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Top Gear
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
BMW M3 Touring Review 2025
The first ever BMW M3 Touring: the really fast version of BMW's class-leading 3 Series, now with an estate bodyshell. To give it its full name, it's the BMW M3 Touring Competition xDrive: in English that means the estate is only available with BMW's superb all-wheel drive system. 'Competition' is just a trim level, and all M3s in the UK of any shape are Comps. It means you get over 500bhp and an automatic gearbox as standard. On top of that there's the newly arrived hardcore CS version – if you want to spend an extra £35k-odd. Advertisement - Page continues below Why has this car created such a fuss? There's a coolness about fast estate cars. Even though they are at heart a bit of an odd concoction: if you've got a dog or a lawnmower or bags of garden waste in the big 500-litre boot, you tend not to drive very quickly. And if it's empty and the road looks inviting, you're in an estate car, which is naturally heavier and less stiff than a coupe. Like, say, a BMW M4. Hold that thought… But people who like cars tend to really get off on the idea of a superwagon, because it's a ready-for-anything, all-season, all-occasion device, and they tend to be a bit more subtle than an out-and-out sports coupe. In an M4, you broadcast an image of thrusting power. In an estate, you're just taking the kids to school, or off to the hardware store. And while BMW has now delivered three M5 Tourings over the years, there's never been an M3 Touring sold to the public… until now. How fast is it? BMW claims it'll get you from 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and go on to a top speed of 174mph, and even that's limited. We'd wager it'd be quicker still, after an M3 xDrive saloon we timed against the clock managed 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. The Touring's a bit heavier, but it still feels brutally, ruthlessly quick. Advertisement - Page continues below Tell me more key numbers. Just remember one: five hundred. At the front, the M3's 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight six delivers just over 500 horsepower to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. At the back, you get a smidge over 500 litres of boot space. That's it. That's the recipe. Party at the front and in the rear. And what about the CS? More power again? The CS pushes power up to 542bhp, dropping a couple of tenths from the 0-62mph time (claimed at 3.5s, likely not much over 3.0s flat in reality), and the 174mph limiter is raised to 186mph. The CS recipe has already been applied to the saloon and coupe, and is largely repeated here, although it does without the carbon fibre roof panel the shorter-roofed cars get. It's not a limited edition model, but it is more specialised, gaining a carbon fibre bonnet, titanium exhaust, plus retuned electronics for the gearbox, 4WD system and stability control. There's a load more carbon around the place, forged wheels, and an aluminium strut brace and more robust engine mounts as part of extra chassis strengthening measures. You still don't get carbon ceramic brakes as standard though. Come on then, how much is all this? Ah yes. Price. It's not cheap to own more car than anyone could ever possibly want or need. M3 Tourings start at £91,865 (they've gone up six grand since they first arrived two years ago) and it's terrifyingly easy to propel that beyond six figures if you lob some carbon fibre-laced option packs at yours. And if you do that, well, you're hardly likely to be filling it with unsheared sheep or bags of cement. Meanwhile the CS Touring weighs in at a whopping £126,275. An extra £35,000 give or take, and about £10k more than a hybrid 717bhp M5 Touring. Not saying that would be our choice, just pointing out the potential profit margin BMW enjoys with its CS cars. So is the M3 Touring a pointless endeavour that merely panders to the fantasies of those who have no intention – or means – of buying one? Or is it in fact one of the coolest cars made by BMW today? There is of course the possibility that the M3 Touring is in fact both of those things simultaneously, and still a pretty glorious bit of kit. Does the driving live up to the hype? Yes. The CS has remarkable precision and genuinely spectacular body control, the only drawbacks being extra road noise and more exhaust drone. To be honest, unless your hound particularly loves track days (this is a joke, not a suggestion), the regular M3 Touring is probably the better all-rounder. More on all this in the next tab. Our choice from the range BMW M3 xDrive Comp M 5dr Step Auto [Ultimate/M Pro Pk] £105,760 See prices and specs What's the verdict? ' The bottom line is this: the M3 Touring is eye-wateringly, cheek-pufflingly good to drive fast ' Folks who've yearned for BMW to build an M3 Touring for years – to be all the car they could ever want – might be dismayed to learn the result isn't in fact perfect. It's flawed. The fuel tank is on the small side. The gearbox still has moments in which it behaves like it's a regular automatic transmission that accidentally stowed away in an M car. And there's no getting away from the fact that if you can afford to buy one, you are certainly not in the position where you need one car to cover all bases. You probably have a couple of sporty toys for the weekend already, and a more humdrum shopping car. But don't get hung up on the semantics. The bottom line is this: the M3 Touring is eye-wateringly, cheek-pufflingly good to drive fast, and because it shares a body with the excellent 3 Series Touring, it's also an incredibly competent, well-made family car. No, it's not going to cause an overnight collapse in BMW X3 or Audi Q5 sales. It isn't supposed to. You get the feeling BMW will be happy with a few steady sales, while basking in the reflected glow of appreciation for having built a small fast estate at last. Ok, not small exactly, but definitely a more versatile size then the cruise liner than is the M5 Touring. It doesn't dilute the M3 lineage and it does bring something new and fresh to this little niche of the car world. Life for the next Audi RS4 Avant and the hybrid-powered AMG C63 is tricky right now. We'd have this over either of them any day of the week.
