Too many car customers shop for big SUVs as their do-it-all family vehicles. In some cases, those big, thirsty, unwieldy SUVs are necessary, such as for families who have three or more children, for instance. However, in most cases, a wagon will do just fine. Especially a wagon like the BMW M3 Touring, which combines supercar speed, sports car handling, and crossover practicality, as Henry Catchpole points out in this new video for Hagerty.
In this video, Catchpole drives the M3 Touring on both road and track and he even loads a few things into the trunk to show how much it can fit. For instance, with the rear seats folded down, it can hold a bicycle in the back, lying on its side. While that’s not immensely impressive, considering most wagons can do that, the M3 sedan can’t do that. And, conversely, a crossover can’t do what the M3 can do with Catchpole behind the wheel on track.
Under its practical body lies the same innards as the BMW M3 Competition xDrive. So it gets the same 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged I6, making the same 503 horsepower, and the same 479 lb-ft of torque. Paired to that engine is the same eight-speed ZF automatic and the same M-tuned xDrive all-wheel drive system. It’s a rear-biased all-wheel drive system, so it rarely feels like an all-wheel drive car. However, it provides a level of grip and sure-footedness that no M3 has ever had. Which means, despite its monstrous torque, it can actually put all of its power to the pavement, making it shockingly, absurdly fast. But if you want to act like a hooligan, it will do that too.
It’s also great on the road, too. It’s fun to drive through twisty bits, it’s comfortable enough to use as a daily, and the new all-wheel drive traction means it can be used in all sorts of weather. Never before has the BMW M3 been so versatile. Versatility can often lead to a lack of character, as a jack of all trades is typically a master of none. However, the M3 Touring is one of the very best driving M3s of all time, so its increased versatility seemingly lacks a downside.
So is the new BMW M3 Touring the ultimate one-car solution? I’ll let Catchpole answer that, as we don’t get to drive it on this side of the pond, however it seems to be shaping up that way.
