According to fresh reports, a BMW M3 Touring will be introduced at the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show 2015 in September.
It is suggested that the German automaker will unveil the M3 Touring in concept form at Frankfurt but as with the F82 M4 Concept, it is tipped to be very close to production-spec. If the BMW M3 Touring is given the thumbs up for production, it will rival the Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate as well as the potent Audi RS4 Avant.
Considering BMW’s two key rivals, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, have offered estate versions of its ‘entry-level’ performance sedans for many years, it is quite surprising that BMW has only ever offered the M3/M4 in coupe and sedan guises. An official E46-generation BMW M3 Touring was created but it never reached the production line.
When the BMW M3 Touring does debut, it will inevitably feature the same engine as the existing M3 and M4 duo. That means a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder revving to 7600 rpm and producing an impressive 431 hp between 5390 rpm and 7000 rpm and 406 lb-ft of torque from a low 1,800 rpm to 5,390rpm. That torque figure is available across a broad rev range and is an improvement over the outgoing BMW E92 M3 of 40 per cent.
Due to the added weight of the estate, a tenth of two is likely to be added to the 0-100 km/h sprint meaning it should sit around the 4.2 second mark when equipped with the seven-speed M double clutch transmission.
[Via Car Advice, Rendering via X-Tomi Design]