Top Gear
21-07-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
BMW 2 Series Coupe Price & Specs
Advertisement Title 0-62 CO2 BHP MPG Price 230i M Sport 2dr Step Auto [Tech/Pro Pack] 5.9s 241.4 £46,540 230i M Sport 2dr Step Auto [Tech Pack] 5.9s 241.4 £44,690 230i M Sport 2dr Step Auto [Pro Pack] 5.9s 241.4 £44,430 230i M Sport 2dr Step Auto 5.9s 241.4 £41,990 M240i xDrive 2dr Step Auto [Tech/Pro Pack] 4.3s 368.8 £51,510 M240i xDrive 2dr Step Auto [Tech Pack] 4.3s 368.8 £50,515 M240i xDrive 2dr Step Auto [Pro Pack] 4.3s 368.8 £48,860 M240i xDrive 2dr Step Auto 4.3s 368.8 £47,815 220i M Sport 2dr Step Auto [Tech/Pro Pack] 7.5s 181 £43,025 220i M Sport 2dr Step Auto [Tech Pack] 7.5s 181 £41,175 220i M Sport 2dr Step Auto [Pro Pack] 7.5s 181 £40,915 220i M Sport 2dr Step Auto 7.5s 181 £38,475 You might like
The Herald
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Herald
BMW X3 M50 balances power, comfort and efficiency
The interior is smart and polished in feel and build quality, while the electric seats are comfy and generously padded. Standard amenities are generous but you'll need to raid the options catalogue for more. From behind the multifunction helm you get the sense that you're driving a premium car and you are driving an X3 that's larger than any model before. The new iteration stretches 4,755mm in length, 1,920mm width and 1,660mm height, making it 34mm longer, 29mm wider and 16mm taller that the previous X3. You notice the growth spurt everywhere, especially between the lanes, where it can drive autonomously. Occupants enjoy more leg, head and shoulder room, and more luggage can be swallowed by the expanded boot with a power tailgate. At times it felt like commanding an X5 but it's nicely measured and feels poised, refined and powerful, thanks to the 280kW and 580Nm 3.0 l twin-turbo straight-six petrol engine that's paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and xDrive all-wheel drive system. It has a mild-hybrid 48V system injecting 13kW to the mix and silently powering the car at crawl speeds. It kicks out a combined 293kW and can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 4.6 secs to run out of steam at 250km/h. It's a tarmac bruiser when you need it to be that also corners keenly.
