BMW took its sweet time coming out with an M3 Touring people can, but thankfully, the G81 was worth the wait. Munich’s belated answer to the AMG C63 Estate and Audi RS4 Avant has proven to be an immense success for the M division, so much so that production had to be tripled to meet demand. Being a full-fat M product, the super wagon is highly customizable, as evidenced here by this high-end specification.
Painted in Individual Frozen Black, the long-roof M3 looks extra special in conjunction with the 1000 M Gold Bronze wheels and a few carbon fiber body add-ons from the MPP catalog. The most striking upgrade is noticeable at the rear where the diffuser hosts stacked tips part of the optional M Performance exhaust system. By the way, you can have it on the M3 Sedan as well as on the M4 and the smaller M2. The rear silencer and tailpipe trim are made from titanium and the exhaust itself weighs 7 kilograms (15 pounds) less than the standard setup.
Photo by @abt.automobile / @planzerfilmsIt’s rare we get the chance to see a wagon with front canards as they’re usually found on track-focused cars. The M3 Touring is not as hardcore as an M3 or an M4 due to its extra mass, but it does get just about the same goodies while offering a lot more practicality. BMW could spice up the high-performance wagon with a limited-run CS version for which it has already commenced testing.
Although the G81 is expected to remain in production until around October 2027, BMW has already ruled out bringing the M3 Touring to the United States due to high homologation costs. The rest of the world gets the speedy estate exclusively as a Competition model with an automatic transmission and xDrive. Unlike the M3 Sedan, you can’t get it with a carbon fiber roof.
In late June, the return of the M5 Touring was finally confirmed following multiple rumors. It’s slated to come out in 2024 with the G99 internal codename and unlike its smaller brother, we’re hearing it might just make it to the U.S. of A. Fingers crossed!
Photos by @abt.automobile / @planzerfilms