BMW's M3 Touring is a 510 Hp Wagon That's Just Not For Us
Image: BMW
The U.S. always seems to miss out on great things the rest of the world always gets, like better healthcare, or McDonald’s offering better menu items. You should also add cars to that list too, specifically wagons. We used to get wagons. But Americans were sold on the idea of SUVs and crossovers. So, while BMW gives us the X3 M, the rest of the world will be getting this new M3 Touring wagon.
Image: BMW
The M3 Touring is something of a historic moment for BMW. At no time in the model’s 35-year history has there ever been an M3 wagon offered by BMW. But in a region of the world where the regular 3 Series wagon is a strong seller, it only makes sense for BMW to marry the practicality of the Touring wagon with the performance that comes with M badging.
Image: BMW
While everything rear of the rear doors is new, everything else is just your regular M3, which is to say “hot as shit” performance. Up front resides the same 3.0-liter twin-turbo I6 with 503 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. That gets paired with an eight-speed auto (yep, no manual. Not even for Europe) and a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system. This system has a feature BMW calls M Traction Control, which allows for the M3 Touring to have a “drift” mode (there’s even a drift analyzer).
Image: BMW
Of course, the practicality of the Touring comes with a downside: weight. While I couldn’t find any specs regarding the M3 Touring’s exact weight, that weight does appear to somewhat affect performance. A regular M3 runs zero to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds; 3.8 for the Competition; 3.5 seconds for the Competition with all-wheel drive. BMW is claiming a middle ground for the M3 Touring at 3.6 seconds, though they didn’t say whether or not that was for the Touring or the Touring Competiton. Top speed will be limited as well to 155 mph; that rises to 174 with a special driver’s package.
As of right now, there’s no word on pricing for the M3 Touring. But, to be honest, it really doesn’t matter since we aren’t getting it in the States anyway. Unless… BMW if you see this, bring it over? Even if all of 100 people buy it, I’ll take comfort knowing that it’s here. Audi gave us a wagon in the RS6 Avant, and you guys don’t want to be outdone by Audi right?
