This wasn’t really ever in any doubt. Having opted to finally build an M3 Touring, BMW was never going to let it fall at the crucial ‘Ring record hurdle. Not when the estate benchmark wasn’t especially taxing either: the official Nurburgring site doesn’t even make space for a wagon, but, courtesy of Wikipedia, we know Sport Auto sent an Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4Matic+ round in 7:45.19 back in 2017. Now the new M3 Touring has done it in 7:35.060. Which is quite a lot quicker.
Of course, when you consider that just last month the latest M4 CSL monstered the course in 7:15.677 - the fastest lap time ever for a series production BMW - there wasn’t really any question that the same basic engine and chassis would be sabotaged by a bit of additional bodywork. Naturally its time suggests the Touring is very quick indeed; not only does it dip under the lap set by Sport Auto in the F90 M5 Competition back in 2019, it also narrowly beats the official ‘compact cars’ record currently held by the Audi RS3.
BMW might not have been aiming for that, but it's a pleasing boast for anyone trying to justify the sizeable step up from super hatch to fast estate. Not that anyone needs reminding just how special the first-ever M3 Touring is, simply by dint of it combining ‘M3’ and ‘Touring’ in a single description. BMW’s long-running preview of the car has inevitably laboured the point, but there is every indication that the firm has risen to the challenge of meeting the buying public’s expectations.
Clearly, this is the icing on the cake for the team. For the rest of us, we’ll be provided with the full lowdown next week - including how much BMW is going to charge for the ultimate fast estate - when the new model receives its global debut at the 2022 Festival of Speed. We didn’t need a lap record to help us look forward to the much-anticipated unveiling - but it doesn’t hurt none either.
