The Incredible BMW M3 Touring Is Here, But There's A Catch

BMW has announced a touring version of its 2022 M3, the first of its kind. However, the release comes with a very major catch that could prevent thousands of BMW fans from even getting their hands on one. The new beamer was announced at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and can be ordered from September with production expected to start in November (via BMW). The new M3 Touring is powered by a 3-liter straight-six engine with BMW's M TwinPower Turbo technology. It is capable of producing 510 horsepower, 479 foot-pounds of torque, and getting you from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3.6 seconds. BMW says it has electronically limited the M3 Touring's top speed to 155 mph, though drivers who purchase the M package will see that limit raised to 174 mph.

With an engine cooling system that was designed for the track, M3 Touring drivers should have no problem with anything they may encounter on the road. An eight-speed M Steptronic transmission, which features three custom settings, is also there to push the levels of acceleration and control on the M3 Touring to the limit. The car's M xDrive all-wheel-drive system also adapts to the conditions, with both a basic and sport mode, along with the option to switch to two-wheel drive if required.

BMW's 2022 M3 Touring joins the likes of the M4 Competition Convertible xDrive and the BMW M8 Competition in the company's premium motorsport series of vehicles. With the 2022 M3 Touring, the company is celebrating 50 years of its M class of vehicles — but not everyone is invited to the party.

As the Touring title suggests, the new M3 is suited to long-distance journeys — but despite the comfort features, BMW insists that compromises have not been made on performance or handling. Visually, the M3 Touring goes all out, with every single car coming with the automaker's Curved Display as standard. Two displays are fitted behind a single piece of glass and angled towards the driver. Along with vital driving information, specific widgets can be added to suit the driver's needs. The interior also includes merino leather-trimmed, heated, electronically adjustable seats, though those who prefer racing to luxury can opt for carbon fiber bucket seats instead.

On the outside, BMW has aimed for "cleanly designed surfaces and athletic forms," with the "frameless BMW kidney grille, large side air intakes, powerfully sculpted wheel arches, and prominently extended side skirts" balancing aerodynamic performance with powerful styling, according to the company. As you may expect from a high-end vehicle, the M3 Touring comes with a range of driver assistance features, with the standard list including Front Collision Warning, Speed Limit Display with no-overtaking indicator, Lane Departure Warning, and Park Distance Control. Among the available options is the Active Cruise Control with Stop&Go function, traffic light detection, and Active Navigation. You can even have parking and reversing assistants fitted.

As it stands, BMW enthusiasts in the United States are not getting their hands on the 2022 BMW M3 Touring. In a 2020 announcement, the German auto manufacturer confirmed the car would not be getting a U.S. release, and two years on it doesn't seem to have changed its mind. This is mainly due to the fact that an American release of a sporty wagon doesn't make economic sense to BMW — but underneath it all, things do get slightly more complicated than that. 

BMW told The Drive that the decision to simply not bother with the "lengthy and costly process" of U.S. certification for the standard 3 Series Touring was made long ago. That decision seems to have carried over to the automaker's new sporting wagon, the M3 touring. The spokesperson in question wouldn't speculate on whether BMW would have made a different decision had the M3 Touring been on the cards when the U.S. release of the 3 Series Touring was scrapped. Either way, we're stuck in the reality we currently inhabit, so if you're American and you want a hot new German wagon to impress your friends, you'll just have to go with an Audi RS6 instead.