A review of the2023 BMW M3 Touring by Top Gear: A worthy and detailed review of the M3 Touring model by BMW.

For the first time ever, BMW is introducing the BMW M3 Touring: a very fast version of the 3 Series sales leaders, now with a station wagon body. To give it its full name, it's the BMW M3 Touring Competition xDrive: in English, that means the station wagon is only available with BMW's superior all-wheel drive system. "Competition" is simply a trim level, and all M3s in the UK come with the Competition trim. This means you get over 500bhp and an automatic gearbox as standard.

Why is this car causing such a ruckus? Fast station wagons have their own appeal. Even though they're a bit of an odd mix at heart: if you have a dog or a lawnmower or bags of garden waste in a big 500-liter trunk, you're probably not going very fast. And if it's empty and the road looks tempting, you're in a station wagon, which is naturally heavier and less rigid than a coupe. The BMW M4, for example. Remember this...

But people who love cars usually like the idea of a super wagon because it's a device ready for every occasion and season, and they tend to be more understated than sporty coupes. In an M4, you convey an image of power. In a station wagon, you're just taking the kids to school or driving to the store. And while BMW has released two M5 Touring models in past years (both recorded rather dismal sales that were overshadowed by cult recognition), there's never been an M3 Touring sold to the public.... yet.

How fast is she?

BMW claims it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 280 km/h, and even that's a limited speed. We think it's faster after the M3 xDrive sedan we spent time with accelerated to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds. The station wagon has a bit more weight, but it still feels stiff and ruthlessly fast.

Tell us some more key numbers.

Just remember one: five hundred. Up front, the M3 has a 3.0-liter twin-turbo engine that delivers a little over 500 horsepower to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. In the back, you get a little over 500 liters of luggage space. That's it.

Price

Owning a car that's more than anyone could ever want is not cheap. The M3 Touring starts at £85,000, and it's easy to turn that price into six figures if you add some option packages with carbon fiber inserts. And if you do, you probably won't be filling it with unsheared sheep or bags of cement.

So, is the M3 Touring a pointless endeavor that simply caters to the fantasies of those who have no intention - or ability - to buy one? Or is it, in fact, one of the coolest cars BMW makes today? It's certainly possible that the M3 Touring is both at the same time, and still a great car.

The verdict? “The bottom line: the M3 Touring is incredibly beautiful and exhilarating to drive at high speed.” People who have dreamed for years that BMW built the M3 Touring to be everything they ever wanted may be disappointed to learn that the result isn't actually perfect. It has its flaws. The fuel tank is small. The gearbox still sometimes behaves like a normal gearbox that happens to be in a sports car. And there is no denying the fact that if you have the opportunity to buy such a car, you are definitely not in a position where you need one car to fulfill all your needs. You probably already have a couple of weekend sports toys and a more conventional car for shopping trips.

But don't get hung up on semantics. The main point: the M3 Touring is incredibly beautiful and exhilarating to drive at high speed, and because it shares bodywork with the excellent 3 Series Touring, it's also an incredibly competent and quality family car. No, it won't cause a dramatic sales slump for the BMW X3 or Audi Q5. It doesn't have to be. BMW will have plenty of small but steady demand, enjoying the appreciation for creating a small, fast station wagon. It doesn't dilute the M3 line and brings something new and fresh to this small niche of the automotive world. Life for the next Audi RS4 Avant and the hybrid AMG C63 just got a lot more complicated.