When it comes to getting the ultimate birthday present, how long is too long to wait? Arriving in BMW’s 50th anniversary year, the first-ever BMW M3 Competition Touring is one of the most anticipated models in BMW M’s long and vaunted history. And, for a brand that pushes superlatives for iconic cars past already lofty heights, that’s no mean feat.
But what makes it so special? For a start, it’s the first of its kind. Ever since the BMW M3 made its debut in BMW’s 3 Series line-up in 1986, BMW’s heartland performance model has remained resolutely saloon and coupé in form. In fact, high-performance estates are something of a rarity for BMW as a whole, with only two examples of the BMW M5 Touring ever featuring in its model line-up. So, the BMW M3 Competition Touring is a special rarity for the already highly singular performance car sector: something truly new.
Secondly, the BMW M3 Competition Touring’s raison d’etre. In BMW’s own words: performance and practicality taken to the extreme. Offering BMW M3 pace with much more space, it meets and matches every pillar of BMW M’s DNA.
So, alongside head-turning looks, thrilling performance, and confidence-inspiring xDrive all-wheel-drive that still delivers classic BMW rear-wheel-drive character, you now get even more luggage capacity, long-distance cruising comfort and everyday practicality – helping you pack more into every trip to take your adventure further.
“The BMW M3 Competition Touring is truly unique,” says BMW M3 Touring Product Manager Hagen Franke. “Uniquely dynamic; uniquely uncompromising; unique in character. First and foremost, it’s a BMW M3, with all the driving dynamics that have represented the model for several generations. Then you have the larger space and practicality of an estate. But it’s definitely more of a racehorse than a workhorse.”
In order to tell the tale of the BMW M3 Competition Touring’s development, who better could we pick than the designers, engineers and test drivers who have crafted it to perfection? Here, in their words, is the story of how the new BMW M3 Competition Touring came to be.