New BMW i3 Touring caught in the wild with fat arches and a big boot
New Touring to join BMW’s i3 range, and it’ll be the car that Mercedes won’t have an answer for
The BMW i3 Touring has been spied testing on the public road for the first time, giving us a clear indication of what the new BEV will look like when it arrives next year. Just like the saloon that’s already been revealed, this is an all-electric take on the 3 Series that’s promising class-leading range and efficiency figures. Just like the saloon, this is a mission statement for the BMW brand – only with a bigger boot.
Previously confirmed at the i3 international reveal, the new Touring version will do exactly what it says on the tin, offering a more versatile loadspace and folding rear seats that will bump up practicality without needing to upsize into the taller iX3 SUV.
As with its internal-combustion predecessors, we expect the i3 Touring to get the same range of powertrains as the equivalent saloon. For now there’s just one version of the i3 – the high-spec 50 xDrive with two e-motors producing 462bhp and 645Nm of torque – but single-motor versions are expected.
Range for the i3 saloon in 50 xDrive guise stands at a whopping 559 miles (thanks to a huge 112kWh battery), the most of any car available in the UK. Given the extra weight of the Touring’s body, we suspect the range of the equivalent estate to take a slight hit, although like the saloon, it’s still likely to sit at the top of its class in this area. Charging shouldn’t be any different in the Touring: expect as much as 400kW to add 248 miles of range in 10 minutes.
As for the new car’s design, we can see it’ll retain the i3’s rear light design (which hasn’t always been the case with older 3 Series Touring models), plus a window line that lifts up to the rear for a sporty profile. Designers have retained the saloon’s wide and aggressive rear arches, with a deeper piece of rear glass – we don’t know yet if it opens, though.
The announcement of the i3 Touring doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, given that BMW M’s CEO, Frank van Meel, did not deny plans for future M3 Touring models gaining all-electric power when he spoke to Auto Express late last year.
Production of the new BMW i3 will begin in August and while this is our first look at the Touring variant, we expect the estate model to arrive in early 2027. If you don’t want to wait that long for an electric BMW estate, the i5 Touring can be had on the Auto Express Buy A Car service with an average saving of more than £16,000.
Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express? We’ll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too.
