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The BMW M3 Touring lands in Britain with the swagger of its saloon sibling and the added usefulness of a long roof, turning the school run into a fast-lane affair. From the moment you prod the starter, the estate projects the same purposeful growl as the four-door, yet its silhouette hints at dog guards, flat-pack furniture and weekend surfboards. For drivers who refuse to trade performance for practicality, this is very much the sweet spot.
Beneath that broad bonnet sits BMW’s turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six, delivering 523 bhp and 479 lb ft through an eight-speed automatic to all four wheels. The result is a 0–62 mph dash in 3.6 seconds and a limited 155 mph maximum, figures identical to the saloon’s yet achieved with the rear seats ready to swallow a month’s shop. Engage the configurable drive screen and power can be shuffled rearwards, giving keen pilots the chance to write smoky exit lines between corners.
Daily duties reveal only mild compromises. The adaptive dampers let the body breathe over patchwork Tarmac, though low-speed lumps can jostle coffee cups. Interior architecture mirrors the facelifted saloon, dominated by a panoramic display and a pair of red M presets on the steering spokes. Those buttons spare you wading through endless sub-menus, storing a civilised mode for commuters and a sharper map for Sunday blasts.
When the road tightens, the Touring disguises its additional mass with well-judged chassis balance. Turn-in is crisp, steering feedback plentiful, and the xDrive system works quietly beneath the surface to catapult the car from apex to apex. The torque curve feels relentless, yet traction control remains a gentle safety net rather than a fun sponge, allowing modest oversteer without resorting to lurid slides. Brake feel is firm, confidence-building, and repeated heavy stops fail to ruffle composure.
Add the vast 53-cubic-foot load bay with the seats folded, and the M3 Touring becomes a singular proposition: an estate that can embarrass supercars on the autobahn and carry bikes, suitcases or a Labrador home in comfort. Avoid the carbon bucket seats unless you fancy an ungainly exit, set your preferred driveline profiles, and revel in a machine that blends pace, poise and usefulness better than any M3 before it.
