There’s a lot of talk about the next-gen BMW M3 and it’s possible switch to all-wheel drive. Now that the new F90-gen BMW M5 has gone all-wheel drive, and is being met with very positive reviews, it’s entirely possible that the next M3 will follow suit. And it makes sense, too, to be honest. The next M3 will have considerably more power than it does now and it currently suffers from traction issues. As power and torque goes up, as do the segment’s performance expectations, the M3 will need more traction to keep up with its competition. But if the next BMW M3 goes all-wheel drive, another question arises — Why not gain a wagon variant, too?
BMW has never offered a proper wagon variant of the BMW M3. However, it makes a lot of sense for the upcoming G80 M3 to be the first to get one. And the biggest example as to why is actually one of its competitors, the new Audi RS4 Avant. Much like the current-gen BMW M3/M4, fans have been complaining that the newest Audi RS5 Coupe loses a lot of its fun and excitement, despite its performance and capability being better than ever. However, those same fans are loving the new, but mechanically identical Audi RS4 Avant, as its overall package makes so much more sense as a wagon, rather than a coupe.
We’re not saying that we expect the upcoming G80-gen BMW M3 to be less thrilling and exciting as the current-gen F80. But we are saying that if it goes all-wheel drive, a wagon body style might make its overall package make more sense. Adding the extra practicality of a wagon body style makes a performance sedan seem more well-rounded and gives it a bit of leeway in terms of handling purity. So a sports car is forgiven a bit for not being as dynamically pure as fans were hoping if it sports a long roof.
The current F80 BMW M3 is a good example of a car that would make more sense as a wagon. While dynamically impressive, very fast and still a very good car to drive, it lacks some of that purity, some of the zing that made its predecessors so thrilling. So it’s a bit number, while being faster. Because of this, fans complain about the F80 for not being the precision machine that M3s have been in the past. However, if it had a wagon variant the F80 M3’s overall package would have made a lot more sense. If BMW were ever to make an M3 wagon, it seems the time is now.
If the next-gen G80 BMW M3 ends up being a twin-turbocharged, all-wheel drive, wagon, I think fans would be thrilled. It would certainly ease the blow of their favorite BMW model moving from rear-wheel drive to all-wheel drive. Plus, with the M Division’s new xDrive all-wheel drive system, they’d be able to switch off the front wheels and do smokey skids in an M3 wagon. That’s the dream, isn’t it?
