It was born as a coupé with the E30 and was offered as a four-door and a convertible from the E36 onwards, but what never came was a BMW M3 Touring , which is how to say, an M3 van.
It is a somewhat incomprehensible decision, not least because of the success that its arch-rivals have known with this type of bodywork. Especially Audi, which after launching the seminal RS2 Avant, made high-performance vans one of its hallmarks.
Now, at the request of many families, it seems that BMW M has finally decided to give its fans… and customers exactly what they've been asking for for decades: an M3 Touring.
The M3 and, by association, upcoming M4 family promises to be the largest ever. Not only will we have four bodies — including the M3 Touring (G81) — there will also be multiple versions to choose from.
From the "normal" and competition versions, which correspond to two specifications of the S58 (six cylinders in a twin-turbo line), respectively, with 480 hp and 510 hp; to versions with rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive (a first), including gearboxes, manual (six speeds) and automatic (eight speeds). And without counting on future special versions, like the announced return of the acronym CSL.
What remains to be seen in relation to the future M3 Touring is how many of these possibilities it will receive — will there be room for a “simple” variant with rear-wheel drive and manual gearbox? We hope so…
When arrives?
If the official confirmation from BMW that there will be an M3 Touring is good news, the bad news is that we will still have to wait, it seems, another two or three years for it to reach the market.
Unlike the new BMW M3 sedan and M4 Coupé that will be unveiled as early as next September (M4 Convertible will arrive later), the M3 Touring only now seems to have started its development cycle. Which justifies its release so out of step with the rest of the family.
Well… better late than never.
Source: BMW Blog.