The BMW M3 range is getting a station wagon version, and this will be the first M3 Touring to enter production and go on sale for the general public. However, compared to the rest of the M3 range, and by extension, the M4, the M3 Touring will not be offered in as many powertrain variants as its sedan and coupe relatives, BMW Blog reports.
BMW has previously confirmed that the M3 Touring will receive the same powertrain as its stablemates, namely the S58 twin-turbo inline-six 3.0 litre engine which is offered in the other models in two states of tune – a standard 480 PS and 550 Nm of torque, and a version with 510 PS and 650 Nm in Competition trim. The G80 M3 and G82 M4 Competition variants can be optioned with M xDrive AWD from next year.
The German manufacturer will reportedly offer the M3 Touring in Competition trim only with the higher engine output figures, therefore the long-roofed M3 has been said to be automatic and all-wheel-drive only. The company is expecting this driveline configuration to be the preferred choice, especially among customers looking to buy station wagons for their year-round utility in adverse winter road conditions.
BMW Blog also reports that the United States market represents the greatest demand for manual transmission M cars, according to its own sources, and as the M3 Touring isn’t set to go on sale in the United States, this effectively rules out the biggest customer base for a manual version of the car. Therefore, there will not be sufficient demand for BMW to engineer a stick-shift M3 Touring, the website indicates.
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