Wagons are cooler than SUVs. They just are. Before the sports SUV cemented itself as the go anywhere, anytime on any track tool they are today, the station wagon, shooting brake or estate car was the most obvious choice for transporting your nearest and dearest around in comfort in addition to carrying a little more than the kitchen sink at the same time.
However, many will know that a wagon doesn’t have to be just about family values. We have seen shooting brake versions of models renowned for absolute performance, Audi, Volvo, and even the likes of Ferrari and Aston Martin. For BMW, an estate car is nothing new, but the decision to make a wagon variant of one of their most celebrated and coveted performance cars was nothing short of a master stroke. For the first time in forever, except for the E46 Touring prototype from 20 plus years ago, the BMW M3 has been given the wagon treatment.
Called the M3 Competition Touring, it is based on the current generation G80 M3 and still sports all the flexing stylistic biceps, ducts, scoops and carbon bits we have come to expect from BMW’s icon. Aggressive angles, bulging wheel arch flares, black 19/20-inch M forged double spoke alloys on Michelin Pilot Sport rubber, blasting quad exhaust tips and those un-amused LED Laserlight headlights with the now familiar large BMW kidney grill all come together to create one seriously staunch looking vehicle.
The only difference here between the sedan and the wagon is, of course, that big boot. The addition of said boot feels organic, not an afterthought. One also certainly gets plenty of gawps when pootling this thing about.
In terms of technical numbers, it is very M3-like, which of course means a sizeable amount of grunt. This comes courtesy of BMW’s uber-sweet TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder petrol engine mated to an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission and BMW’s xDrive AWD system. Power is rated at 390kW and torque at a sizeable 650Nm. Zero to 100kph is achieved in 3.6 seconds, which is pretty brisk in anyone’s vocabulary. Oh, and in case you are interested, it will return a combined 10.2L/100km of fuel and 237g/km of CO2.
Inside it’s a classic modern BMW M leather and carbon-fest. The are M3 badges embossed on the leather sports seats for driver and passenger, M3 sill plates, M carbon and leather sports steering wheel with M-sport stitching and carbon on the centre console. There is also the perfect mix of buttons and touchscreens for my liking.
Its 12.3-inch BMW Live Cockpit Professional Instrument Display has become a regular feature in all BMW M cars and its very much business as usual here, in all its clear and easy to read glory. BMW’s latest Operating System 8.5 is by far the most intuitive infotainment system yet with all features a doddle to get your head around. You also get the full suite of BMW safety equipment and concierge service features.
Moving onto practicality, something the BMW says the M3 Touring is all about. Those in the rear have plenty of head and legroom and I found entry and exit for rear seats passengers to be easy enough. Now, onto that boot.
Opened via a power operated tailgate, the M3 Touring allows you to haul 500L to 1510L of whatever around. With a ride height of 123mm, length of 4,801mm and height of 1,446mm, the hunkered down M3 Touring means that you aren’t having to awkwardly lift any heavy items into the car. Drop the back seats and larger items can be safely stored away. I imagine a set of golf bags would give you room to spare too, though I would probably avoid sheets of 4×2 timber.
Waking up the M3 Touring is an assault on the senses. Many car buffs love a high-powered car on cold start and this “most spacious” of M3 certainly rises to the occasion. A press of the bright red engine start button and a twin scroll turbocharged six pot snarls through those oversized quad exhaust tips. I really felt for my neighbours as I left the house every morning, though after 10 seconds or so, you can creep away at a more socially acceptable burble.
Its obvious the power is there from the get-go. That said, the M3 Touring is something you must really drive hard to get the most out of it. It’s not a case of flex your big toe and warp nine is instantly activated. No, you have to dig a bit deeper by taking it by the lapels and shoving it forward by way of a more assertive right foot.
If you switch over to M2 mode, everything becomes all the more hardcore. The six-pot bellow is at its loudest, the gear changes are the most intense and the suspension is at its most unforgiving, should you want it that way. It’s not featherweight though, tipping the scales at 1,925kg.
In M2, it does back off some of the electronic stability control, it still means that when you apply that assertive right shoe in tight corners, you can make it dance and it will remain well within the realm of your control. Being more biased to rear drive in this mode, a greasy sharp right hander behind Christchurch’s airport left the back starting to step out, but it was so easy to bring it back into line again.
Regardless, it will still give you a mountain of grip and go in just about every situation. Carbon ceramic brakes also bring things to a swift halt in quick time. The eight-speed Steptronic box, in typical BMW fashion can be dialled up or down in terms of ferocity going through the gears. It’s a very responsive system and lifting off the throttle gives those in your immediate vicinity the bassiest of crackling and booming from those blasting exhaust tips. It’s an angry noise for an angry car, though it doesn’t always need to be.
Very much like Mr Hyde, it can easily morph back into a more sedate and mild-mannered automotive Dr Jekyll. Despite a low carbon front lip spoiler, it manages driveway entrances, speed humps and the general obstacles of empty road suburbia well enough. Of course, you aren’t going to float over broken up street surfaces or potholes but for a car with performance focused underpinnings, the M3 Touring is passable. While the A-pillar and driver’s wing mirror does obscure vision a tad when turning right and junctions, it is perfectly acceptable as a daily driver.
I feel like the M3 Touring is something of a novelty. Something that will be bought more by enthusiasts rather than people who want big power and a big boot. Naturally, the latter group would buy an X5 M or similar for that. Its close to 200k price tag is a steep one, but the potential for this being a classic of the future is strong and as a result, the so far only wagon M3 that has ever been could possibly hold its value for years to come. Yet more proof that immensely capable and terrific fun high-powered wagons like this will always be cooler in my book and this M3 Touring is up there with the best of them.
RATING: 8/10
