BMW M3 CS Touring

BMW gives the M3 Touring the CS treatment and creates another absolute dream of a driver's car – but it comes with an eye-watering price tag

- YOUSUF ASHRAF

THE WORLD PROBABLY DOESN'T NEED AN estate car with 543bhp, Cup 2 tyres and carbon bucket seats. Nor one with carbon body panels and a cooling package specified for hard track miles. But after driving the new M3 CS Touring on the road and lapping it extensively on one of the most demanding circuits in the UK, we can't help but conclude that, in a strange way, it absolutely does. The CS Touring is a remarkable package. Staggeringly expensive at £126,275, but if you're looking for a factory-spec wagon that can turn its hand to everyday duties and hunt down 911s on track without breaking a sweat, this is the only one.

The CS formula is familiar by now (and tends to go quite well at evo Car of the Year, the last-generation M2 and M5 taking outright victory in 2020 and 2021 respectively). More power, a little less weight and detailed chassis changes bring out more aggression than Competition models without reaching extreme CSL or GTS levels. The M3 saloon and M4 have already had the treatment, and it seems someone at BMW couldn't resist the idea of a more focused Touring. We applaud that person.