BMW M3 Touring review: what the car critics say
A sensational all-rounder, the car is ‘eye-wateringly, cheek-puffingly good to drive fast’
After a wait of “decades”, the M3 Touring is finally here – an all-weather, all-powerful family estate car “that just happens to go like a Porsche 911”, said Evo. Available only in xDrive Competition guise, it is all-wheel drive with 503bhp and an automatic gearbox, and a 3-litre twin-turbo straight-six petrol engine. Despite being 1,865kg, it’s remarkably agile. It can do 0-62mph in 3.6s and has a top speed of 174mph.
With extras, you could easily spend more than £100,000 on this “ferocious family wagon”, so it is only going to be for the select few, said Car Magazine. The stiff suspension and beautifully judged damping work well, and the good lateral grip and traction allow you to overcome any weight-induced understeer. On motorways it’s refined and quiet. It is comfy for four adults, and has a very decent 500-litre boot.
A sensational all-rounder, the car is “eye-wateringly, cheek-puffingly good to drive fast”, though with a 59-litre tank and doing about 25mpg, you’ll be refuelling every 320 miles or so, said Top Gear Magazine. The driving position is perfect, and the seats are “phenomenally comfortable”. The only “epic fail” is the 14.9in curved touchscreen, which hides an array of functions such as the heated seats in frustrating sub-menus. Price: from about £87,000.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In pictures: BMW M3 Touring
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
‘All of these elements push survivors into silence’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
A running list of US interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean after World War IIin depth Nicolás Maduro isn’t the first regional leader to be toppled directly or indirectly by the US
-
How to rekindle a reading habitThe Week Recommends Fall in love with reading again, or start a brand new relationship with it
-
Avatar: Fire and Ash – third instalment feels like ‘a relic of an earlier era’Talking Point Latest sequel in James Cameron’s passion project is even ‘more humourless’ than the last
-
The Zorg: meticulously researched book is likely to ‘become a classic’The Week Recommends Siddharth Kara’s harrowing account of the voyage that helped kick-start the anti-slavery movement
-
The Housemaid: an enjoyably ‘pulpy’ concoctionThe Week Recommends Formulaic psychological horror with Sydney Sweeney is ‘kind of a scream’
-
William Nicholson: a ‘rich and varied’ exhibitionThe Week Recommends The wide-ranging show brings together portraits, illustrations, prints and posters, alongside ‘ravishing’ still lifes
-
Oh, Mary! – an ‘irreverent, counter-historical’ delightThe Week Recommends Mason Alexander Park ‘gives the funniest performance in town’ as former First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln
-
The ultimate films of 2025 by genreThe Week Recommends From comedies to thrillers, documentaries to animations, 2025 featured some unforgettable film moments
-
Into the Woods: a ‘hypnotic’ productionThe Week Recommends Jordan Fein’s revival of the much-loved Stephen Sondheim musical is ‘sharp, propulsive and often very funny’
-
The best food books of 2025The Week Recommends From mouthwatering recipes to insightful essays, these colourful books will both inspire and entertain