The BMW M3 Touring is still at least two years away from being revealed, but we’re already getting excited.
After all, the first ever long-roof M3 is locked in for Australia, and promises to give the Audi RS4 Avant and Mercedes-AMG C63 S Estate a proper run for their money.
Thanks to the endless flow of leaked photos and spy pictures in the lead-up to the launch of the M3 sedan and M4 coupe, along with the official BMW teaser from Instagram, we have a pretty good idea about how it will look.
These images from CarExpert contributor Thanos Pappas show how we expect the G81 M3 Touring to shape up.
Expect to see the same bold kidney grille as the 4 Series, M3, and M4 up front, working with a deep splitter and slim headlights to create an aggressive look.
Down back, the classic Touring silhouette is made more aggressive by an oversized diffuser, pumped-up guards, and classic BMW M quad exhaust pipes. Inside, the new M3 will pack the latest BMW OS7.0 technology, along with what overseas sources have described as some of the best carbon-backed seats they’ve seen.
Although we don’t know when exactly the M3 Touring will be revealed, it’s already been locked in for Australia.
“We plan to introduce the M3 Touring and will advise arrival timing closer to the launch date,” a BMW Australia spokesperson told CarExpert.
BMW has considered an M3 Touring in the past, even going so far as to develop a feasibility prototype of the E46 M3 back in 2000.
It’s not yet clear whether the M3 Touring will offer a choice of both rear- and all-wheel drive, as the upcoming sixth-generation M3 sedan will do for the first time in the nameplate’s history.
The M3 sedan will also offer a choice of a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six in two different tunes: a 353kW version for the regular M3 and a 375kW version for the M3 Competition.
The defunct fifth-generation M3’s twin-turbo 3.0-litre inline-six produced 331kW of power and 550Nm of torque, bumped up to 338kW of power and 600Nm of torque in the M3 CS.
The new M3 will swap out its seven-speed dual-clutch automatic for an eight-speed torque-converter automatic from the M5, while a six-speed manual transmission will still be available.
