Video: take a closer look at the first ever BMW M3 Touring

BMW has been building wagons since 1987, but over the last 35 years, the words ‘M3’ and ‘estate’ have always stayed very separate - until now.

This is the BMW M3 Touring, which gets you access to the same 3.0-litre twin-turbo engine from the standard M3, now with added boot space for all your clobber. Performance looks promising: 4WD, 0-60mph in 3.7s (which is even faster than the M4 CSL), and a top speed of 174mph.

All looks good on paper, but why have we had to wait so long for the M3 Touring, while rivals like Audi and Mercedes have been producing RS4 and C43 estates for years? We sent Top Gear magazine’s Ollie Marriage to find out.