Tokyo has a way of making you feel small—in the best way possible. The city moves fast but with remarkable grace. Motorbikes slice through traffic with surgical precision, delivery vans thread alleys no wider than a doorway, and everyone seems to follow an unspoken rulebook of patience. Dropping into that world behind the wheel of a 530-horsepower BMW M3 Touring—with the steering wheel suddenly on the “wrong” side—feels like a live experiment in adaptability.
At first, everything feels backward. The indicator stalk is on the opposite side, the mirrors feel miles away, and your brain constantly whispers, “Stay left, stay left.” But Tokyo’s calm order makes the learning curve surprisingly gentle. Drivers here give you space. Nobody honks. Everyone seems to know exactly how wide their car is. Within twenty minutes, I started to relax—realizing that the M3 Touring’s compact footprint (by American standards) and comfortable steering make it a surprisingly natural fit for the city.
How the BMW M3 Touring Handles Japan’s Tight Streets
The M3 Touring never felt out of place. Whether threading through the city’s neon chaos or gliding along the busy streets of Ginza, it moved with surprising ease. The ride is suitable for daily driving, the ride firm but never harsh on some surfaces, and the twin-turbo straight-six stays fairly quiet until you ask for more (think Sport Mode). In Comfort mode it’s composed and almost relaxed, the steering is on the softer side of the things, and the overall ride quality is adapted to the requirements of a daily driver. But as the traffic fades and the road starts to twist a bit, one click into Sport+ changes everything—the car wakes up, sharpens, and reminds you exactly what it is.
2025 BMW M3 Touring
Good
- Perfect balance of power, handling, and everyday usability
- Stunning chassis feedback with confident M xDrive traction
- Spacious and versatile without losing its M car edge
Bad
- Still unavailable in the U.S. market
- Ride can feel firm on rough city roads
- Slightly heavier than the M3 Sedan
From City Calm to Country Backroads: The Touring Transforms
Leaving Tokyo behind and heading toward the countryside, the M3 Touring transforms. You forget about the extra weight over the sedan (about 85 kilograms more), because the chassis feels every bit as balanced. The all-wheel-drive system is still rear-biased, letting you feel the car pivot naturally through corners. The eight-speed automatic is smooth, precise and the best you can get today. And that engine, BMW’s S58, remains one of the brand’s finest modern powerplants. There’s endless torque, relentless mid-range pull, and a howl that builds toward redline in a way that’s mechanical, not artificial.
Even on the narrow country roads, where a single lane sometimes becomes a polite suggestion, the M3 Touring shrinks around you. The steering tells you exactly where the front tires are, and the damping is so well judged that the car stays flat and composed without ever feeling brittle. It’s in these moments that you realize just how versatile this M3 is. It can carry luggage, cameras, and groceries one moment, then carve up a touge road the next.
Everyday Practicality Meets M Performance
That duality—raw performance and everyday usability—is what makes the M3 Touring the best M car BMW builds today. It has none of the compromises of an SUV, yet offers genuine practicality. You can fit over 500 liters of gear in the back with the seats up, or more than 1,500 liters with them folded. It’s a proper family car with supercar pace, sprinting from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds and easily matching its sedan sibling on a circuit.
Why the BMW M3 Touring Feels Like the Best M Car Today
Most reviewers in Europe have landed on the same conclusion: the M3 Touring might be the most complete M car ever built. It’s fast, balanced, communicative, and livable. Where the M4 feels showy and the M5 now leans toward hybrid complexity, the Touring strikes the perfect middle ground. It’s the one M car you could genuinely own as your only car—and never feel like you compromised.
Inside, the latest iDrive 8.5 interface brings subtle improvements to the user interfaces (like the UI/UX for the AC adjustments), while the carbon trim and M sports seats remind you this is still a driver’s car. It’s a cabin that feels serious but not too luxurious, just sporty and worthy of an M badge.
The Painful Truth: Americans Still Can’t Buy It
But as flawless as it felt driving through Tokyo, there’s an ache that follows American BMW fans every time this car comes up: they still can’t buy one. BMW never federalized the 3 Series Touring for the U.S., making it too expensive to homologate the M3 wagon alone. Munich has stood firm on that position, even as enthusiasts beg for a change. It’s a business decision, sure—but it’s also a heartbreak. Because after a day with the M3 Touring in Japan, it’s clear that this is the most complete expression of what an M car should be.
The M3 Touring is proof that performance doesn’t have to mean compromise, and that practicality can live in perfect harmony with passion. It’s fast enough for a track, comfortable enough for Tokyo traffic, and beautiful enough to make you stop and stare when you walk away. And maybe that’s what makes it so frustrating: BMW finally built the perfect all-rounder, and Americans can only admire it from afar.
If that ever changes, I’ll be first in line—left-hand drive, please.
