that entered the automotive Hall of Fame. This legacy has found a continuation with the BMW G81 M3 Touring. An outstandingly designed estate powerhouse with space for five plus 500L boot space to carry all your goods.

BMW doesn't do things by halves with the M3 Touring: The model is based on the M3 Competition xDrive with all-wheel drive and is designed to be suitable for the Nordschleife both loaded and unloaded. To achieve this, the engineers had to completely re-tune the driving dynamics - visually, the M3 Saloon in the Competition version and the M3 Touring are completely identical right up to the B-pillar. This means that the estate also bears the Competition logo in the grille and the wheel arches are more pronounced due to the wider axles (80 millimeters at the front and 70 millimeters at the rear) compared to the non-M3-series estates. At the rear, the large black diffuser, from which the typical M four tailpipe trims protrude, is identical to that of the saloon, while the rear sill above it is cut out lower than on the saloon due to the low-reaching tailgate of the Touring. And since the M3 Touring is intended to remain completely suitable for everyday use, it also has the separately opening rear window of the non-M Touring (a beloved BMW gadget since decades). The roof edge spoiler, newly molded for the M3 Touring, sits enthroned above it. Although the roof is not made of carbon fiber, it is black ex works. The roof is also available in body color on request. If you like, you can even fit a roof rack.

First impressions

The brand’s famous angel eyes are gone with the mid-2024 facelift and somehow reinterpreted with the double daylight design headlights. Plus, you get an additional 20hp with the facelifted version. The M3 Touring shown in this review is painted in BMW Individual Tanzanite Blue metallic and configurated with extended Tartufo/ Black leather trim. Very classy. But suits the car. Silver wheels would have completed the whole look better. The base price is a staggering CHF 131’600.-. Various options like the paintjob (CHF 2’600.-), seat ventilation (CHF 1’140.-), Parking Assistant Plus (CHF 1’650.-), Carbon Exterior Package (CHF 5’260-.), Carbon Interior Trim (CHF 1’710.-), multiple packages and small options lead to a final price of CHF 152’770.-. For a family car. Impressive. Of course, the German competition from Stuttgart and Ingolstadt tend to cost even more. But still, it is a big amount of money.

But, you’ll get a lot for your money. The M3 Touring could possibly be the best one-car-solution for a petrolhead’s family. It’s practical, has loads of space, able to carry a roof box and trailer, has a majestic S58 engine (which found its way to the motorsport, too) and can lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:35 Minutes. That’s half a minute quicker than an Audi RS6 C8. Half a minute. Just let that sink in…

Let’s have a seat.

The M3 Touring arrives with the interior from the facelifted BMW 3 Series, which turned worse than before in several small but slightly annoying aspects.

Sadly, the heater buttons are all gone now. Dead. Their ghosts lurk in the 14.9-inch curved Display touchscreen, which can (mostly) still be operated with the iDrive clickwheel. Phone connectivity through Android Auto and Apple CarPlay worked flawlessly during the whole test drive.

But beside the complex infotainment systems, the interior’s fundamentals are great: the driving position is spot on, materials feel very expensive (and so they should for 150k+) and the (bit boring looking) comfort seats still provide enough lateral support on twisty roads. The optional carbon shelled seats (tested in a BMW M4 CS) are phenomenally comfortable, though climbing in and out is a bit of a special drill. Plus the seats suffers from wear and tear.

Versatility stood high upon the task list for the Touring. The three-part folding rear seat bench makes most SUVs looking old. Same counts for 500L of boot space and a separately openable trunk window. Plus, there’s useful underfloor stowage and loops to lash stuff to.

Is it a drivable roller coaster?

With 530hp and 650Nm of torque, the S58 inline-six throws the Touring withing 3.6 Seconds from 0 -100kph. Although weighing almost two tons, the M3 Touring received some additional stiffness - finally, the partition wall between the interior and boot, which stabilizes the entire body, is no longer present in the saloon. The engineers have therefore added an additional connection point to the underbody strut that is also present in the saloon and added a new V-shaped strut at the rear of the underbody. The suspension has also been completely retuned for the Touring. For everyday use, the set-up takes place on the country road, for sports use on the Nordschleife - as always with M. The front and rear axles have a completely new spring/damper/strut set-up with significantly higher spring rates on the rear axle. Therefore, the quick wagon isn’t only fast on straights, but corners, too. And as it is with modern BMW M-vehicles; They feel lighter in their handling compared to their actual weight.

BMW’s xDrive AWD set-up is so well-suited to a fast estate car, you curse the company for not creating it earlier. As a heavily rear-biased set-up that only sends a maximum of 50 per cent of power to the front in the most extreme circumstances, you get the balance and sensation of a rear-wheel drive car, with a safety net of improved traction. That means using 530hp to the max is a much less fraught affair than it was in the previous M3, which arguably wasn’t as civilized as the M3 G80 or G81. Although the M3 Touring is marketed as a 4WD car, you can of course delve into the set-up screen and disconnect the M3’s front driveshafts, allowing it to be rear drive only to let your big but go sideways as a fun party trick. But as I suspect, most of the Tourings will stay in 4WD factory standard setting.

Due to its perfect set up suspension and power management, the M3 Touring feels completely at home in alpine environments. The Touring has all the poise, aggression and pace you’re used to from the existing M3. So, you quickly forget it’s a wagon and get absorbed quickly in the business of driving it. Could be bad news for the dog having a nap in the back or your passenger’s sensible stomach.

What should I buy?

The BMW M3 Touring ticks so many boxes, it might be the ultimate petrolhead’s dad one-car-solution for the family. It’s an amazing car without any doubt. The attention to detail and material choice is outstanding. Having its price in mind, it needed to be good. I honestly rate the M3 Touring as an almost perfect car.

To end this review, I wanted to thank BMW Switzerland for lending me their incredibly well specced BMW M3 Competition Touring I had the opportunity to properly test drive for a week. It’s a car I had a lot of expectations and brought it back without any disappointment.

Review & Photos by: R.P.M. | Robin P.M.