Just when we thought that we couldn’t be any more annoyed that BMW North America had opted not to bring the M3 Touring to the U.S. these pictures dropped into our inbox and made the whole thing one hundred times worse.
BMW hasn’t confirmed anything officially but these images from our spy photographers in Germany appear to show a CS version of the M3 Touring being tested on and around the Nürburgring. This Isle of Man green prototype isn’t wearing the CS’s red-framed grille but does have that car’s jutting front splitter slung out below the bumper, a very low ride height and carbon ceramic brakes, though the latter are optional on the M3 Touring.
Remind Me About The M3 CS
The CS, you might recall, is the hardcore version of the M3 sedan that BMW revealed earlier this year. It’s the yin to the rear-drive, manual-shift M4 CSL’s yang, adopting the same 543 hp (550 PS) version of the B58 3.0-liter inline six and some of its lightweight goodies, design features and suspension components, but mating them to an xDrive all-wheel drive transmission, and eight-speed auto and a four-door shell.
More: How Does The 2024 BMW M3 CS Rank Against The Greatest Limited Edition M3s?
That extra mechanical hardware and the presence of back seats (the CSL junks the stock M4’s rear bench) means the 3,915 lbs (1,776 kg) CS sedan weighs 275 lbs (125 kg) more than the M4 CSL, but all-wheel drive traction and the quick-shifting auto helps it get ahead in a drag race. The CS gets to 62 mph (100 kmh) in 3.2 seconds, versus 3.8 seconds for the lighter, but two-wheel drive CSL coupe, and 3.4 seconds for a plain 503 hp (510 PS) M3 Competition xDrive.
The wagon’s heavier body results in the stock Touring, which is only available in Competition xDrive spec, weighing 21 lbs (55kg) more and so it’s a couple of tenths slower than the mechanically identical Competition xDrive sedan. But on that basis, giving it the CS goodies should help the ever hotter Touring at least match the stock sedan from the lights, and despite its less rigid structure, it could well be much faster on a twisty road or circuit. Chassis upgrades on the CS sedan included a cast aluminium strut brace plus changes changes to the camber angle, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bars and steering setup, while wheels borrowed from the M4 CSL come standard with track-ready Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber.
BMW committed to make 1,000 M4 CLS coupes, and an unspecified number of CS sedans, with some of each model coming to North America. If the car pictured here really is CS Touring it could be the most appealing M3/M4 of all for people who plan to use their car daily, but it seems that pleasure won’t be available to BMW M fans living in the firm’s biggest market.
