The BMW M3 Wagon is Coming
Wagon lovers rejoice, the BMW M3 Wagon has been confirmed. These spacious, character-filled, touring-styled vehicles always offer immense personality, in addition to obvious practicality. In some cases, they don’t stop there, throwing in a generous helping of high performance to boot. Consider the Mercedes-Benz AMG C 63 and E 63 S Wagon, or the Audi RS4 Avant. Both are bold, beautiful, and Nurburgring ready. Even Cadillac, the American alternative to German luxury, answered the cry of the masses long ago and produced the titillating CTS-V Wagon.
Well finally, Munich has responded to their own missing link with a performance-minded wagon of their very own. At long last, we are about to get a 3-Series wagon with heavy M division involvement. We don’t know a lot, but we do know enough to be very excited. Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: BMW has confirmed that the M3 Wagon will not be imported to the United States. So, if you live stateside, getting one will require a little extra work.
Now for some good news. As stated by BMW, “the six-cylinder M TwinPower turbo engine beneath the bonnet has been set.” So it’s a safe bet that it will have the same 3.0L inline six currently slated for the upcoming M4 coupe and M3 sedan. We can also safely assume that the Mercedes C 63 AMG will be the M3’s benchmark competitor. Since the C 63 cranks out 469 hp, we imagine power output from the M3 Wagon to be similar. If they match this engine with the miracle working ZF automatic transmission found in the heavy X3 and X4 SUV’s, then the pairing will all but ensure thrilling acceleration. An obvious choice, really.
So how will it look? Here, BMW has confirmed a thing or two more with plenty of spy shots and teased glimpses on the official BMW website. It will have the split front grille found on the incoming M4. It will also boast large front air intakes, wide axles with accommodating flared front fenders and rear quarter panels, and four exhaust pipes exiting the rear. On the inside, we can expect the aesthetics to closely match, if not be identical to, the M3 sedan, a much sportier, dressier version of the current G20 3 Series.
As of right now, pricing for the upcoming M3 Wagon remains a mystery. We know it won’t come cheap though, because… why would it? The new M3 sedan will be pushing $90,000 USD, and wagons traditionally add a little over the sedan price. So after you add in an option or two, we could easily be looking at a six-figure M3, a little more than the RS4 Avant and C 63, but still considerably less than the Mercedes E 63 S Wagon. You’ll quickly bridge that gap, finding a way to bring one into the states though. As for everyone else, please enjoy for the rest of us, whether you’re one of the lucky few to actually own one, or simply have the good fortune of seeing one casually pass you by on the street.
