BMW M3 Touring (2022): market launch, data, price

Whether there was also an M3 station wagon was the hopeful question of many fans with each new generation presented: the M3 Touring was considered a permanent dream car in this country. With the 5 Series, BMW softened up twice: the E34 and E61 were each available as M5 Touring. And now, after years of “no longer a station wagon” disappointment, the M3 Touring is finally here. BMW says they just wanted to make a car like this – and clearly for the domestic market. The decision was made during M3 test drives in winter 2019 in Sweden.

It would be nice if the Bavarians also hosted the European station wagon fan in times of the SUV boom. And the engineers certainly did not develop the M3 Touring completely out of thin air: after all, 50 percent of all Series 3 station wagons sold are in Germany – the Touring could thus correctly advance the profitable M share in Series 3. Christian Karg , who is responsible for the overall concept for the high-performance M models, is also pleased that the number of new parts needed for the tours was manageable. Incidentally, the M specialists’ internal development name was Bielefeld, an ironic reference to the city which, according to a satirical conspiracy theory, doesn’t even exist.

Always as a race

With the M3 Touring, BMW doesn’t do things by halves: the model is based on the M3 Competition xDrive with all-wheel drive and should be suitable for driving on the Nordschleife both loaded and unloaded. To do this, the engineers had to completely recalibrate the driving dynamics: the M3 sedan in the competition version and the M3 touring are visually completely identical up to the B-pillar. So the station wagon also has the Competition logo on the grille and the wheel arches are flared due to the wider axles (80 millimeters at the front and 70 millimeters at the rear) compared to the non-M series models. At the rear, the large black diffuser, from which the typical M a quattro tailpipe trims protrude, is identical to that of the sedan; the overhanging rear sill is cut deeper than the sedan due to the Touring’s lowered tailgate. And since the M3 Touring should remain fully suitable for everyday use, it also has the separately opening rear window of the non-M Touring. The roof edge spoiler, newly developed for the M3 Touring, is enthroned above it. The roof is not carbon, but it is factory black. The roof is also available in body color on request. If you wish, you can even fit a roof rack – the BMW has a roof load of 75 kilograms for the M3 Touring.

Removable headrest pads

Also in the M3 Touring the driver observes the large curved double display that the entire 3 Series has received during the recent restyling. However, the M model gets M-specific displays and menus. And since the M3 Touring is supposed to drive like an M3 sedan on the Nordschleife, there are also cleverly designed sports seats waiting for the occupants. The seat offers enormous lateral support and the integrated headrest pads can be removed by the driver and front passenger during racing, so there is more helmet space. The bearings must then be refitted on the headrests on public roads, otherwise the car is not allowed. However, the racing shells are also designed for everyday use – they can be electrically adjusted in many ways, which also includes adjusting the backrest angle. They are also padded for long distance travel. In the rear there are family-friendly child seat racks, and the engineers have not compromised when it comes to stowage volume compared to the “normal” Series 3 Touring: 500 to 1,500 liters of luggage fit in the rear of the sporting machine.

Additional reinforcements

The expandability of the trunk from 500 to 1,510 liters by folding down the rear seat backrests requires additional reinforcement technology in the Touring: after all, the dividing wall between the passenger compartment and the trunk that stabilizes the entire body of the sedan is no longer available. So the engineers equipped the underbody pillars which are also present in the sedan with an additional connection point and also fitted a new V-shaped pillar in the rear underbody area. Also, the chassis has been completely retuned for the tour. For everyday use, the tuning takes place on the country road, for sporting use on the Nordschleife – as always with M. The front and rear axles have a completely new spring stabilizer tuning with significantly higher springs on the rear axle, new damping valves all around and new stabilizer rubber pads.

Pure adjustable rear-wheel drive

There are two characteristic curves for the pedal feel under braking and the ABS and ESP are of course also adapted to touring and the driving modes of the sedan also get the station wagon – so if you want to drift with your station wagon M3, you can select this mode by pressing a button. And so that the fun of the station wagon continues even on difficult surfaces, all-wheel drive is standard on the M3 Touring. The driving modes are 4WD, 4WD Sport and 2WD. When pure rear-wheel drive is activated for racing, ESP is also deactivated and the wheel slip limit can be set in ten steps. The wheel selection is identical to that of the M3 and M4, and ceramic brakes are also available at an additional cost. However, the outerwear is also not allowed for towing trailers.

From 3.6 seconds to 100 km / h

Under the hood of the M3 Touring is the same unit as the M3 Competition: the inline 6-cylinder 3.0-liter biturbo of the S58 series delivers 510 hp at 6,250 rpm (maximum speed 7,200 rpm) and generates maximum torque of 650 Newton meters between 2,750 and 5,500 rpm. It goes from zero to 100 km / h in 3.6 seconds (sedan: 3.4) and reaches 200 km / h in 12.2 seconds. The maximum speed is limited to 250 km / h; if you purchase the optional M Driving Package, the limit is set at only 280 km / h. BMW specifies WLTP consumption for the sedan at an average of 10.1 liters per 100 kilometers. The switching work is done by an eight-speed automatic tuned specifically for the M. Finely tuned technology seems to work: BMW test driver Jörg Weidinger toured the Nürburgring Nordschleife with the M3 Touring in 7: 35,060 minutes, setting a record for production station wagons.

BMW will produce the M3 Touring in Munich from November 2022. Deliveries will begin at the beginning of 2023. Prices start at 97,800 euros – compared to the M3 Competition xDrive sedan, that’s just 1,000 euros more.

Conclusion

BMW is finally launching the M3 as a tour. The station wagon was developed by BMW-M employees on their own initiative in a small group. The members of the Management Board were immediately thrilled with their first prototype. So they gave the green light and now the first station wagon version of the M3 has arrived.

BMW decision makers know what they owe to their M3 customers and their Touring 3 Series customers. On the one hand, this is a sports car suitable for the Nordschleife, and on the other hand, a family-friendly station wagon is required. Combining these two concepts without compromising the needs of either stakeholder group was the feat in the development of the M3 Touring.

There are sport bucket seats, but they are adjustable and suitable for long journeys, there are child seat mounts in the rear, there are fold-down backrests that allow 1,510 liters of stowage space and there is still a 510hp engine, mode guide M, required for the station wagon Additional reinforcements and a completely redesigned chassis for the Touring. The reward for the effort: a record on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.