Constant dripping wears away the stone – for decades they have resisted the begging and urging of the fans in Munich. There was once the M5 as a touring, there is the X3 M as an SUV, but they have so far refused to build a station wagon version of the M3. But now it’s here, the ray of hope in this time, which is so challenging for petrol brothers. “Krone” engine editor Stephan Schätzl has already driven the BMW M3 Touring – his impressions here in the video!
Some engineers would have liked to have given it struts across the trunk, because at M GmbH in Garching near Munich one thing was clear: “If we build an M3 Touring, then it must have the same driving characteristics as the M4,” says project manager Robert Pilsl in the “Krone” conversation. Just as precisely and as quickly as possible. And for that, the body has to be just as stiff. Difficult with so much nothing in the middle of the car, above the rear axle. But then they managed to reconcile both: the undiminished loading space of the normal Touring and the stiff chassis of the M3/M4. The secret lies in additional struts that they have drawn in behind the diffuser under the vehicle floor. They start just before the rear wheel suspension (on the stiffeners known from the M4) and run in a V-shape towards the rear. The difference to the two- and four-door is minimal, in numbers: plus 85 kilograms to the M3 sedan.A real M3Practically everything corresponds to the brothers, right down to the equipment options. Only a carbon roof is not available. Otherwise, the test car is full of carbon fiber parts: 9.6 kg lighter carbon seat shells, trim strips, shift paddles, diffuser, exterior mirror caps, right down to the carbon-ceramic brakes. The engine and exhaust system are identical anyway. Three-liter twin-turbo six-cylinder, 510 hp, 650 Nm at 2750 rpm, eight-speed automatic sports transmission, flap exhaust – the Touring is only available in the Competition version. So not with a manual gearbox, not with only 480 hp and not with pure rear-wheel drive. But you can switch to that if you deactivate the DSC, and then you can even use the drift analyzer to train your transverse driving skills and have them evaluated. The fastest of all Visually, the M3 Touring is quite thick. The front does not come from the Touring, but from the M3 and M4, with the thick nostrils and the folds on the hood. There are also powerful fender flares and a fat diffuser. At 1.90 m, it is more than 7 cm wider than the civilian 3 Series Touring and at 4.80 m it is 9 cm longer. It is even a few millimeters longer than the M3 sedan. The whole look gives the impression that the M3 Touring is lower than the civilian 3 Series Touring. But the opposite is the case: Because of the larger wheels (20 inches at the rear, 19 inches at the front), the roof line is even four millimeters higher. This not only makes it look fast, the M3 Touring has been proven to actually be fast. Compared to the M4, it only loses two seconds on the Nordschleife. At 7:35.060 minutes, it holds the record for station wagons on the Nordschleife (entire route), so it outclassed the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S 4MATIC+ Estate by more than ten seconds – even though its V8 engine is 102 hp more powerful .The driving performance speaks for itself: Sprint to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds (0.1 s more than the M4), to 200 km/h in 12.9 seconds. The standard top speed is 250 km/h, but this can be increased to 290 km/h for a surcharge and driver training. BMW specifies consumption as 10.4 to 10.1 l/100 km. In reality, you can get by with 12.5 liters, but depending on your driving style, it can be a little less or significantly more. Incidentally, the tank holds 59 litres. Drives like a “real” M3 On the handling, you can hardly tell that it is a station wagon. At most to guess that he understeers a track more than the M4. But that would have to be evaluated in a direct comparison. The station wagon gives in willingly, the steering is highly precise and sensitive, but should be translated a bit more directly for cornering. The adaptive M chassis corresponds to that of the non-station wagon brothers, was only adapted to the higher weight. Of course it’s basically hard. However, the normal position offers something like a foreboding comfort without any uncertainties arising at a speed that is just about suitable for winter tires. Sound can be sharpened in several stages The flap exhaust system was completely taken over from the M4. The flaps can be opened to improve the sound using a button on the center console. But the full roar is only available if you use the setup button on the center console to call up the corresponding menu and set the drive to Sport Plus. Oh yes, the trunk The main difference to the M3/M4 is, unsurprisingly, in the rear. The trunk is identical to that in the normal 3 Series Touring and holds 500 or 1510 liters. Folding down works with a button on the backrests, the roller blind and partition net can be removed very easily. And on the back seat you sit just as well as in the four-door. This means that it is fully suitable for everyday use. The price list says 122,700 euros, which means a surcharge of 3100 euros compared to the BMW M3 Competition as a sedan. The test car comes to just under 163,000 euros including extras (carbon sports seats, carbon package inside and out, etc.). Otherwise you can also see it as a track tool, with the option of taking a set of racing tires with you. In any case: Everything done right, BMW! Why? Because it finally exists Because it perfectly combines sport and family suitability (or simply practical benefits) Why not?
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