Sporty wagons are the best all-arounders by offering a blend of practicality and performance no other car can match. If they’re in the high-end segment such as these three, the vehicles also have luxurious interiors and a comfortable ride, making them perfect for a garage with room only for a single car. The BMW M3 Touring is the newest member of the lot, so it’s time to see how it fares against long-running nameplates.
The good folks over at Carwow lined up the G81 against the Audi RS4 Avant in the hotter Competition guise as well as the Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate. Mind you, the latter is the previous-generation model with the brawny V8 instead of the new car’s plug-in hybrid 2.0-liter, four-cylinder powertrain. Naturally, all three have automatic transmissions and the M3 Touring lets you switch between rear- and all-wheel drive. The RS4 is Quattro-only while the AMG is pure RWD.
Of the three, the Audi is the least powerful but also the lightest by having a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 with 450 hp and 600 Nm (443 lb-ft) in a car that weighs 1,745 kg (3,847 lbs). The long-roof M3 has a 3.0-liter inline-six rated at 510 hp and 650 Nm (479 lb-ft) in a super wagon that tips the scales at 1,865 kg (4,111 lbs). As for the C63 Estate, its big 4.0-liter V8 produces 510 hp and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) in an AMG wagon that weighs 1,800 kg (3,968 lbs).
Despite its power deficit, the RS4 Avant was surprisingly quick off the line and managed to beat the M3 Touring in the first drag race when the BMW was in RWD mode. With xDrive turned on, the high-performance Bavarian estate won in the subsequent drag races to the quarter mile by better putting the engine’s power to the wheels. The AMG C63 Estate was the slowest of the three in all drag races but had its revenge in the rolling races to the half-mile where the V8 had enough room to stretch its legs.
The last battle was a brake test from 100 mph (161 km/h), with the Audi coming to a halt in the shortest distance.
Regardless of who won or lost that day, you can’t really go wrong with any of these three cars since they tick just about all the right boxes and then put them in that large cargo compartment.
Source: Carwow / YouTube
