- The car will boast a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six with 543 hp and 479 lb-ft.
- Like the M3 CS sedan, the M3 CS Touring will sport several new carbon fiber parts.
- Unfortunately, the ultimate version of the M3 will remain forbidden fruit in the US.
For years, many have considered the Audi RS6 Avant as the ultimate family car. Not only have all generations of the RS6 looked brilliant, but they’ve perfectly combined great power with impressive versatility. More recently, the BMW M3 Touring has become one of the most desirable grocery-getters on the market, and soon, it’ll become even more special with the launch of a more powerful CS version.
BMW’s M division has been testing the M3 CS Touring for well over a year now and has just started to tease the car online, indicating that its global launch is fast approaching. Several images and videos of a prototype testing at the Nurburgring Nordschleife have been published, and it is shaping up to be even cooler than an RS6.
Read: BMW M3 CS Touring Puts The Waaaah Into Wagon
Make no mistake, the current M3 Touring is an absolute beast, but the CS will be even more exhilarating. For starters, it should benefit from the same amped-up 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six as the M3 CS sedan. That means it’ll be good for 543 hp rather than 503 hp. Torque should remain unchanged from the 479 lb-ft (649 Nm) of the current car, and power will be transmitted to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
These images show the M3 CS Touring will have many of the same visual and aerodynamic upgrades as its sedan sibling. That means the front end includes a more pronounced splitter and a new bumper with sharp air intakes. The front grille is also a little different.
Several other upgrades are expected. For example, BMW M’s engineers will tweak the suspension geometry and install a lightweight titanium exhaust.
For as compelling as the new M3 CS Touring promises to be, there is one caveat: it will not be sold in the United States. While that’s a crying shame, last summer the vice president of BMW Product Management, Andreas Meyer, said that the next-gen M3 Touring might make to America. However, the powers that be at Munich will wait and see how the well the M5 Touring is received by local buyers to decide if they will offer it Stateside.