The BMW M3 Touring had long been in the mind's eye of Garching’s engineers (and indeed those of M car purists) before it was launched a few years ago.
It was, as to be expected, a brilliant performance estate that neatly captured the handling and dynamism of the M3 super-saloon in a more practical and usable package.
Four years on, the M3 Touring has become the benchmark of its class, and last year it received a number of tweaks in an attempt to make this already excellent driver's car just that bit sweeter.
It was unenviable task for the M division but one that they clearly approached with caution.
The mid-life facelift has brought a handful of tweaks to the exterior and interior, while BMW has also extracted more power from the twin-turbocharged straight-six petrol engine.
Has this helped the M3 Touring to retain its position at the top of the class and kept rivals from Audi and Mercedes at bay? Let’s find out.
Verdict
Model tested:
Rating: 9
BMW M3 Touring
Still brimming with character, driver appeal and everyday practicality. A future classic in the making.
Good
Wonderfully poised with level of agility that's belies its size and weight
Rip-roaring S58 engine is free-revving and characterful
Remains practical with genuine everyday usability
Bad
Quite expensive
Ride is quite brittle at lower speeds
BMW M340i might offer enough accessible performance for many
INTERIOR
8
Pros
Refined, with excellent fit and finish and quality
500-litre boot and folding rear bench make it supremely versatile
Rear quarters can accommodate adults comfortably
Cons
Bucket seats are comfortable but awkward to get in and out of
Touchscreen infotainment system is a little convoluted in places
The M3 Touring’s cabin architecture and layout are pretty much unchanged. You now get a flat-bottomed steering wheel with a red straightahead marker and some new air vents, but that’s your lot.
There’s still the same 12.3in digital driver’s display and 14.9in curved infotainment touchscreen, with the latter now running an updated version of BMW’s iDrive software.
It’s graphically sharp and the system is generally well laid out, although there are quite a few menus and sub-menus to deal with.
We like the fixed row of climate controls at the bottom of the screen, plus the physical buttons that surround it and the classic rotary iDrive controller on the transmisison tunnel.
Even with a blue-blooded straight six, the M3 Touring offers the same practicality and everyday versatility as a bog-standard 3 Series estate. You get the same independently opening rear windscreen hatch and rubber strips in the boot floor that rise up when you're on the move to prevent anything sliding around the substantial load bay.
If you need more capacity, the second row can be folded flat, turning this family estate into a 523bhp tip-runner. It's almost surreal being sat in a bucket seat and looking back in the rear-view mirror to see such endless space.
With the second row fixed, there’s more than enough room for taller adults; even sitting behind my own driving position, I could get comfy in the back. I was glad to have a decent amount of leg room, too, because I wouldn’t want my knees to come into contact with those carbonfibre-backed seatbacks.
Speaking of which, the seats are wonderfully supportive and more comfortable than they look, although the wedge of carbonfibre trim between your legs is rather annoying.
ENGINES & PERFORMANCE
9
Pros
Free-revving S58 is a proper supercar-slaying engine
Well-tuned automatiuc gearbox is an excellent wingman
Cons
Synthesised engine note
We were never left cold by the S58 when it developed 'only' 503bhp, but the 523bhp that this facelifted M3 Touring now musters makes it an even more enlivened, eye-widening performance car.
Despite the modest hike in power, the M3 Touring takes the same amount of time (3.6sec) to sprint from 0-60mph as the outgoing car. That the famed Lexus LFA supercar takes the same time to hit the same speed tells you all you need to know about the M3 Touring.
In Sport Plus mode (which sharpens the throttle, gearbox and traction control), the free-revving S58 punches hard, accelerating for longer than in its previous iteration.
It feels urgent and complimented by the scalpel-sharp ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox. I particularly like the kick through the seat when swapping cops in Sport Plus mode.
In-gear acceleration is ferocious, if not more so than the pre-facelift model – and, thanks to short gear ratios, it feels like the M3 Touring will just keep on pulling.