Auto Blog
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Here's Why BMW Hasn't Pulled The Trigger On M2 xDrive... Yet
The Most Capable M2 Ever Could Still Be Coming Rumors of an xDrive all-wheel-drive version of the BMW M2 first surfaced around two years ago, but so far, there has been no official confirmation from the automaker. The M2 is still only available with rear-wheel drive, unlike the larger M4 Coupe. However, an executive has told BMW Blog that the M2 xDrive is still an option, while also providing a logical reason for why the grippier AWD setup hasn't yet been introduced on the brand's smallest coupe. It all comes down to production timelines and how often new variants of high-performance M models are launched. BMW M2 xDrive Still An Option Source: BMW Dirk Häcker, the head of research and development at BMW M, told BMW Blog that an M2 xDrive 'could' still happen. He was specifically asked why the M3 and M4 have the optional xDrive system but the M2 does not, and responded with this: 'I think the M3 and M4 CS are in a later stage. We introduced the M2 about two years ago, so we have started with rear-wheel drive. We now offer the M2 CS, and we have a lot of time to the EOP [end of production] of the car. So there could be also ideas to offer for the future of an xDrive system, but there is no final decision.' BMW Blog's sources suggest the xDrive model will go into production from August 2026, alongside the current RWD model. RWD M2 Unique In Its Segment While the possible M2 xDrive is expected to be slightly quicker in a straight line and around a track, the current M2 with RWD is unique in its segment. Audi and BMW don't make comparable small sports coupes, and their closest M2 rivals – the RS3 sedan and CLA 45 S Coupe – are exclusively available with AWD. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. Furthermore, the M2 is available with a six-speed manual, which both of these rivals lack. The M2 xDrive, if it does materialize, is expected to be sold exclusively with BMW's eight-speed automatic transmission. The six-cylinder engine is also unique to the M2. For now, M2 fans will have to settle for RWD, but the new M2 CS at least offers a hefty increase in power to 523 horses. One can only imagine how devastating the M2 CS would be with AWD, and we wouldn't rule out the possibility of such a model in the future. Ultimately, it looks like the best of the current M2 is yet to come. About the Author Karl Furlong View Profile
The Citizen
15-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Frugal and fast BMW X3 20d proves that diesel is not dead yet
SUV well-priced offering in the premium segment inhabited by Audi and Mercedes-Benz. Because I have been around a while and by that I mean like forever, I was there when all everybody could talk about was diesel. If you didn't have diesel vehicles in your portfolio, you were struggling as a motor manufacturer. This was a time when diesel was the clever option. You didn't buy an oil-burner to show off. You bought it because you were the guy who could drive from Joburg to Cape Town on one tank. BMW keeps the faith Diesel was efficient, torquey and sensible. And then people decided that battery electric vehicles is the thing that was going to save the world. Conveniently ignoring how the batteries are made and that we burn coal to produce electricity to charge these batteries. And that's how diesel ended up in the naughty corner. But thankfully BMW didn't get the memo. Because here we are in 2025 and The Citizen Motoring has just spent a week driving the new G45 X3 20d xDrive M Sport. The idea being to figure out if diesel still has a place in a world that wants everything to plug in, light up, and talk back. And I can say without a doubt it absolutely does. The oil-burner offers the best of both worlds. Picture: Supplied Most of this sentiment is because under the bonnet is BMW's long serving, much-loved, tried-and-tested 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel. It is now paired with a 48V mild-hybrid system to help it not only meet emissions regulations, but to also provide a little extra urge when wanted. Talking of which, you have 145kW of power and 400Nm of torque on tap that runs through an eight-speed auto box to the xDrive all-wheel drive set-up. ALSO READ: PODCAST: Why all-new BMW X3 is just what the doctor ordered BMW X3 20d easy on the juice The BMW X3 20d's forte is gobbling up open road kilometres with absolute ease and returning real world fuel consumption figures that easily live around the mid 6-litres per 100 kilometres and offer close on 1 000 kilometres per tank. But it is also rather brisk for what is seen as the baby of the new BMW X3 range. Not that I think this aspect of my review will interest you too much if you are an out and petrolhead as this is more what the X3 M50 is about. But we had this BMW X3 20d at Gerotek and it hit 100km/h in 7.9 seconds, only just off BMW's claim of 7.7-seconds. Top speed is said to be 215km/h and that is more than enough for those long straight roads in the Karoo. If your conscience and wallet will allow you to treat the N1 as the Autobahn that is. ALSO READ: New BMW X3 ticks all the boxes with versatile powertrain line-up Practicality hasn't been forgotten either as you would expect from a mid-size family orientated SUV. There is a decent amount of space for the rear seat passengers, with 570 litres of boot space. This is expandable to 1 700 if you fold the rear seats down. The new BMW X3 20d is a solid choice. Picture: Supplied Making a lot of sense The latest in digital screens and infotainment systems are in use. And the cabin looks and feels as modern as ever without being too complicated or gimmicky. The BMW X3 20d xDrive is probably as flashy in M Sport trim, as it is well-made. Retailing for around R1 175 000, it is not here to compete with the high-end of the Chinese market. But rather be an exceptionally well-priced offering in the premium segment inhabited by Audi and Mercedes-Benz. ALSO READ: Finally priced: BMW puts stickers on all-new generation X3 You won't win any influencer points driving a diesel in 2025. But if you care about range, torque, comfort, and the ability to drive across provinces without needing to charge anything but your smartphone, this BMW X3 still makes a whole lot of sense. BMW X3 20d test results
