The 2023 BMW M3 Touring wagon has been spied again, this time while being tested around the Nürburgring.
The driver of the prototype seems to be putting the M3 Touring through its paces resulting in glowing brakes.
This prototype shown in these spy photos is the same vehicle that BMW has been using for testing for a while now.
It’s been teased on BMW M’s Instagram page, spied doing road testing, as well as spied doing some winter testing so far.
It’s exciting to see its high-performance potential whilst being thrashed around the Green Hell.
Boasting the same kidney grille as the M3 and M4, the M3 Touring is set to offer a more practical wagon body than those two models.
It’s been confirmed for an Australian launch, though exactly when hasn’t been confirmed.
Reports have suggested it’ll launch in Europe in 2022, with most global markets receiving it by early 2023.
In the teaser Instagram post, it points to the fact that the M3 Touring will have an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
Based on the claimed WLTP fuel consumption figure of 10.3L/100km, the M3 Touring is more likely to be offered in xDrive Competition guise than base, rear-wheel drive or Competition rear-wheel drive trim.
The claimed fuel consumption is up 0.2L/100km on the all-wheel drive Competition sedan, likely due to extra weight and different aerodynamics.
The higher-spec M3 and M4 Competition are powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six producing 375kW of power and 650Nm of torque.
The claimed 100km/h sprint time is just 3.5 seconds with xDrive all-wheel drive fitted.
Expect the M3 Touring to be a few tenths of a second slower.
The rear-wheel drive biased M xDrive system is mated with BMW’s Active M Differential in the M3 and M4, which ensures fully variable distribution of torque between the rear wheels.
You can also switch the dynamic stability control (DSC) off completely and engage 2WD-only mode.
When it’s revealed, the new long-roofed M car will be the first mass-produced M3 Touring in the model’s long and storied history, the company only ever building a prototype E46 M3 wagon in 2000.
BMW’s reluctance to make an M3 wagon has long proved puzzling, particularly as it has launched M-branded versions of much of its SUV range, including the X3, X4, X5, and X6.
The high-performance BMW wagons have been left to tuning firms like Alpina that pick up the slack with fettled 3 Series wagons.
The lack of a BMW M wagon left this niche wide open for the likes of the Audi RS4 and Mercedes-AMG C63 wagons.
BMW has been somewhat more willing to dabble in the segment above, offering an M5 wagon for two short stints: from 1992 to 1995 (the E34) and from 2006 to 2010 (the E60).
MORE: Everything BMW M3