There’s plenty of synthesised engine noise filtered into the cabin, but it's authentic and by no means affects the sonorous character of the straight six up front.
Flick the Touring into Comfort mode and it has the docility of a 320i, particularly at a cruise, and yet cast a cursory glance in the wing mirror and its wide hips remind you you're at the helm of something more special.
The 4WD set-up ensures there’s oodles of traction, particularly in the wet. Seeing as it was rather cold and wet, we didn’t explore the M3 Touring’s RWD setting, but it certainly broadens its appeal when it comes to entertainment value.
RIDE & HANDLING
9
Pros
Excellent chassis balance
Agile and incisive handling with communicative steering
Hides it bulk well on the fly
Cons
Firm ride, particularly at lower speeds
Weighs almost two tonnes
The engine gives the M3 Touring real character, but it's the way this brawny estate car gives you the confidence to attack a meandering cross-country road that makes it a true driver’s car.
For a car of this size and weight, it's very well sorted. At 1865kg, it's 85kg heavier than its saloon sibling, the extra mass a result of some bracing for greater rigidity and additional metal at the rear.
Despite its kerb weight, it hides its bulk exceptionally well. On the fly, you will fail to detect any of the M3 Touring’s heft, thanks to its wonderful poise and rear-biased chassis balance.
Whether through fast left-right sweeps or down a more technical rural back road, it's surefooted and precise, maintaining excellent body control and a level of agility that shouldn’t really be possible for a mid-sized estate.
Front-end bite is off the chart, and overall the M3 feels keyed into the road surface, thanks to communicative and consistently weighted steering.
Of course, this level of athleticism comes at the detriment of ride quality. Like the M3 saloon, it’s quite brittle at low speeds and comes undone over sharper imperfections.
MPG & RUNNING COSTS
7
Pros
Decent touring economy
Cons
Can get pretty expensive, especially after ticking a few options
The M3 Touring starts from £93,585, but with the horde of optional extras available, you can easily nudge it beyond the £100,000 mark.
The options on our Skyscraper Grey test car could buy you an entry-level Dacia Duster – with some change to spare. It was kitted out with carbon-ceramic brakes (£8800), M carbon bucket seats (£4450) and the Ultimate Pack (£7275), with the total damage a hair under £110,000.
That’s a hefty outlay but, when you consider its level of performance and practicality, you won’t find much better elsewhere. The Audi RS5 Avant will cost similar money when it arrives later this year.
I typically saw MPG figures in the high-20s and low-30s but was impressed by the M3’s touring economy: at a cruise it will do around 35mpg if you’re happy to trundle along at 60mph.
VERDICT
9
Verdict
Model tested:
Rating: 9
BMW M3 Touring
Still brimming with character, driver appeal and everyday practicality. A future classic in the making.
Good
Wonderfully poised with level of agility that's belies its size and weight
Rip-roaring S58 engine is free-revving and characterful
Remains practical with genuine everyday usability
Bad
Quite expensive
Ride is quite brittle at lower speeds
BMW M340i might offer enough accessible performance for many
BMW may have made only modest changes to it, but the M3 Touring now feels ever so slightly more complete as a driver's car.
The engine’s extra potency has helped sweeten what was already an excellent package without harming any of its dynamic appeal.
It’s pretty hardcore and uncompromising: the ride is firm, it’s fairly noisy and looks rather aggressive. And for many, an M340i Touring will do the same job for significantly less money. But the M3 Touring couldn't appeal more to those who like their performance car in estate form.
You buy an M3 Touring simply because you want one, and if you do, you will get a car that can play the role of family hauler and supercar-baiter, wrapped up in a package that is desirable as it is practical.
Context:
The BMW M3 Touring remains the benchmark performance estate after its mid-life facelift and power boost.
Context:
This sets the standard for combining supercar performance with genuine family practicality in one package.
Context:
The S58 engine now produces 523bhp, up from the previous 503bhp in the pre-facelift model.
