Written by Keith Adams Updated: 2 February 2023

Overview

The BMW M3 Touring Competition has the weight of expectation resting heavily on its shoulders. It’s the first time the M3 franchise gets an estate version since the first model arrived in 1985, and as far as enthusiasts are concerned, it’s long overdue. In creating this car, BMW is making a play at building the best estate car in the world…

Undoubtedly, it is the fastest, baddest and loudest estate car the German maker’s ever built, and it sports styling and a range of colours that are designed to shout ‘look at me‘. It’ll be bought by confident types with deep pockets, who will appreciate a combination of searing performance and rear-world practicality, and won’t mind too much at its loud exhaust and heavy fuel consumption.

Rivals are few and far between and hail from the usual suspects, and include the Audi RS4 Avant and the Mercedes-AMG C-Class in C63 Estate form. Beyond that, if you want speed and practicality, you’re looking at super SUVs, such as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio and Jaguar F-Pace SVR. And they don’t steer and handle with the purity of the M3.

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What’s it like inside?

The BMW 3 Series has earned a well-deserved reputation as a car with a great interior. Following its 2022 facelift, it received an updated dash which united the infotainment and instrumentation behind a single curved piece of black glass. Whether you like that or not, there’s no denying it’s striking.

We rate BMW’s iDrive infotainment system very highly, and appreciate that you can still control it without touching the screen using the touch-sensitive control wheel in the centre console. It’s simple to use but customisable and complex if you want to delve further in.

You get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the BMW ID system that allows you to transfer personal settings between vehicles using the My BMW App and a smartphone. BMW ConnectedDrive means the latest 3 Series can receive over-the-air updates, too. As for practicality, you get 500 litres of space with the rear seats up and 1,500 litres when folded – which just squeaks ahead of the Audi RS4 Avant’s 495 and 1,495.

Comfort

We tested the M3 with the optional carbon-backed seats which offer a great blend of support and long-distance comfort. However some testers complained they were difficult to get in and out of. There’s plenty of adjustment, too, with the driving position easily tailored for those who like to sit lower with the wheel in their lap.

The rear seats are less good. There’s a lack of rear kneeroom and headroom is tight, too, although they are well shaped, and for those who aren’t too tall, comfort back there more than acceptable over longer distances.

Safety

Like most modern cars, the M3 Touring is packed with huge amounts of driver-assistance technology, intended to help the driver get out of trouble if they get things wrong. What’s worth noting here, however, is that in our experience so far, BMW’s implementation of this technology is as good as it gets.

The lane-keeping assist system works beautifully. It’s active for short periods before demanding you put your hands back on the wheel (or at least grip it more), and does an excellent job of maintaining lane positioning, without the jerkiness of many rivals’ systems.

What’s it like to drive?

It’s fast, and your experience will be dominated by that. Total output from its twin-turbo engine is 510hp and 650Nm of torque, which means it scorches from 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds. But these are just numbers – what matters is how the M3 Touring feels to drive. In short, it’s a riot, and blessed with one of the best soundtracks you’ll find on a road car.

The firm suspension and lack of bodyroll – with lightning fast steering – means it’s agile and gives the driver maximum levels confidence no matter how poor the conditions. The four-wheel drive system helps the car achieve huge amounts of amount of traction for effortlessly quick progress on B-roads. It’s worth saying that it lacks the last 10% of poise and speed of a standard M3 saloon or M4 coupe, but you’ll need to be brave and highly skilled to explore that on the road.

Because it’s quite large, wide and heavy, despite being billed as a compact executive car, the M3 Touring can feels a tad too large for narrow B-roads, so you’ll no doubt seek out A-roads (or trackdays) if you’re after the most fun for your money. However, calm things down and drive for busier conditions, and it settles in to relaxed motorway cruise, with a surprisingly hushed engine in Eco mode.

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Ownership costs and maintenance

As you may expect from a car with 510hp, running costs – or at least those through refuelling – for the M3 can be eyewatering. The official claimed fuel economy is 27.4mpg, but we averaged 22.5mpg in mixed motorway and A-road driving, and mostly in Eco mode as you’d expect on the road. 

Also, don’t forget to factor in the huge cost of consumables – tyres and brakes – that comes part and parcel of running such a fast and heavy car. The M3 Series comes with BMW’s standard three-year unlimited mileage warranty that includes breakdown cover.

What models and trims are available?

Unlike the regular 3 Series Touring where you have near-limitless choices, the M3 is only available in one trim in the UK (Competition), one engine (a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six) and one transmission – an eight-speed automatic.

Unlike the M4 Coupe and M3 saloon, which are rear-wheel drive (standard fit) or all-wheel drive – the Touring is only available with BMW’s excellent xDrive four-wheel drive set-up. We appreciate this, as it provides more traction in all driving, with obvious benefits in poor weather.

Of course, you can get busy selecting optional extras. These include the Comfort Pack, Visibility Pack, Technology Plus Pack, M Driver’s Pack, M Carbon Pack, M Pro Pack and Ultimate Pack. The latter bundles most of the above together, giving you almost everything you could realistically want on the M3 Touring – but at a stiff price.

Read on for our verdict – do we recommend the M3 Touring over its rivals?