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The BMW M3 Touring has just reminded the fast estate brigade exactly who is in charge. Auto Express pitched the Competition version against Audi’s freshly launched RS 5 Avant, and the Munich car took the win. On paper that looks unlikely. The Audi lands with a 630bhp plug-in hybrid punch. The BMW counters with 523bhp from a twin-turbocharged straight six. Both cover 0 to 62mph in 3.6 seconds.
The trouble for Ingolstadt is everything the hybrid hardware drags along with it. The RS 5 Avant tips the scales at 2,370kg. That is roughly 500kg more than the BMW, and you feel every kilo. Grip and straight-line pace are never in doubt. Involvement is. The twin-turbo 2.9-litre V6 leans on a battery pack that needs charging to give its best, and the power arrives in disjointed lumps. The cabin is then fed artificial engine noise through the speakers to paper over the silence.
The M3 Touring works the opposite way. At 1,865 kg, it feels lithe by modern performance estate standards. The straight six answers the instant you breathe on the throttle, and it sounds hard-edged doing it. xDrive sends its effort rearwards first, so the car still pivots and steers on the power. Tick the M Race Track Pack and the limiter shifts to 174mph.
The BMW wins the tape measure too. It swallows 500 litres with the rear seats up and 1,510 litres with them folded, against 361 and 1,302 for the Audi. The M3 load bay is squarer, and the tailgate glass opens on its own for quick drops. The Audi keeps one trump card. It will haul a 1,900kg trailer, while the BMW is not rated to tow at all. It also drinks less, returning 33.0mpg on test against the M3’s 25.2mpg.
Inside, the Audi throws three screens at you, including a 10.9-inch panel for the passenger, plus a panoramic roof that flicks between opaque and translucent. The BMW’s curved display and iDrive rotary controller are not the freshest kit in Munich’s cupboard, yet the driving position and clarity still land cleanly. That gap sums up the result. The Audi is the cleverer machine. The M3 Touring is the better one, and it stays the finest performance estate on sale.
