503bhp BMW M3 Touring officially breaks cover

-        3.0-litre straight-six with eight-speed Steptronic and xDrive 

-         Curved Display on the inside

After many years of waiting, BMW has finally given us the M3 Touring. Touring in BMW’s language means estate or station wagon. And although there was a prototype of the E46 M3 Touring, it never reached the production line. So this is the first-ever G81 BMW M3 Touring – also known as the fastest-ever estate around the Nürburgring.

Power comes from the familiar 3.0-litre straight-six from the M3/M4 pair. It puts out 503bhp and a whopping 650Nm, all of which are sent to the M-specific xDrive AWD system through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. No RWD or manual for the M3 Touring. But the 0-100kmph time of 3.6 seconds is enough to make you forget that. And the top speed is electronically limited to 250kmph, which can be pushed to 280kmph by paying extra for the M Driver’s package.

The same motor is employed for the M4 GT3 race car. Therefore, many reinforcements are done to the powertrain for it to sustain higher loads. Other hardware at play includes carbon-ceramic brakes, adaptive suspension, 19-inch front and 20-inch rear M alloy wheels, and an integrated braking system that offers two settings for the pedal feel.

On the inside, the M3 Touring gets the new curved display as standard fitment. The high-performance station wagon also gets sports seats and loads of CRPF materials to keep the weight in check. With the longer roof, the M3 Touring has a luggage capacity of 500 litres that can be expanded up to 1,510litres. In terms of styling, the Touring is still recognisable as an M3 but in a more practical bodyshell. 

After a public premiere at Goodwood FoS, the M3 Touring will open orders in September, with production slated to start in November. It will be built alongside the standard M3 at BMW’s Munich plant.