BMW previews M3 Touring wagon ahead of Festival of Speed debut
BMW M will continue its 50th-anniversary celebrations by unveiling the first M3 Touring at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed. While the model remains shrouded in darkness, a preview image released by the Munich-based firm reveals some of its defining styling cues.
Announced in 2020, the M3 Touring will stand out from the regular 3 Series wagon (and it will fall in line with the M3 sedan) by adopting punched-out rear wheel arches and four round exhaust tips integrated into a wide diffuser. We also spot a body kit that includes side skirts and a roof-mounted spoiler, and door mirrors that are characterized by a more aerodynamic design. It looks like the Touring wears the same wide, vented fenders as the sedan, and it wears massive wheels wrapped by sticky Pirelli P Zero tires. We like what we see so far.
Official photos of the front end haven’t been released yet, but earlier spy shots reveal that the Touring will get the same big grille as the M3 and the M4. And, depending on when production begins, it could also feature the heritage-laced M logo unveiled earlier in 2022.
We’re not expecting that BMW will make significant changes beneath the sheetmetal. M3 buyers have two flavors to choose from: the base model is powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged straight-six rated at 473 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. It spins the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. Next up is the Competition trim, which receives an evolution of the six tuned to 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque and ships with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Rear-wheel-drive comes standard, but BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system is available at an extra cost. Which drivetrain the M3 Touring will come with remains up in the air; it could get both.
BMW will unveil the M3 Touring on June 23 at 10 a.m. Goodwood time, which is 5 a.m. in New York City and 2 a.m. in Los Angeles. As this timing suggests, the wagon will likely not be sold in the United States. Sales on the other side of the pond should start in the near future. And, it’s not the only cool new M that fans will see at the festival: The LMDh-bound M Hybrid V8 prototype will be shown there as well.
As somewhat of a consolation prize, BMW is bringing a limited-edition version of the M3 called Edition 50 Jahre BMW M to America for the 2023 model year. Limited to 500 units, and created exclusively for the North American market, it’s offered in five throwback colors.
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