It’s impossible not to appreciate what BMW has done with the M3 Touring. The super wagon is not only powerful and fast but also practical, spacious, and luxurious. The G81 is the ideal all-arounder, as long as you can live with the polarizing kidney grille and can afford to pay the steep asking price. We have yet to see a build that didn’t look good, and this long-roof M3 is the chef’s kiss.
Painted in Dravit Grey, the M3 wagon features the black 826 M set of staggered wheels, measuring 19 inches at the front and 20 inches at the rear. It’s not completely standard, as the daytime running lights now have a yellow look to echo race cars and recent special M road-going models such as the M4 CSL, M3 CS, and the ultra-rare 3.0 CSL. The expectation is that BMW might produce an M3 Touring from the factory with the yellow DRLs, as an M3 CS Touring could hit the market as early as 2025.
The interior oozes a classy ambiance with Merino leather, boasting a Tartufo finish that extends onto the bottom half of the dashboard. This G81 build goes beyond its feature-rich specification, as the exhaust system has been modified to accommodate an aftermarket midpipe, unlocking a few more decibels. The engine’s music is notably enhanced, delivering an improved soundtrack right from the moment you fire it up, even with the flaps closed.
BMW offers an alternative to the standard exhaust with its M Performance upgrade that also sounds significantly more aggressive. It makes extensive use of titanium to shave off about 7 kg (15 lbs) compared to the regular setup. However, the layout of the quad tips is a bit unusual since they’re stacked vertically and brought closer to one another near the center of the diffuser.
As the M3 Touring is essentially a wagon version of the G80, it shares compatibility with numerous aftermarket parts designed for Bavaria’s Audi RS4 Avant competitor. BMW is currently in the process of implementing changes for the G81, with a mild Life Cycle Impulse expected to arrive as early as this year. The hardcore CS variant, mentioned earlier, will be based on the LCI model and is likely to be available for about a year, starting at some point in 2025.
Source: AutoTopNL / YouTube