‘Practical’ and ‘fast’ meeting in 2024 as BMW approves M3 Touring

Showcased at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last year as the first estate in the moniker’s fabled now 37-year history, a newly confirmed report has revealed that BMW will be bringing the M3 Touring to South Africa as the long-overdue rival for the Audi RS4 Avant.

Interest had been there

The first performance estate Munich has created since the end of the V10-powered E65 M5 Touring thirteen years ago, the M3 Touring was reported to be on the automaker’s radar despite South Africa’s well-known disdain for station wagons compared to SUVs.

“This is a unique car but there is also a unique following for cars like the Touring. We are currently investigating [the possibility]. It hasn’t been signed and sealed yet, but we are working on something,” BMW South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa CEO, Peter van Binsbergen told the media on the side-lines of BMW M Fest at Kyalami last year.

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RS4 Avant, be ready

In a subsequent reply to cars.co.za on the M3 Touring, BMW South Africa stated that sales will commence in 2024, but only in limited numbers with the exact allocation not being disclosed.

What is known though is that the M3 Touring will only be offered in Competition guise and with the xDrive all-wheel-drive system in a move that will see it compete directly with the RS4 Avant and in Europe, the new Mercedes-AMG C43 Estate.

The sole availability Competition guise means the M3 Touring loses out on the six-speed manual gearbox fitted to the entry-level rear-wheel-drive M3, but gains the full 375kW/650Nm tune from the S58 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six engine.

Compared to the M3 Competition sedan, the Touring will get from 0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds, a tenth slower, but hit the same top speed of 250 km/h or 280 km/h when specified with the optional M Driver’s Package.

The claimed 0-200 km/h sprint is completed in 12.9 seconds with all of the mentioned twist going to the four corners via the eight-speed Steptronic gearbox.

All in

Similar to the sedan, the M3 Touring will feature the Adaptive M suspension, Active M differential and M Compound brakes as standard, along with the M exhaust system.

Of course, the biggest gain over the sedan, as well as the M4 Competition, is practicality with boot space increasing from 500-litres to 1 510-litres with the rear seats down.

The rest of the interior though is standard M3, meaning the inclusion of the new Curved Display, the M steering wheel, M Sport or M Carbon bucket seats, M mode buttons on the steering wheel and carbon fibre inserts.

Patience South Africa

Due to enter production in November this year for the global market, pricing for the M3 Touring remains unknown at present, with BMW South Africa only expected to reveal any details closer to the end of 2023.

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