The BMW M3 Touring doesn’t just look amazing but it packs a serious punch and is a potent performer that’s even well catered to the occasional track day. It’s also very capable in a straight line, as this video shows.
Motorsport Magazine recently had the opportunity to sample the M3 Touring and while driving it, timed a sprint from 0-200 km/h (124 mph) to see just how quick the car is. Sure, most M3 Touring owners will probably never accelerate from a standstill to 200 km/h like this unless they go to the track or the Autobahn but it’s a fun test nonetheless.
It took the M3 Touring roughly 14 seconds to hit 200 km/h in this test. In a world where some powerful supercars and hypercars can hit 300 km/h (186 mph) in less than 13 seconds, that may not sound that fast but if you ever get the chance to drive an M3 Touring, you’ll probably be more than impressed with how it accelerates.
Watch: Is The BMW M3 Touring The Perfect Performance All-Rounder?
Key to the car’s performance is its twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine that is good for 503 hp and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm), matching the figures of the M3 Competition sedan. This engine works alongside an eight-speed automatic transmission driving all four wheels via BMW’s xDrive system that includes a rear-wheel drive-only mode. BMW M’s official claim is that the M3 Touring can hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.6 seconds but we have seen tests where the sedan can hit that figure in less than 3 seconds.
In a bid to prove just how capable the car is, BMW took it to the Nurburgring last year and set a lap time of 7:35.060, making the M3 Touring the fastest production station wagon to ever lap the German circuit. Not bad when you consider that it is also a very capable grocery-getter.