The BMW i3 Touring Estate Is Only Months Away From Its Debut

The BMW i3 Touring has broken cover in camouflage, and its formal unveiling is now only months away. Prototypes of the electric estate have been out on shakedown runs, wrapped in disguise but doing little to hide the shape underneath. This is the load-carrying sibling to the i3 saloon, the Neue Klasse machine that takes over from the combustion 3 Series. Same mission statement, in other words. Much bigger boot.

Only one powertrain has been confirmed so far, and it is the potent one. The 50 xDrive pairs two motors for 462bhp and 645Nm, fed by a huge 112kWh battery. In the saloon, that combination returns a claimed 559 miles, more than any other car on sale in the UK. The Touring will shed a few of those miles to the extra weight of its rear bodywork. Even so, it should still lead its class comfortably. Single-motor versions are expected to follow, and charging looks unchanged, with up to 400kW capable of adding 248 miles in ten minutes.

Visually, the designers have played it cleverly. The Touring keeps the saloon’s rear light signature, which has not always been the case with older 3 Series estates. A window line that lifts towards the rear gives it a purposeful stance, and the wide, muscular rear arches carry over untouched. Behind them sits a deeper piece of rear glass, though whether it opens separately remains an open question. Inside, folding rear seats and a longer load bay should mean buyers no longer need to upsize into the taller iX3 just to fit the dog and the pushchair.

Timings are firming up. Production of the i3 begins in August, with the Touring expected to reach customers in early 2027. It will not be alone for long either. An i4 Coupé and a fabric-roofed i4 Convertible are both slated to arrive on the same underpinnings, broadening BMW’s compact executive range considerably. There is a performance angle too. BMW M boss Frank van Meel pointedly declined to rule out an electric M3 Touring when he spoke to the press late last year.

Anyone who cannot wait until 2027 already has the i5 Touring to fall back on, and it remains a fine electric estate. But the i3 Touring looks like the sharper instrument, smaller in footprint and considerably longer in legs. On paper it is the electric estate the class has been waiting for. The wait is nearly over.