BMW M3 CS Touring unveiled with 550hp

Enough with the iX already - here's the BMW family car we're all really after

By Matt Bird / Thursday, 30 January 2025 / Loading comments

We’ve been waiting on this one for awhile, the first image of what purported to be an M3 CS Touring back in April 2023. Now, following a teaser earlier in the week, the real thing is here, all 550hp and £120k of it, ready for an assortment of laboured social media posts about being all the car you’d ever need. And probably one of the great modern M car experiences.

Because the M3 CS saloon, with which this Touring shares a host of its upgrades, really was something special. So expectations are high, with an identical 550hp tune of the twin-turbo 3.0-litre S58 six - thanks to 2.1 bar turbos from the CSL - and a raft of chassis tweaks to bring the best from the platform. BMW claims 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds, 0-124mph in 11.7 seconds and 186mph flat out, plus a ‘particularly aggressive soundstage’ from the titanium silencer. Nice.

The changes to the CS underneath are ‘purposefully optimised for the specific demands of track driving’, with additional bracing under the bonnet, a bespoke tune for the DSC (including M Dynamic Mode), revised adaptive dampers, tweaks to the steering… all the little differences that should add up to an even sharper Touring, basically. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres are standard fit, with an even more aggressive Cup 2R option - as seen on the M4 CS - and something a little more accommodating also offered. The most committed can get M ceramic brakes for their CS as well.

Extra carbon reinforced plastic in the construction saves from weight for the CS, though only in the region of 15kg. Notable bits include the bonnet, front splitter and rear diffuser. The carbon chairs are standard fit, too. As are the CS cosmetic tweaks seen in the saloon and coupe, including the pared-back grille, red accents (going as far as the rear spoiler) and the familiar yellow lights. The keen BMW folk among you might clock the colour here as Laguna Seca Blue, an Individual colour offered for the CS and not seen in yonks. The optionally available Matt Bronze wheels would surely go with it beautifully. The other paints are British Racing Green, Frozen Solid White or Black Sapphire. Whatever the colour, this isn’t going to be mistaken for a regular Touring.

The big news inside is that space hasn’t been impacted by the CS overhaul, with the same 500 litres/1,510 litres available in the back as the regular xDrive Competition. There are CS emblems aplenty, plus lots of contrast red stitching for the black leather and Alcantara. Existing customers will find their M buttons, M Drift Analyser and 10-stage M Traction Control in the usual spots. Right up to rear-drive mode ‘for the ultimate purist’.

The M3 CS Touring is on sale now, priced from £120,600, with first deliveries expected in March. A similarly chunky premium as with the M3 saloon and M4 coupe from Competition to CS, then, with the standard 530hp wagon currently retailing at £90k. For a good few years now, including cars like the old M2 and M5, these models have often been a lot more expensive but more often than not a whole lot better as well. Let’s hope for more of the same from the M3 Touring.