BMW M3 Touring – Worth the Wait? Oh Yes!

BMW M delivered five generations of the M3 before they believed the time was right to give the world an Estate version (known as the M3 Touring).

Over a quarter of a million M3s have been built (and much loved) since the first generation burst onto German Autobahns – and blasted up Kanan Road – in 1986.

Strictly speaking, the development of the 2023 G81 M3 Touring started over twenty years ago, when BMW M built a prototype M3 Touring based on the third generation M3 Coupe – the E46. A one-off unicorn that was spoken of in whispers around BMW HQ in Munich until it was made public in 2016. Sadly the E46 M3 didn’t come in a saloon variant, and the engineering leap for the M3 Touring back then was just too great for BMW M.

Fast forward to 2022 and after years of stellar vehicle development and marketing, BMW M officially presented the M3 Touring at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June. And just a few months later, the pricing and specifications were released for the Australian market.

2023 M3 Touring Highlights 🇦🇺

• List price: AU$177,500 plus on-road costs
• 3.0L M TwinPower Turbo 6-cylinder inline petrol engine developing 375kW and 650Nm
• Powerplant combines with eight-speed M Steptronic automatic transmission
• 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds and 0-200km/h in just 12.9
• Offered exclusively in Competition guise with M xDrive all-wheel-drive system
• BMW Live Cockpit Professional with 12.3” Instrument Display and 14.9” Control Display w.BMW Operating system 8
• Electrically adjustable M Sport seats with memory function and seat heating plus ‘Merino’ leather trim
• Automated driving systems – Driving Assistant Professional with Steering and Lane Control Assistant, Active Cruise Control with Stop&Go function, traffic light detection and Active Navigation, as well as Parking Assistant Plus with Reversing Assistant.
• Safety systems include Front Collision Warning, Speed Limit Display, Lane Departure Warning and Park Distance Control.
• Two vehicle setups can be stored and called up using the M buttons on the steering wheel as well as M Traction Control, M Drive Professional also offers the M Drift Analyser and the M Laptimer.
• 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 expand from 500 litres to a maximum 1510 litres.

Option Packages

• M Carbon Experience: $17,500
  • M Carbon bucket seats
    • 9.6kg weight reduction
    • Cut-outs in the rear seat backrest, side sections and functional belt guides for multi-point seat belts
    • Visible carbon surfaces across back sections
    • Removable headrest cover for additional helmet space
  • M Carbon exterior package
    • Mirror caps in CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic)
    • Side inlets in front bumper with CFRP frame structure
    • Rear diffuser insert in CFRP
  • BMW M Driving Experience Advance 1
    • Voucher for BMW M Driving Experience Advance 1 course at BMW Driving Experience
  • M Driver’s package
    • Vmax (top speed) increase from 250 km/h to 280 km/h
    • Voucher for BMW M Driving Experience Advance 2 course at BMW Driving Experience
• M Carbon ceramic brakes: $16,500+

Exterior & Interior Options

Paintwork

Non-metallic paintwork (no cost options)

• Alpine White
• Sao Paulo Yellow

Metallic paintwork (no cost options)

• Black Sapphire
• M Portimao Blue
• M Toronto Red
• M Isle of Man Green
• M Brooklyn Grey
• Skyscraper Grey
• Aventurine Red

BMW Individual paintwork

• Dravit Grey ($2,500)
• Tanzanite Blue ($2,500)
• Frozen Portimao Blue metallic ($5,000)
• Frozen Pure Grey metallic ($5,000)
• Frozen Black metallic ($5,000)
• Frozen Orange metallic ($5,000)
• Frozen Brilliant White Metallic ($7,000)

Seat upholstery

Full Leather ‘Merino’ (no cost option)

• Yas Marina Blue/Black
• Silverstone/Black
• Kyalami Orange/Black
• Black/Black

BMW Individual Full Leather ‘Merino’

• Fiona Red/Black^# ($1,000)
• Tartufo ($1,000)
• Ivory White^# ($1,000)
• Fjord Blue/Black^# ($1,000)

^#$3,000 if selected in combination with M carbon bucket seat

Interior trim

M ‘Carbon Fibre’: Standard equipment

• Incl. CFRP inserts in steering wheel and CFRP gearshift paddles on steering wheel

Wheels

Alloy wheel program (all no cost options)

• 19-inch/20-inch M forged wheels Double-spoke style 825 M Bicolour Black with mixed tyres
• 19-inch/20-inch M forged wheels Double-spoke style 825 M Orbit Grey matt with mixed tyres
• 19-inch/20-inch M forged wheels Double-spoke style 826 M Bicolour Black with mixed tyres
• 19-inch/20-inch M forged wheels Double-spoke style 826 M Black with mixed tyres

I have to say that if it were my money (and I’m very tempted), it would be the M3 Touring in Tanzanite Blue with the Bicolour Black wheels and the M Carbon Experience package.

Create your M3 Touring on the BMW M Individual Visualiser.

† Colour not available in Australia.