What do you put in the introduction of a review about the 2023 BMW M3 Touring? I had that question in my head for the past few weeks, and then I realised this car doesn’t need an introduction.

I’m guessing there are only two kinds of people reading this review about the 2023 BMW M3 Competition Touring. First up are the buyers seeking another confirmation that they’re in the market for the right car and then some people that just want to read another love letter that is bound for Munich. Can you blame them? The hype isn’t just a hype, the car delivered too. And I’ll fall in line with all the other reviews that this car is beyond what we hoped it would be. It is perhaps near-perfect or at least perfectly timed.

How so? The perfect timing has everything to do with the electrification that is happening industrywide. See, the M3 touring was something people dreamed about for over 30 years and then for it to happen in this day and age? The timing couldn’t be better. It’s a little beacon of hope, perhaps even a big one, one that had a lot of luggage space. But rest assured that it isn’t just this perspective that makes this car shine the way it does. No, this car is, perhaps one of the best M cars to leave the Bavarian state in the last decade. I’m not saying "the best car ever" because you know how much we love Beau's BMW 1M coupe.

Perfect contrasts

And the perfect timing is something I’ll use throughout this review or perhaps better said: how this timing creates the perfect contrast which makes the whole concept of an M3 in the shape of a touring so tasteful.

We will start off with what’s the exterior of the car, the controversial front end mixed with that iconic BMW touring shape, mixes into something you just keep staring at.

Performance on one end and practicality on the other create a playful scene of shapes that you’re not used to on a BMW. You look at the front and you see an M3 nose, but as soon as your eyes move away, you see the lengthy silhouette. Then you look at the new 19 and 20-inch rims and see massive discs hiding behind lightweight spokes. Looking at the rear of the M3 Touring you see four exhaust tips, and then you see the iconic and highly praised BMW rear boot. Even people who don’t understand cars understand this is a unique automotive concoction. It goes from being a good Samaritan up to being a bad boy (or should I say girl with those lustrous hips?) and back again in just a few inches along the chassis.

Smashed vegetables

This bipolar contrast continues inside the cabin along the same logic. Red leather bucket seats, ones with exposed carbon parts front and back, contrast with the 500 L trunk. Again in a few inches, the BMW M3 Competition Touring goes from screaming “drive me on the track” to "load me up with luggage". Sadly there is a little bit of criticism here but I’ll wrap it in the form of the contrasts we're playing with to soften the blow. Where the BMW M additions to the infotainment are easy to understand and work intuitively, its BMW base infotainment system isn’t what you wanted to be. This is despite the addition of the new screen in the cockpit, which doesn’t benefit the driver as it could have. It boils down to the same criticism I had about the IDrive system in the BMW iX. So if you want to know why I’ll drop the link here.

All these opposing forces could have made the car a chaotic mess that wouldn't excel in any of its intentions. But BMW has balanced everything in such a way that the M3 Touring seems to offer the best of both worlds. Where "both worlds" refers to performance on one hand and ergonomics on the other. Its bucket seats, a €3.8 k option, keep you firmly in place when summoning the car's M-side, only to take you and 3 friends on a comfy road trip the next day.

What puzzles me is why cargo nets don't come as standard. My grocery shopping with this car was either a mental exercise of self-constraint or it ended up with smashed vegetables.

Back to the tech bits

Before we delve into the delightful realm of technical specifications that often make us automotive enthusiasts giggle with excitement, let's take a moment to marvel at the sheer variety of flavors BMW M offers in their M3/M4 lineup. It's like a buffet of automotive excellence. We've got the sedan, the touring, the coupe, and the convertible, each with its own distinct personality. Do you want more? Well, there are regular, Competition, and Club Sport versions, each offering individual thrills. And for those who savor the art of gear-shifting, you can skip Steptronic and get the classic manual transmission.

But now, back to the realm of reality, where we find the BMW M3 Touring. This specimen comes exclusively in Competition flavor and is forever paired with the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system.

Let's use this technical talk to bridge our way deep into what defines this car, shall we? First up is an 85-kilogram weight increase, it being slightly taller and longer compared to the M3 sedan but enough of the body shaming here. Under the hood of the M3 Touring lies the well-known 3.0-liter inline-six engine in Competition trim, featuring 510 horsepower, and 650 Nm of torque.

Paired with the eight-speed M Steptronic transmission and the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system, this Touring variant can go from 0 to 100 km/h in a swift 3.6 seconds (0.2 slower than the sedan), and 200 km/h in just 12.9 seconds. These acceleration figures are undoubtedly noteworthy but the fact that navigating a city at low speeds is something the M3 Touring does well too (despite running on 275/285 tires), makes it all the more impressive. The only downside to it all is that illegal speeds come up so quickly, that stretching the car's legs isn't something for the public roads.

The chassis, featuring a unique tweaked adaptive M suspension with electronically controlled shock absorbers, strikes a balance between sportiness and everyday comfort. This setup, combined with M-specific steering and a unique ratio for the Touring, enhances the overall driving experience but does feel a tad too light on feedback at higher cornering loads.

A BIG highlight worth noting is the 2WD mode and accompanying software, which allows drivers to experience a controlled or pure rear-wheel-drive sensation by turning off the Dynamic Stability Control (MDSC) at various levels. It's a nod to the traditional rear-wheel-drive character of M models but most of all it is absurdly fun to use if you have plenty of tarmac to play with.

I've had the privilege to drive the BMW M3 Competition earlier but never with the M xDrive setup. Its insane powerplant being hooked up to BMW M's AWD system feels like it should be under arms regulations. Acceleration is relentless, torque ripping the whole car across the tarmac as if it only weighs a fraction of its 2 metric tonne.

(M)oney Talk

Prices in Belgium start at € 104.790, a little over € 2.000, more than for the xDrive sedan. As the car reviewed here, the M3 tapped into one's savings for € 122.630,. These € 18.7k in options are for the most part triggered by the red interior color, M carbon buckets, and M carbon in- and exterior parts. Only € 4140, of that sum is from the 'Technology pack' and audio system. Why so specific? Well, to make a point in all honesty. A point that getting your hands on this M3 Touring in the best useable and best technical (read: driving) specification will set you back € 108.930. Everything else is just another level of cool added to this absurd BMW M product we've waited decades for.

Perfect Timing

Back to that perfect timing and contrast we started this review off with. It will come as no surprise that I’m ending the review along the same line as those abstractions we dove into: the M3 Touring couldn’t have been launched at a better time. Or with better technology, referring to the M xDrive that has only been with us for the past few years.

BMW M has managed to facilitate an unimaginable diverse automotive spectrum in the M3 Competition Touring. Highly engaging to drive spirited, yet being the ergonomic dream on long drives, the wagon is almost a two-car-garage by itself.

2023 BMW M3 Touring Tested |Perfect (Timing)