The M3 once again remain a top track contender, in its long roof CS form.
Station wagons have long carried a reputation as slow family haulers, but there’s always been a corner of the car world that refuses to accept that. Performance wagons combine everyday practicality with serious power, giving you room for groceries during the week and enough horsepower for a proper track session on the weekend. Nobody understands this recipe for success quite like BMW, with a historic lineage of M model station wagons that have quietly soared in value and popularity among passionate car collectors and enthusiasts. After a brief hiatus, BMW shook up the automotive world with the debut of its M3 Touring and even more track-focused M3 CS Touring.
BMW’s new M3 CS Touring just claimed the Nürburgring lap record for a production wagon, setting a time of 7:29.490 around the 12.94-mile Nordschleife. It’s the quickest long-roof model to ever lap the track, beating out other Touring models by more than five seconds. The M3 CS packs a 550-horsepower straight-six and all-wheel drive, setting a serious pace while still keeping the space and usability of a wagon. For anyone who’s ever thought practical can’t be fun, the M3 CS Touring makes a strong case otherwise.
Behind the wheel for the record was BMW M’s test driver Jörg Weidinger, who’s logged plenty of time around the’ Ring. The Touring falls just behind the M3 CS sedan and a few seconds off the M4 CS and CSL coupes, which is impressive for a car with room for the dog and a few bags. While wagons are often overlooked in the performance world, this one manages to balance sharp handling with day-to-day livability. BMW’s long-standing connection with the Nürburgring shows how the car behaves when pushed on a track where it’s been engineered. Whether or not you plan to chase lap records, it’s cool to see a practical shape still getting the full M treatment.
Source: BMW M
