BMW M3 vs Mercedes-Benz Esprinter

What's the difference?

Long live the mighty wagon. The BMW M3 Touring is treat to look at, and an even bigger treat to drive.

If you want one, act fast. We waited a long time for a wagon-shaped M3, and with electrification increasing in the automotive industry, this will likely be your last chance.

With the convenience of back-to-base charging the eSprinter would be well suited to last-mile logistics or other urban delivery roles, as its driving range is ample for many of these urban tasks with the added benefit of zero tailpipe emissions. However, at more than $100K it is a big spend (like its full-electric rivals) so only a thorough cost-benefit analysis can decide if it’s the right choice for your business.

It looks spectacular, this M3 Touring, and even more so given a) wagons are so rare, and b) proper low-riding performance wagons with massive alloys are even rarer.

That said, I expect it will be polarising – and possibly too shouty for some – but I've got to say, I like it.

I’ve seen it described elsewhere as a bit of a sleeper, but for mine, you’d need painted-on eyes to not see there’s plenty going on with the Touring, especially one finished in the same Frozen Black paint as our test car.

It is at once sleek and swept back, and bulging and aggressive, especially at the flared wheel arches and fat exhausts poking from its diffuser-filled rump.

Inside, it’s mostly business as BMW usual, though with more carbon-fibre elements — our vehicle was equipped with the M Carbon Experience pack — but snug-fitting seats aside, it’s a premium, if performance-focused, place to spend time.

This is a substantial vehicle riding on a 3665mm wheelbase and spanning almost 6.0 metres in length (5932mm) and more than 2.0 metres in width (2020mm without mirrors), yet it has a tight kerb-to-kerb turning circle of only 12.4 metres.

And with the optional High Roof as fitted to our example it stands almost 3.0 metres tall (2867mm), so drivers need to be conscious of this extra dimension when accessing underground loading zones, driving under height-restricted bridges etc.

Its rear-wheel drive unitary chassis features simple and rugged McPherson strut front suspension paired with a De Dion-style rigid beam/leaf spring rear axle, along with four-wheel disc brakes and electrically assisted power steering.

There’s prominent use of unpainted dark grey plastic in external areas where bumps, scrapes and wear are usually inflicted, including the grille, front bumper, hubcaps, doorhandles, door mirror shells, side bump-strips and rear bumper.

The cabin design is spacious, neat and functional, with unique instrumentation which replaces the traditional tachometer with a gauge that monitors driving efficiency. There’s also a digital info screen that displays average energy consumption, battery charge, estimated driving range, gear selection and more.

A performance-focused wagon is still a wagon, right? And that means there is oodles of space in the boot, though the seating choices in our test cars made the front seats less comfortable than they could, and should, be.

But first, the boot. The M3 Touring is a 4.8m-long wagon, which pays dividends when it comes to cargo. BMW says you'll find a minimum 500L of storage space, which grows to 1510L with the rear seat folded.

In the back, you’ll find seating for three, with the requisite ISOFIX attachment points, and with enough head and leg room to get comfortable.

But those carbon front seats are an option I wouldn’t be springing for. They arrive carved out of the rock-hard material, though with big holes throughout to reduce their overall weight, and they’re not only challenging to climb in and out of, but they’re awkward and hard to sit behind.

Stick with the regular seats and both rows will be happier.

With its hefty 2727kg kerb weight (largely due to the battery) and 4250kg GVM, the eSprinter has a sizeable 1523kg payload rating. It’s also rated to tow up to 2000kg of braked trailer but with its 5000kg GCM (or how much it can carry and tow at the same time) that big payload must shrink to only 273kg to legally tow its maximum trailer weight.

That’s only enough payload capacity to cater for the weight of a two-man crew and little more so it’s important to be aware of these numbers if you’re planning to tow this heavy (although we suspect few if any owners would do so).

The cargo bay with the High Roof option is enormous, with 2009mm from floor to roof allowing even tall people to stand without stooping. Its load volume is a cavernous 10.5 cubic metres.

The load floor, which is protected by a hard non-slip surface, is 3375mm long and 1732mm wide with 1350mm between the rear-wheel housings. This allow up to two Aussie pallets or up to four Euro pallets to be carried, secured using a choice of 10 load anchorage points which fold flush with the floor when not in use.

Cargo bay access is through a sliding kerbside door with a big 1260mm-wide opening and a pair of rear barn doors which can open to a full 270 degrees on each side to optimise access to forklifts and loading docks.

