BMW finally will build an M3 Touring
BMW WILL EXPAND its line-up of M performance cars with an M3 Touring for the first time. The first test prototypes of the hot estate will shortly begin on-road development, ahead of a likely launch in 2022.
The M3 Touring, for which Autocar reported plans in 2018, will finally give BMW a direct rival for the longestablished Audi RS4 Avant. It will sit alongside the new M3 saloon and M4 Coupé,
The M3 Touring will use a turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine that’s set to make 473bhp
which are set to be revealed in September, and next year’s M4 Convertible.
The M3 Touring will shortly begin development work at BMW’S testing facility in Garching, near Munich. Track evaluation on the Nürburgring Nordschleife is set to follow.
BMW has yet to reveal many technical details about the car, but it will use the turbocharged six-cylinder petrol M engine. In the new M3 saloon and M4 Coupé, this 3.0-litre unit is set to make 473bhp and 443lb ft.
The two-year development plan for the M3 estate suggests there will be some mechanical differences from the saloon.
BMW said the new model will offer the M division’s signature wide axles, large front air intakes and quad tailpipes.
The estate is likely to follow the saloon in adopting a distinctive, large front grille that borrows heavily from that of the controversial new 4 Series, rather than adopting similar styling to the regular 3 Series Touring.
Although BMW has never previously offered an M3 Touring in the 34-year history of the M3, it did produce a feasibility study prototype based on the third-generation 3 Series in 2000. It was driven by a number of journalists but didn’t reach production.
In contrast, Munich has twice offered a Touring estate version of the larger M5: during the 5 Series’ third generation between 1992 and 1995 and as part of the fifth-generation line-up from 2006 to 2010.