The First BMW M3 CS Touring Looks Like an Uncomfortable Riot

For the handful of high net-worth individuals who absolutely, positively must use the same car to haul their family around town and chase lap records, the new BMW M3 CS Touring is your next Euro dream machine. It slots above the regular M3 and M3 Competition with extreme stiffness and aggressive styling. BMW’s done plenty of sport wagons before, but this is the first M3 CS longroof. The concept is cool, and I must admit that I like the way it looks.

I’m still not completely sold on the present-day BMW 3 Series’s angry beaver look, but it makes more aesthetic sense on exceptionally fierce models. Carbon fiber trim and wings seem to suit this particular variant, too.

BMW dropped a sweet batch of photos of the new CS Touring in Laguna Seca Blue with a long and comprehensive press release, though the car debuted at a different track, Australia’s Mount Panorama Circuit, as part of the Bathurst 12 Hour race festivities.

Performance claims are zero to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds, zero to 124 mph in 11.7 seconds, and a top speed of 186 mph with an electronic limiter. BMW says the turbo inline six-cylinder engine is good for 550 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque—a non-trivial 20 hp advantage over the M3 Competition. A high-level rundown about what makes the CS variant special: more responsive handling through stiffer chassis mounts, bracing, and higher spring rates, lower curb weight through carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP), and a little more juice with engine tweaks. But there’s more to it than just a computer tune.

BMW lays out engine treatments for the M3 CS as follows:

• “… extremely rigid crankcase with a sleeve-free, closed-deck construction”
• “forged lightweight crankshaft and a cylinder head with a 3D-printed core”
• “The likewise weight-saving cylinder bores have a wire-arc sprayed iron coating to reduce frictional losses”
• “The cooling system and oil supply are also designed to handle the sustained heavy loads generated during hard driving on a track”
• Max turbo charge pressure is raised to 2.1 bar (about 30 psi)
• And of course, all the above comes with specific engine tuning

The traction control systems have also been recalibrated for the CS specifically, along with the electronic controls of the steering and braking system. The brakes themselves have been upsized and there’s a carbon-ceramic option for the one or two people who will take one of these on a track for real (there has to be somebody out there).

Some interesting drivetrain details: The M xDrive all-wheel drive system “employs an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch in the transfer case to ensure fully variable and super-smooth distribution of the engine’s power between the front and rear wheels.” That works with a variable Active M Differential on the rear axle to best manage power distribution between wheels.

There’s a “4WD Sport mode” which is supposed to be particularly rear-bias, and also a full rear-drive-only mode if you want to play with the car as a two-wheel drive. That also deactivates stability control, so, it’s only meant for having fun and not everyday driving.

Other CS-specific bits include a titanium exhaust and a lot of carbon fiber interior details, plus a flat-bottomed steering wheel. The “bonnet, front splitter, front air intakes, exterior mirror caps and rear diffuser are all made from CFRP,” which BMW says saves about 33 pounds over the Competition model wagon.

The BMW M3 CS Touring will be sold in Europe, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and a few other markets TBD but not the U.S.A., starting in March 2025. The automaker plans to sell most of these locally, stating “the car’s home market of Germany is by a distance its most important sales region. The special edition will be produced alongside all other variants of the BMW M3 Sedan and BMW M3 Touring at BMW Group Plant Munich.”

Pricing was absent from BMW’s 1,000+ word press release. The regular M3 wagon starts at around $177,500 AUD in Australia where this new CS variant was unveiled, which is around 110,000 in bald eagle bucks. Since the CS is a limited model above the Competition, I’m guessing the equivalent local pricing will be over $150,000 USD.

Like most car nerds I am a huge wagon fan, and yes, part of me is already jealous of anyone who picks one of these up. But the last high-po modern BMW I had my hands on was a last-gen X4 Competition, and while it was surprisingly agile on a race track (we did a few laps at Monticello Motor Club in rural New York) it sucked to drive in the city and was pretty unpleasant everywhere else. It was just too damn stiff for the pothole’d roads most Americans have to traverse on a daily basis. So, honestly, I love the idea of the CS Touring and it looks like a beast but I already know my dog and wife would rather ride in the plush F31 330 we have in the driveway. The M Sport bumper and wheels are the only aggressive components I want on my wagon these days.

Who else is driving cool wagons? Share them with the author at andrew.collins@thedrive.com any time, he will appreciate it.

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