The walls and sliding door are neatly lined to roof height and large handles inside both door openings assist access. There’s also bright LED lighting plus handy storage pockets in each rear door.

Its spacious cabin provides a comfortable and efficient workspace. The fabric-trimmed bucket seats offer generous head and legroom for driver and passenger and the ample open floor space between them features a sturdy cradle in which to carry the charging cable (see image).

There’s also ample storage including a large bottle-holder and multiple bins in each door plus a full-width overhead shelf with a key-lockable security box and a central glasses holder.

The top of the dash has two cupholders on each side (so, four in total) plus a large compartment with clamshell lid in the centre equipped with a 12V socket and three USB-C ports. There’s another shelf in the lower dash on the passenger side, a quartet of cupholders in the centre console and yet another compartment hidden beneath the passenger seat.

The local eSprinter range, which does not include a cab-chassis variant, offers a choice of van-based models comprising the MWB (Medium Wheelbase) with 81kWh motor for a list price of $104,313 and LWB (Long Wheelbase) with 113kWh motor for $121,041. This six-figure pricing is in the same ballpark as full-electric large van equivalents from Ford (E-Transit) and LDV (eDeliver 9).

Our test vehicle, finished in standard 'Arctic White', is the smaller MWB/81kWh model equipped with the optional High Roof (option code DO3) which adds almost half a metre (489mm) to its external height and $2392 (ex GST) to its price.

Its work-focused standard equipment includes 16-inch steel wheels with 225/75 R16 tyres and a full-size spare, DRLs and side marker lights, sealed cabin bulkhead with central window, electric-adjustable truck-style exterior mirrors, heated driver’s seat and exterior mirror, prestige leather-rimmed steering wheel with multiple remote control functions, colour 5.5-inch driver’s information display, reversing camera, front/rear parking sensors and tyre pressure monitoring to name a few.

The cabin also has an electronic parking brake, electric air-conditioning and heating plus multiple USB ports and 12V sockets. The latest 'MBUX' multimedia system features a large 10.25-inch touchscreen as central command offering voice activation, digital radio, wireless Apple/Android connectivity and more.

The M3 Touring’s engine might well be one of the best in the business – a hard-charging 3.0-litre twin-turbo-petrol inline six-cylinder engine that produces a sizeable 375kW and 650Nm.

That power is sent to all four wheels via BMW’s 'M xDrive' with Active M Differential, producing a sprint to 100km/h of just 3.6 seconds.

The eSprinter is powered by a single electric motor producing 150kW of power and 400Nm of torque. It’s mounted under the rear floor where it drives the rear wheels through a single-speed transmission.

This compact motor-trans unit shares underfloor space with an 81kWh lithium-ion battery that provides the motor’s energy. This battery occupies most of the underfloor between the front and rear axles and features a slimline design to optimise ground clearance.

Drivers have a choice of three drive modes comprising 'Comfort', 'Economic' and 'Max Range', plus different levels of energy recuperation using steering wheel-mounted paddles that adjust the intensity of regenerative braking.

The electric motor also features a ‘boost’ function which temporarily increases power output when fast acceleration or overtaking is required. The eSprinter’s maximum speed is capped at 120km/h.

Officially, you should see a claimed 10.4L/100km on the combined cycle, but as is often the case in cars with engines that tempt you to be aggressive with the accelerator, the reality can be a little different.

We saw more like 16.4L/100km, but in the big bruiser’s defence, we spent a lot of time in city and suburbs, and a lot more time standing on the accelerator.

The M3 Touring is fitted with a 59-litre tank, and will only accept 98RON premium fuel.

Range is close to 570km using the official consumption figure and around 360km using our real-world number.

Mercedes-Benz’s official driving range for the 81kWh eSprinter, based on combined WLTP testing, is up to 264km. When we collected the vehicle for our test, the battery was fully charged but the estimated driving range displayed was only 234km, or 30km less than the official figure.

The eSprinter’s towering height also stopped us accessing local charging infrastructure (located inside multi-storey car parks) so our test was conducted using the initial single charge. This included a mix of suburban and city driving best suited to electric van use and covered a total distance of 190km.

At the completion of our test, the dash display claimed average energy consumption of 29kWh/100km, with 25 per cent battery charge remaining and 63km of estimated range. So, based on these figures, the official WLTP range of up to 264km is credible.

