After years of punctual executions, BMW has finally built what its fans have wanted: an M3 wagon. It is scheduled in Australia early next year.
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The 2023 BMW M3 Touring has been unveiled, ahead of the Australian launch scheduled for the first quarter of 2023 (January to March).
Two decades after the construction of a unique M3 Touring “E46” for BMW, the first mass-produced M3 station wagon has been introduced, which fuses the mechanics of the latest “G80” M3 sedan with the long-roof body. of the Series 3 Touring “G21” standard. .
While the sedan can be had in three transmission configurations (with rear-wheel drive and manual transmission), the ‘G81’ M3 Touring is available exclusively in high-performance competition equipment, with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. four wheels.
The Competition badge gives the first M3 wagon, or to give it its full name, M3 Competition Touring with M xDrive, with 375 kW and 650 Nm of a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder ‘S58’ with twin turbocharger.
BMW claims a speed of 0-100 km / h of 3.6 seconds (one tenth slower than the sedan), a time of 0-200 km / h of 12.9 seconds and a top speed of 250 km / h h as standard, or 280 km / h with Driver Pack M.
Its M xDrive all-wheel drive system is shared with its sister sedan, with the option of a standard 4WD mode, 4WD Sport (which moves more power to the rear) and a 2WD configuration that disconnects the front axle and disables stability control. .
The M3 Touring benefits from a unique tuning for its adaptive suspension, designed to take into account the extra weight on the rear axle, which complements the stiffer springs and a variety of driving modes from Comfort to Sport Plus.
The performance elements of the M3 Competition xDrive sedan include a variable sport steering, a limited-slip rear differential, aluminum straps under the body and a multi-stage M traction control system.
The bows fill 19-inch and 20-inch alloy wheels with a specific forged design for the M3 Touring, wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 275/35 front and 285/30 rear tires. “Track tires” are available as an option.
The standard fit is M-compound brakes with six front pistons and one rear piston, probably with 380 mm front and 370 mm rear discs, according to the M3 sedan, which can be upgraded to carbon ceramic discs as an option ( probably 400 mm front and 380 mm rear). ).
The style of the M3 Touring is as the name suggests: a high-performance M version of the 3 Series Touring, which incorporates the unique front and rear ends of the M3 sedan, side skirts, four-pointed exhaust and hood.
Compared to the standard 3 Touring series, it is 85 mm longer due to the new bumpers, 4 mm lower and 76 mm wider thanks to the steps of the rear wheels designed to accommodate the wider rear axle of the sedan M3.
The roof is painted black, regardless of the selected body color, although a body-colored roof is optional, as are the black roof bars and the specific ‘Gurney flap’ of the M3 Touring in the top of its rear spoiler.
Inside, the M3 Touring benefits from the new M3 2023 iDrive 8 dashboard, which incorporates a 14.9-inch center touch screen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument display on a panel curved.
Other highlights of the interior include carbon fiber interior inlays, an M-specific gear selector and an array of driving mode buttons, and M1 and M2 badges on the M3-specific steering wheel.
The front occupants sit in M sports seats with standard electric regulation, trimmed in Merino leather with heating and memory, with M Carbon bucket seats available as an option, which claim to save 9.6 kg thanks to the carbon fiber reinforced plastic used to the backers.
Boot space? There are 500 liters behind the rear seats, which are expanded to 1510 liters with the folded bench 40:20:40.
A hands-free electric rear hatch, an underground storage space, a luggage net, a rear window that opens separately and the “non-slip” rails that rise automatically to support the load are all standard.
Other standard features will include three-zone climate control, indoor interior lighting, self-dimming mirrors and Professional Driving Assistant safety features, including adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, sensors parking, lane centering assistance, automatic parking and traffic. light detection.
The BMW M3 Touring 2023 will arrive in Australia as early as next year, and prices will be confirmed closer to launch.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he created his own website, Redline. He collaborated on Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributor to the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flipping through car magazines when he was young to growing up around performance. vehicles in a car-loving family.
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