Photo: Screenshot from video by BMW M on Instagram
BMW M has teased the M3 Touring yet again, and this time the German marque has let us hear a bit of its inline-six-cylinder roar. The entire teaser was posted on the brand's official Instagram account, and it confirms the launch of this body style of the M3 in 2022.
As you will observe, the German brand has taken a camouflaged M3 Touring to a snow-covered road near a ski slope, and its driver proceeds to a series of drifts. Wheelspin is minimal, and that is easily explained by the availability of M-tuned xDrive for this version of the M3 as well.
Moreover, the caption of the teaser video also includes preliminary values of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in the combined WLTP cycle. These mentions are mandatory in Europe for commercials, and they reveal a bit more information about the upcoming M3 Touring.
As the caption writes, the fuel consumption in the combined WLTP cycle of the M3 Touring will be 10.3 liters/100 km, while CO2 emissions are estimated at 235 grams per kilometer. We must note that both values are preliminary, so the ones corresponding to the production-spec might be different.
We did not convert the values to U.S. MPG and miles because these figures are preliminary, so there is no relevance to the U.S. market, but they make a bit more sense after reading the following paragraphs.
If we look at the figures for the base M3 Sedan, the 480-horsepower model has a combined fuel consumption of 10.8 liter/100 km, while CO2 emissions sit at 248 grams/kilometer.
Its Competition variant, with 510 horsepower, has a lower fuel consumption, of 10.2 liters/100 kilometers, while C02 emissions are estimated at 234 grams per kilometer. All figures above are in the combined WLTP cycle.
Meanwhile, the G80 M3 Competition with xDrive and M Steptronic transmission has a 10.0-10.1 liter/100 km combined WLTP fuel consumption, while CO2 emissions range between 228 and 231 grams per kilometer.
If the preliminary values are any indication, it could mean that BMW M will not offer the M3 Touring with two engine versions, as it does with the Sedan. Instead, the 510-horsepower unit could be the norm for this version, as it might be the case with xDrive all-wheel-drive. The manual transmission is also a no-go for the Touring.
Since BMW does not offer the Touring version of its 3 Series in the U.S., it would be unlikely for the German marque to homologate a slow-selling body style just to offer the M3 Touring on that market. Previous statements made by company officials have noted that homologation costs are prohibitive, so it will not happen.
The Munich brand's competitors at Audi have introduced the RS6 Avant (not a direct competitor, though) on the American market, and Mercedes-AMG had no problems selling their wagons there. Sadly for U.S. customers, it looks like the first M3 Touring is not arriving in showrooms across the Atlantic.
While there is an online petition started in an attempt to convince BMW to offer the M3 Touring stateside, its chances of success are low, if not flat-out zero.
Since company officials have explained why they do not start the homologation procedure, which involves crash-testing and adaptations for the U.S. market, the chance of buying an M3 Touring in the U.S. is too slim to consider.
Unlike BMW, Mercedes-Benz has been offering wagons on the American market for decades, while Audi has previously homologated the A6 allroad quattro model, which allowed the sale of the RS6 Avant on this market. Curiously, the Ingolstadt-based brand does not also offer the RS4 Avant in the U.S., despite the fact that the A4 allroad is already available on the market.
Moreover, the caption of the teaser video also includes preliminary values of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in the combined WLTP cycle. These mentions are mandatory in Europe for commercials, and they reveal a bit more information about the upcoming M3 Touring.
As the caption writes, the fuel consumption in the combined WLTP cycle of the M3 Touring will be 10.3 liters/100 km, while CO2 emissions are estimated at 235 grams per kilometer. We must note that both values are preliminary, so the ones corresponding to the production-spec might be different.
We did not convert the values to U.S. MPG and miles because these figures are preliminary, so there is no relevance to the U.S. market, but they make a bit more sense after reading the following paragraphs.
If we look at the figures for the base M3 Sedan, the 480-horsepower model has a combined fuel consumption of 10.8 liter/100 km, while CO2 emissions sit at 248 grams/kilometer.
Its Competition variant, with 510 horsepower, has a lower fuel consumption, of 10.2 liters/100 kilometers, while C02 emissions are estimated at 234 grams per kilometer. All figures above are in the combined WLTP cycle.
Meanwhile, the G80 M3 Competition with xDrive and M Steptronic transmission has a 10.0-10.1 liter/100 km combined WLTP fuel consumption, while CO2 emissions range between 228 and 231 grams per kilometer.
If the preliminary values are any indication, it could mean that BMW M will not offer the M3 Touring with two engine versions, as it does with the Sedan. Instead, the 510-horsepower unit could be the norm for this version, as it might be the case with xDrive all-wheel-drive. The manual transmission is also a no-go for the Touring.
Since BMW does not offer the Touring version of its 3 Series in the U.S., it would be unlikely for the German marque to homologate a slow-selling body style just to offer the M3 Touring on that market. Previous statements made by company officials have noted that homologation costs are prohibitive, so it will not happen.
The Munich brand's competitors at Audi have introduced the RS6 Avant (not a direct competitor, though) on the American market, and Mercedes-AMG had no problems selling their wagons there. Sadly for U.S. customers, it looks like the first M3 Touring is not arriving in showrooms across the Atlantic.
While there is an online petition started in an attempt to convince BMW to offer the M3 Touring stateside, its chances of success are low, if not flat-out zero.
Since company officials have explained why they do not start the homologation procedure, which involves crash-testing and adaptations for the U.S. market, the chance of buying an M3 Touring in the U.S. is too slim to consider.
Unlike BMW, Mercedes-Benz has been offering wagons on the American market for decades, while Audi has previously homologated the A6 allroad quattro model, which allowed the sale of the RS6 Avant on this market. Curiously, the Ingolstadt-based brand does not also offer the RS4 Avant in the U.S., despite the fact that the A4 allroad is already available on the market.
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