The eSprinter comes standard with a Mode 3/Type 2 charging cable and the charging port is in the centre of the grille behind a spring-loaded flap displaying a three-pointed star badge.

Mercedes-Benz claims 11kW AC charging of the 81kWh battery from 10-80 per cent takes around eight hours while 115kW DC fast charging reduces that to around 32 minutes.

In a word? Delightful.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the easiest car in the world to daily drive. The carbon-fibre seats fitted to ours, for example, made getting in and out a slightly embarrassing challenge, and there’s a surging eagerness to the delivery of power that makes you look a little like you're showing off.

But the adaptive suspension serves up a far more comfortable ride than you might be expecting (more comfortable, in fact, than lesser, cheaper M models), making tootling around town easier and less chiropractic than I was expecting.

But it’s away from the city, with its traffic and red lights, that owning the M3 Touring becomes a delight, from its potent and punchy powertrain to the thrum of its exhaust, and the EV-like immediacy of its power delivery.

This is a driver’s wagon, there’s no doubt about it, with proper seatback-pushing acceleration, direct and confident steering and enough body stiffening and bracing that you really would have no idea you’re driving a wagon when cornering.

Engage its sportiest settings, and disengage its electronic nanny systems, and you can even set to work judging your drifting skills, courtesy of the (as yet untested, honestly) 'M Drift Analyser'.

A family car like few others, then. That you can also take it to Bunnings and throw some sleepers in the back is just a very welcome bonus.

There are large handles on the front door window frame and overhead shelf to assist climbing aboard, where you’ll find a comfortable and commanding driving position.

This is thanks to supportive seating (albeit with no lumbar adjustment), ample steering wheel height/reach positioning and a spacious footwell, combined with a clear rear view through the bulkhead window and along the sides thanks to large truck-style mirrors.

The leather-rimmed steering wheel feels nice in your hands, all major controls are easy to see and operate and the electric air-conditioning and heating systems are effective.

It’s a pleasant vehicle to drive as the most noise you hear is the tyres, given the near silence of the rear-mounted motor and drivetrain. The underfloor location of the battery also creates a low centre of gravity, which optimises handling with minimal body lean when cornering.

Unladen ride quality is excellent, enhanced by the weight of the battery which helps the suspension iron out bumps. And the electric motor’s 400Nm of torque provides energetic performance, with acceleration delivered in a smooth liquid-like surge.

Selecting the strongest regenerative braking not only optimises energy harvesting for the battery but also creates enough retardation to ensure mostly single-pedal driving (accelerator only) as the brake pedal is rarely required. This mode is also handy on steep descents.

To test its payload rating we forklifted 975kg into the cargo bay, which combined with our two-man crew equalled a total payload of 1155kg that was still comfortably below its legal limit.

The rear leaf springs compressed less than 30mm under this loading, leaving ample bump-stop clearance to ensure no bottoming out on our test route. The e-motor’s response was more subdued as you’d expect but it still hauled this payload with apparent ease.

Overall, the driving experience was hard to fault, apart from the vertical pillar between the fixed and sliding glass in the driver’s door blocking the outer third of the exterior mirror’s view, at least with the driver’s seat positioned far enough rearwards to suit my 186cm frame.

We also noted, when travelling at highway speeds on a windy day, that our test vehicle was prone to being moved within its lane by strong crosswinds, even though ‘Crosswind Assist’ is included in the active safety menu.

We suspect the High Roof option was responsible for this given the larger bodysides it creates and is something to be mindful of when driving in high wind conditions.

There’s no ANCAP star rating for commercial vans above 3.5-tonne GVM but the eSprinter did score the maximum Platinum grade in ANCAP’s Commercial Van Safety Comparison in 2024.

It comes standard with six airbags, active distance assist (can automatically brake and accelerate in traffic), lane-keeping, multiple blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, tyre pressure monitoring, reversing camera, front/rear parking sensors, crosswind assist and many more.

The BMW M3 Touring is covered by a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, and servicing is "condition based", in that the vehicle will tell you what maintenance is required, and when.

You can prepay your service costs at the time of purchase for all BMW vehicles, covering the first five years of ownership.

Then eSprinter comes standard with a five-year/250,000km warranty including 24/7 roadside assist for the same duration. There’s also a separate eight years/160,000km warranty covering the lithium-ion battery.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/40,000km whichever occurs first. Capped pricing applies to the first five scheduled services totalling $1920, or an average of $384 per service. Pre-paid service packages offer additional savings.