Photo: BMW M on Instagram
Better late than never, BMW M took a page from quattro GmbH with the M3 Touring. The go-faster wagon is certainly going to steal customers from the RS 4 Avant with its much silkier and more potent straight-six engine, and just like the four-ringed model, the G81 will receive buckets up front.
Slightly more bolstered, the Bimmer’s body-hugging buckets are made from carbon fiber. Wrapped in Merino full-grain leather upholstery, the seats of the pictured test mule are finished in Kyalami Orange and Black.
BMW M has further confirmed CO2 emissions of 235 grams per kilometer and a combined fuel consumption of 10.3 liters per 100 kilometers on the WLTP, which converts to 22.8 miles per gallon. The closest equivalent would be the M3 Competition with M xDrive, which is officially rated at 228 grams per kilometer and 10 liters on the nose (make that 23.5 miles per U.S. gallon).
Given this information, we can expect an eight-speed automatic transmission supplied by ZF Friedrichshafen. It’s hard to make a case for a six-speed manual and the lesser tune of the S58 engine, a 3.0-liter sixer with two spinny boys that makes a little more power than officially advertised.
The M3 is rated at 480 ps (473 horsepower) and 550 Nm (406 pound-feet) while the M3 Competition levels up to 510 ps (503 horsepower) and 650 Nm (479 pound-feet) of torque. By comparison, the V6 in the Audi RS 4 Avant produces 450 ps (444 horsepower) and 600 Nm (443 pound-feet).
Currently testing on a frozen lake in Sweden, the family-hauling M3 Touring is based on the facelifted 3 Series rather than the pre-facelift model. As far as the interior is concerned, you can look forward to a two-screen layout inspired by the brand-new i4 and iX EVs as well as iDrive 8 OS.
BMW M has further confirmed CO2 emissions of 235 grams per kilometer and a combined fuel consumption of 10.3 liters per 100 kilometers on the WLTP, which converts to 22.8 miles per gallon. The closest equivalent would be the M3 Competition with M xDrive, which is officially rated at 228 grams per kilometer and 10 liters on the nose (make that 23.5 miles per U.S. gallon).
Given this information, we can expect an eight-speed automatic transmission supplied by ZF Friedrichshafen. It’s hard to make a case for a six-speed manual and the lesser tune of the S58 engine, a 3.0-liter sixer with two spinny boys that makes a little more power than officially advertised.
The M3 is rated at 480 ps (473 horsepower) and 550 Nm (406 pound-feet) while the M3 Competition levels up to 510 ps (503 horsepower) and 650 Nm (479 pound-feet) of torque. By comparison, the V6 in the Audi RS 4 Avant produces 450 ps (444 horsepower) and 600 Nm (443 pound-feet).
Currently testing on a frozen lake in Sweden, the family-hauling M3 Touring is based on the facelifted 3 Series rather than the pre-facelift model. As far as the interior is concerned, you can look forward to a two-screen layout inspired by the brand-new i4 and iX EVs as well as iDrive 8 OS.
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