The BMW M3 and BMW M4 model family is welcoming a Touring addition to the ranks for the first time. The BMW M3 Competition Touring with M xDrive combines unadulterated race-car feeling with an extremely distinctive character and increased practicality. This is the first time that BMW M GmbH has brought a five-door variant of its highperformance models in the premium midsize class – which have enjoyed success across six model generations – onto the market. With this drive technology and model-specific chassis tuning at its heart, the BMW M3 Touring displays majestic performance characteristics at all times both on the road and when pushing the dynamic limits on the track. Dynamic flair, agility and precision in the familiar BMW M brand tradition combine with unrestricted everyday practicality – further enhanced by even greater load-carrying capacity – to give the BMW M3 Touring a highly distinctive identity that is vividly showcased by its extravagant exterior design. The M3 Touring also makes a convincing proposition with its innovative control/operation and connectivity technology. This will be the first high-performance car from BMW M GmbH to be launched with the new BMW iDrive vehicle experience including BMW Curved Display based on BMW Operating System 8. It will be offered exclusively in Competition guise and with the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system. This means the 375 kW/510 hp generated by the six-cylinder in-line engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology is channelled via the eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic and split between the four wheels as required.
The exterior design of the BMW M3 Touring reflects the motor sportinspired character of the M3/M4 line-up in its own individual style. Like the Sedan, the Touring variant can be clearly differentiated from the BMW 3 Series variant that provides the basis for the M car. Cleanly designed surfaces and powerfully sculpted forms signal the standout performance potential of the BMW M3 Touring, as do the M-specific design features firmly invested in the functional requirements of cooling air routing and aerodynamic balance. Out of this emerges an extravagant and emotionally stirring aesthetic that marks the BMW M3 Touring out clearly from its segment rivals. Like its surface treatment, the proportions of the BMW M3 Touring underscore the car’s striking dynamic aura. It is 85 millimetres longer externally than the BMW 3 Series Touring, at 4,794 millimetres, 76 millimetres wider (1,903 millimetres) and four millimetres lower (1,436 millimetres). It also has particularly large light-alloy wheels – 19-inch at the front axle, 20-inch at the rear. The M-specific forged wheels in double-spoke design come as standard in Jet Black or optionally in bi-colour Jet Black with diamond polished spoke and rim flange faces. The BMW M3 Touring brings model-specific tweaks to the design of the base car’s roof and rear end – both defining areas of the new variant. This gives the M3 Touring a standalone visual identity within the model range and beyond.
The BMW M3 Touring is the fourth model type in the high-performance M3/M4 range, following in the tyre tracks of the Sedan, Coupé and Convertible. It will be produced alongside the BMW M3 Sedan variants at BMW Group Plant Munich. The new car provides renewed evidence that BMW M GmbH’s expertise in the development of emotionally compelling vehicle concepts is alive and well in its 50th anniversary year. The BMW M3 Touring is geared to the needs and desires of a target audience looking for more in many different areas: more power, more performance, more emotionality, but also more practicality. The first BMW M3 Touring celebrates its world premiere in June 2022 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England. Alongside its home market Germany, the UK is the most important sales region for the BMW M3 Touring. Beyond those two countries, sales of the new model will be concentrated primarily in Switzerland, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan. The market launch of the new BMW M3 Touring will begin from the start of production in November 2022, with customers able to place orders from September 2022. The BMW M3 Touring allows these enthusiasts to clearly express their passion for motor sport not just on selected occasions, but in almost any situation presented by everyday motoring.
The eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic fitted as standard is perfectly attuned to the engine’s performance characteristics. A direct connection to the engine and remarkably quick gear shifts lend themselves to a performance-focused driving style, as do engine speed adjustment on downshifts in automatic mode and the ability to change straight to the lowest possible gear in manual mode. The driver can use the Drivelogic button integrated into the selector lever to alter the transmission’s shift characteristics, with a choice of three clearly distinguishable settings in both automated and manual mode. As well as a more comfort-oriented setup and a setting for sporty driving, drivers can activate a track-optimised configuration for the shift characteristics. The M Steptronic transmission allows both fully automated gear changes and manual shifts with sequential gear selection using either the M-specific selector lever or the standard shift paddles on the steering wheel. Nudging either paddle allows the driver to temporarily switch from automated to manual mode in an instant. It is also possible to execute multiple downshifts to the lowest available gear in manual mode for a sudden burst of acceleration from a steady speed. This is done by simply pulling on the left shift paddle while summoning maximum power by pressing the accelerator to the floor. M Steptronic does not force upshifts under acceleration in manual mode – even when the engine’s revs hit the limiter.
The powertrain technology in the BMW M3 Competition Touring with M xDrive has been engineered for the sole purpose of delivering supremely assured performance. Its extremely powerful engine places it among the model range’s Competition variants. No compromises are made either when it comes to channelling that power to the road in a way that maximises traction, directional stability and dynamic prowess. The 375 kW/510 hp six-cylinder in-line engine and eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic team up with the M xDrive allwheel- drive system for the job at hand. This configuration underpins a high-intensity, compelling performance experience on both the road and the track, combined with outstanding everyday usability and all-weather capabilities. The engine under the bonnet of the BMW M3 Competition Touring with M xDrive brings together the latest M TwinPower Turbo technology with a traditional high-revving approach to its work, resulting in the performance characteristics for which M models are famed. The eight-speed M Steptronic transmission’s Drivelogic function allows the driver to alter the gearshift characteristics, while the M-specific version of the intelligent all-wheel-drive system also offers a choice between various forms of power transmission, including pure rear-wheel drive.
The 3.0-litre six-cylinder in-line unit stands out with its urgent power delivery and a healthy appetite for revs that continues unabated into the highest reaches of the engine speed range. These qualities give the engine the unmistakable skillset that defines the performance experience in BMW M models – with linear power delivery its standout characteristic. The engine puts maximum torque of 650 Nm (479 lb-ft) on tap between 2,750 and 5,500 rpm and produces peak output of 375 kW/510 hp when the revs hit 6,250 rpm. Its red line is 7,200 rpm. The straight-six engine powering the BMW M3 Touring also forms the basis for the drive unit in the new BMW M4 GT3 endurance racing car. Its power output, efficiency and track ability are therefore partly down to numerous components developed on the back of BMW M GmbH’s many years of racing experience. These include an extremely rigid crankcase with a sleeve-free, closed-deck construction, a forged lightweight crankshaft and a cylinder head whose core was manufactured using 3D printing. Two mono-scroll turbochargers with electronically controlled wastegates supply compressed air to the combustion chambers. An indirect intercooler supplied by a low-temperature circuit increases the effectiveness of the turbocharger unit. And the direct petrol injection technology operates at pressures of up to 350 bar with exceptional precision and efficiency. VALVETRONIC variable valve timing and Double-VANOS fully variable camshaft timing likewise form part of the M TwinPower Turbo technology.
Like the cooling, the oil supply system has been designed to handle extremely dynamic driving situations during track use. An additional suction stage allows the map-controlled oil pump to draw lubricant from the smaller chamber, which steps in when extra capacity is needed. The M-specific exhaust system with electrically controlled flaps generates an emotionally rich soundtrack, providing an acoustic showcase for the engine’s free-revving performance and linear build-up of power. The engine’s signature M performance profile, combined with the enhanced traction offered by M xDrive, translates into stunning acceleration times. The BMW M3 Touring takes just 3.6 seconds to power from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) and 12.9 seconds to reach 200 km/h (124 mph) from rest. The midrange sprint from 80 to 120 km/h (50 – 75 mph) is over in 2.7 seconds (in 4th gear) or 3.5 seconds (in 5th gear). Opting for the M Driver’s Package increases the electronically limited top speed from 250 km/h (155 mph) to 280 km/h (174 mph). It terminates in a large silencer, from which the exhaust gases escape via a quartet of tailpipes in customary BMW M fashion.
