BMW Australia will introduce the first BMW M3 Touring yet, which will make its global debut at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed, to local enthusiasts in the first quarter of next year.
Australia continues to be among the world’s largest markets for BMW M, with one in five BMWs registered here wearing an M badge. More than 500 examples of the latest generation BMW M3 Sedan were registered locally over the past year.
The all-new M3 Touring launches as celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of BMW M continue apace. This year has already seen debut of both the M4 CSL and fully electric BMW iX M60, while later this year the all-new BMW M2 will break cover.
A milestone year will be crowned by the start of production of the BMW XM, the most powerful BMW M car ever to go into series production and the brand’s first high performance model to employ a plug-in hybrid drive system.
First confirmed for introduction in 2020, the M3 Touring is the fourth body variant in the BMW M3 and M4 line-up and will be offered solely in Competition specification. It combines the 375kW version of the six-cylinder in-line engine featuring M TwinPower Turbo technology, the eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic, and M xDrive.
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes 3.6 seconds and the sprint from 0 to 200 km/h requires 12.9 seconds. Opting for the M Driver’s Package increases the electronically limited top speed from 250km/h to 280km/h.
As well as the basic 4WD setting, the driver can also select 4WD Sport mode via the Setup menu. This provides an even more intense experience of the M xDrive system’s rear-biased tuning, while switching off DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) brings pure rear-wheel-drive into play.
The interior of the first BMW M3 Touring gives it a distinctive character profile, providing fresh scope for experiencing M-style performance in everyday use says the brand. Complementing this is integration of the new BMW iDrive including BMW Curved Display, bringing a new level of control, operation and connectivity to the cabin.
Regardless of the exterior colour, the roof of the M3 Touring is finished as standard in Black high-gloss. The standard roof rails and the model-specific Gurney air-directing flap on the roof spoiler are additionally painted in the same hue. Customers can also opt to have the roof finished in the selected body colour.
The rear compartment of the BMW M3 Touring has three full-size seats and the rear-seat backrest can be split in a 40:20:40 arrangement.
Folding down individual seat sections or all of them at the same time allows the car’s load capacity to be expanded from 500 litres to a maximum 1510 litres, as required.
Automatic tailgate operation and the separately opening rear window are both standard, while a storage compartment underneath the boot floor provides space for the luggage compartment cover and boot partition net.
Anti-slip rails that rise automatically from the boot floor to prevent items of luggage from sliding around in dynamic driving situations will also be available.
The new BMW M3 Touring will arrive in Australia early next year, with full pricing and specification detail to be announced in the lead up to launch.
