Photo: Václav Pechar / Unsplash. A BMW M3 Touring in Czechia.

In September 2026, BMWBlog told the story of a Swiss owner who drove his G81 M3 Touring through 40 US states and three Canadian provinces, more than 31,000 km in all, and found that people "freaked out everywhere." BMWBlog on the US road trip The reaction makes sense. The M3 Touring is the first wagon in M3 history, it has twice set the Nürburgring benchmark for its body style, and BMW has never sold one in the United States.

Fifty years in the making

BMW M revealed the M3 Touring in June 2022, the division's 50th anniversary year, adding a fourth body style to the M3 and M4 family after the sedan, coupe and convertible. BMW's M3 Touring launch release It premiered at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on June 23, 2022. BMW's UK M3 Touring release Orders opened that September and production began in November at BMW's Munich plant, alongside the M3 sedan. There was exactly one version: the M3 Competition Touring with M xDrive. BMW's M3 Touring launch release

The launch numbers were 375 kW, or 510 metric horsepower (about 503 hp in US terms), and 650 Nm (479 lb-ft), through an eight-speed M Steptronic automatic. BMW quoted 0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds and 0-200 km/h in 12.9, with a 155-mph limiter that rose to 174 mph with the M Driver's Package. BMW's M3 Touring launch release

A real wagon, too

The cargo area holds 500 liters behind the rear seats and 1,510 with them folded, roughly 17.7 and 53.3 cubic feet. The rear backrest splits 40:20:40, the tailgate opens automatically, the rear window opens separately, and the roof rails are gloss black to match the roof. BMW's M3 Touring launch release It was quick where it counts, too: BMW's 2022 Nordschleife lap of 7:35.060 set the mark for a Touring. BMW's Touring lap record release

The 2024 update

For production from July 2024, BMW raised output to 390 kW, 530 metric horsepower, by reconfiguring the engine control unit, and the 0-200 km/h time fell to 12.4 seconds. BMW's 2024 M3 update release That works out to about 523 hp, the rating BMW gives the US M3 Competition xDrive sedan. BMW's US 2025 M3 release

The update also brought redesigned LED headlights, slim L-shaped taillights and standard Jet Black forged wheels, 19-inch front and 20-inch rear. The roof and rails are black, the roof spoiler wears a Gurney flap, and extra torsion struts stiffen the rear of the body. Inside are a flat-bottomed M steering wheel and the BMW Curved Display running Operating System 8.5. BMW says the Touring is especially popular in Germany and sells well in Great Britain, elsewhere in Europe and in Australia. BMW's 2024 M3 update release For a sense of how its M xDrive splits torque, see our M xDrive explainer.

The CS Touring raises the bar

BMW revealed the first M3 CS Touring in January 2025, with a world premiere at Mount Panorama in Australia, according to BMWBlog. BMWBlog on the CS Touring debut Boost rises to 2.1 bar for 550 metric horsepower, about 543 hp, with 650 Nm, and the car weighs about 15 kg less than the M3 Competition Touring. Carbon fiber covers the hood, front splitter, front air intakes, mirror caps and rear diffuser, M Carbon bucket seats are standard, and the headlight icons glow yellow. BMW quotes 0-62 mph in 3.5 seconds, 0-124 mph in 11.7 and a limited 186 mph. It is built in a limited run in Munich and was priced from £120,600 in the UK. BMW's UK CS Touring release

In July 2025, BMW announced a 7:29.490 Nordschleife lap for the CS Touring, the fastest ever for a Touring and 5.57 seconds quicker than the 2022 car. The same release lists the M3 CS sedan at 7:28.760, less than a second faster than the wagon. BMW's Touring lap record release

Why America never got it

The first obstacle was certification. The 3 Series Touring it is based on was never certified to US crash rules, so the M3 Touring would have needed its own testing, and in 2021 a BMW USA spokesperson called homologation "cost prohibitive." Motor1 on BMW's decision In 2025, Sylvia Neubauer, BMW M's vice president for customer, brand and sales, told BMWBlog that BMW had judged the US market too small, that it was too late for the current model, and that American fans should go for the M5 Touring. BMWBlog's 2025 interview BMW calls that car the first M5 Touring ever offered in the US. BMW's US M5 Touring release Our G90 M5 explainer covers how its hybrid drivetrain works.

The door is not shut on the next one. In 2024, BMW product management vice president Andreas Meyer told CarBuzz, as BMWBlog reported, that a next-generation M3 Touring could come to America if the M5 Touring does well enough. BMWBlog on the next M3 Touring As of BMWBlog's September 2026 report, BMW had not confirmed one. BMWBlog on the US road trip

The last chapter, in green

BMW's May 2026 release for the North America-only M3 CS Handschalter describes that car as marking the close of the M3's sixth generation, the family the G81 belongs to. BMW's Handschalter release Our Handschalter explainer has the details. Meanwhile, every M3 variant gets BMW's M Ignite pre-chamber ignition from July 2026 production, with outputs unchanged. BMW's M Ignite release A "100 Jahre Nürburgring" edition of the M3 Touring, orderable from September 2026, comes in Nürburgring Green or Black Sapphire, with a striped steel roof and green-accented wheels. BMW's Nürburgring edition release

Why it matters

Our view: the M3 Touring proves a wagon can wear the M3 badge without apology. In CS form it laps the Nordschleife within a second of the CS sedan, and any version still swallows 1,510 liters of luggage. Americans who want one can wait out the 25 years that Motor1 notes would make it importable, or buy the bigger M5 Touring instead. Motor1 on BMW's decision

Specifications from BMW's published press materials. The M3 Touring was never offered in the US, so European metric ratings appear with approximate US horsepower conversions. TUNERS has not driven the car.