Will the 2023 BMW M3 Touring be more popular than the M3 sedan and M4 coupe? Pent-up demand for go-fast wagon to help M sales soar

BMW’s first production M3 Touring is expected to fly out of showroom floors early next year – both literally and figuratively – as interest in Australia for the super wagon reaches sky high.

That’s according to BMW Australia head of product and market planning Brendan Michel, who told CarsGuide the new big-booted M3 is already proving popular Down Under before even pricing details are announced.

“The interest we’ve had at the moment in Australia on these cars – I read all the forums and the information we’re getting back from our dealers – is quite a lot of interest already, before we’ve even announced the price and spec and when it actually goes on sale in Australia,” he said.

“I couldn’t tell you an exact number, but a lot of our metro dealers are saying very strong feedback.”

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Revealed back in June, the M3 Touring will land in local showrooms in the first quarter of 2023, with full local pricing and specification expected to be announced before year’s end.

However, the sole 3 Series Touring variant available in Australia – the 330i – carries a $4000 price premium compared with the equivalent four-door.

BMW Australia would not be drawn on whether the M3 Touring and M3 sedan would have the same difference, but the wagon will be offered in a single spec, the Competition M xDrive, which costs $169,500 before on-road costs in sedan form.

This means the M3 Touring will likely wear a pricetag of around $175,000 when order books open later this year ahead of its Australian arrival in early 2023, making it potentially $20,000 more expensive than its closest rival – the Audi RS4 Avant (from $154,591).

However, for the spend, buyers are treated to a 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine that produces 375kW and 650Nm that is sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The result is a zero-to-100km/h run in just 3.6 seconds – 0.1s slower than the sedan – but also 0.5s quicker than the RS4 Avant.

But BMW buyers already have access to a premium, practical and punchy performance model already in the form of the X3 M Competition mid-size SUV that is available for $169,500, so why is the M3 Touring so popular?

“I think they’re two completely different buyers,” said Mr Michel.

“It’s kind of how we compare M5s with X5 Ms – we still sell both quite well.”

The fact that BMW has toyed with the idea of building an M3 wagon before (back with the E46-series M3) also means interest has been building for over 20 years for a production version, likely sending interest in the 2023 M3 Touring soaring.

Luckily for buyers though, BMW Australia plans to get its hands on as many examples as it can, to satiate the local appetite said Mr Michel.

“Yes, it is a unique one-off build – well, so far – but it won’t be like M5 CS or M4 CSL where there’s a set production run over of a thousand units worldwide,” he said.

“It’ll be a proper series production run. We’ll be putting up our hands and trying to get as many as we can into the country here.

“Here in Australia, we’re one of the highest take rates for M cars. We’re favourably looked on from Munich.”

As to whether the M3 Touring will prove more popular than its M3 sedan and M4 coupe/convertible siblings?

Mr Michel said it is “too early to tell”, but in a local market that favours the M3 over the M4, the M3 Touring very much has a chance to be one of BMW M’s most popular models.