Breathe in, because what follows is breath-taking. If you thought that the prestige BMW M3 was the best performance saloon money can buy, then how about a version that is practical as well as blisteringly fast? Well, search no more because BMW have announced the M3 Touring, available to order now. It’s a very welcome addition to the ranks of the M Series range of performance cars.
On The Outside
The iconic M-specific front end boasts, as ever, the BMW kidney grille which is matched with massive air intakes, flared wheel arches and side skirts. Instantly recognisable. The large intakes, with honeycomb mesh, are positioned in the lower section of the front apron to optimise the supply of air to the drive components and braking system.
Viewed from the side, the M3 Touring has ‘BMW distinctive’ characteristics like M gills and extended side skirts. Together with the attachment parts for the front and rear aprons, the sills form a black high-gloss band around the car. This racing-inspired body element teams up with the front spoiler lip and underbody aerodynamics for real on-road balance.
Full-LED headlights are standard for the BMW M3 Touring, as are BMW Individual lights, ‘Shadow Line’, with darkened inlays adorning their upper edges. The optional BMW ‘Laserlight’ are available as part of the also optional ‘Visibility’ package and can be identified by the blue inlays inside the headlight units. These include the cornering light and adaptive cornering functions with variable road illumination optimised for urban and motorway driving, plus the BMW Selective Beam non-dazzling ‘High-beam Assistant’. If that’s not enough lighting power, at speeds above 37mph, Laserlight increases high-beam range to a maximum 550 metres and follows the course of the road dynamically; very beneficial at this level of performance.
This car is available only in ‘Competition’ guise with the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system. Thus, the BMW M3 Touring truly combines that race-car feeling with a distinctive character and immense versatility. It also has particularly large light-alloy wheels: 19 inch at the front, 20 inch at the rear, in double-spoke design as standard in Jet Black or optionally in bi-colour diamond polished finish.
On The Inside
With regard to the touring aspect, the rear compartment delivers real practicality. The three full-size rear seats can split 40:20:40, depending on how many passengers are on board and how much cargo needs to be carried. In this way, the load capacity of the BMW M3 Touring can grow from 500 litres to 1,510 litres.
Standard specification also includes automatic tailgate operation as well as a rear window that opens separately. Options include rubberised anti-slip rails that rise up from the boot floor after the tailgate has been closed, preventing items of luggage sliding around when cornering and buttons to automatically fold the rear seats from the boot. Both features are also available as part of the optional ‘Comfort’ pack.
The cockpit design combines M-specific features including red colour accents for the M buttons on the (heated) M leather steering wheel and the Start/Stop button on the centre console. The gear selector lever with ‘Drivelogic’ switch has a leather surface with embedded M logo and stitching in M colours. It also features an eye-catching cut-out with integrated cascade lighting. An anthracite-coloured BMW M headliner and interior trim strips in Carbon Fibre high-gloss are standard. The Merino leather-trimmed M Sport seats fitted as standard in the front of the BMW M3 Touring include multi-way electric adjustment with a memory function, and are also heated. The letter ‘M’ gets used a lot, presumably to avoid confusion with lesser models.
Racing flair meets long-distance comfort: Optional ‘M Carbon’ bucket seats merge racing flair, lightweight design with long-distance comfort to unique effect. Also fully electric and heated, they feature integral head restraints and an illuminated model badge. The use of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic adds, in the immortal words of the late, great Colin Chapman, lightness.
The BMW Curved Display is made up of a 12.3 inch information display behind the steering wheel and a control display of 14.9 inches, which merge into a single fully digital and high-resolution unit behind a frameless glass surface angled towards the driver. A number of special widgets are also available in the BMW M3 Touring containing information on the current vehicle setup, as well as tyre pressure and temperature. The BMW Curved Display enables the number of buttons and controls to be significantly reduced, with the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant and BMW Operating System 8 permitting intuitive operation using voice control and the touchscreen.
On The Road
Early days yet but given the M3 saloon is recognised as one of the finest cars to drive ever, there are high expectations being placed on the Touring version. Expect this to be so. For starters, that xDrive system has a rear bias, enhancing the feeling of agility behind the wheel, while BMW has also enhanced the torsional rigidity to keep the body stiff. But the German firm hasn’t neglected everyday usability since the M3 Touring model is likely to be used on a daily basis by their owners. As a result, adaptive M suspension system will allow drivers to put the car in ‘comfort’ settings for when you want things to settle down.
A six-cylinder twin-turbo 3.0 litre in-line engine with instantaneous power delivery sits up front offering very urgent power delivery and a healthy appetite for revs. The engine puts maximum torque of 650Nm between 2,750 and 5,500rpm and produces peak output of 510hp when the revs hit 6,250rpm. The red line, should you dare, is 7,200 rpm. Drive is through an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with ‘Drivelogic’ and split between the four wheels as required. As a result, the BMW M3 Touring delivers blistering performance at all times, agility and precision are the headline driving features.
Don’t worry, it’s safe too: The Touring is equipped as standard with Park Distance Control with sensors at the front and rear, Cruise Control with brake function, Front Collision Warning with brake intervention, Lane Departure Warning including lane return with steering assistance, an ‘Attentiveness Assistant’, and the Speed Limit Info system.
Also standard is Driving Assistant which adds lane change warning, rear crossing traffic warning and Rear Collision Prevention functions. Driving Assistant Professional, meanwhile, features Active Cruise Control with Stop&Go function, Automatic Speed Limit Assist, Steering and Lane Control Assistant. Safety technology has never been better.
Find out for yourself about importing the premium BMW M3 Touring from the UK by getting in touch with us here at MHH for more information. You can breathe out now.
