BMW M3 Touring review

There’ll be a furore around the M3 Touring throughout 2023, but once the launch hype dies down and it settles into life among the BMW range, it’ll be fascinating to see if its popularity endures, or if it becomes the third rare, cult BMW M Touring.

Prices start at just over £85,000, and as you’d imagine, it comes well equipped for such a hefty outlay. Standard kit includes the 14.9-inch super-wide display, heated electric seats with memory, a Harmon/Kardon hi-fi and wireless phone charging. You can’t really pick and choose your options: everything is grouped into hefty packs.

So if you’d like keyless entry, then you’ll be talked into ticking the Ultimate Pack, which also adds a heated steering wheel, superb laser-infused headlights, the carbon fibre seats, carbon fibre exterior nonsense, and a ‘drive recorder’ which definitely won’t end in a bum-puckering moment as you attempt a personal best to share on the forums. Our test car was equipped to the tune of £103,000, which is quite a lot for a 3 Series. Even if it is a very special one.

With a 59-litre fuel tank and fuel economy never much above 25mpg, you’ll be refuelling every 320 miles or so. BMW claims 27.4mpg, but we found an average of 23.5 more realistic. CO2 emissions are officially 231g/km.

Rivals? Not many to shop between, at the moment. The Audi RS4 Avant is ageing, and frankly not in the M3’s league as a driving experience. We haven’t yet had chance to directly compare the new 2.0-litre hybrid C63 AMG, but that’s sure to be a titanic battle. The Benz has a 160bhp advantage and lots more torque, but it’s also a third of a tonne heavier, and its batteries badly compromise the rear load bay.

You could look to go electric, with a Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo 4S providing the closest parity on price and performance. It’ll be faster point to point, but needs to stop for a charge every 240 miles or so. The M3’s range is almost 100 miles superior.

What about an Alpina B3, might we suggest? BMW has recently swallowed up its storied tuner, which means the in-house rivalry won’t be as rich as years gone by. An Alpina Touring is just as quick, has more heritage, and you don’t have to drive around with two giant beaver teeth on the front of your £85k car. Just a thought.