BMW M3 CS Touring is quickest 'Ring wagon ever

The fastest estate on the Nordschleife was already an M3; now it's another M3 - and sub-7:30...

By Matt Bird / Thursday, 31 July 2025 / Loading comments

You’ve got to admire BMW M’s commitment to Nurburgring laps in 2025. It’s bordering on an obsession, second only to Porsche. If there’s an M badge on it (and it doesn’t weigh more than two tonnes), it’s going around the Nordschleife. Probably claiming a record, too, if the M2 CS (fastest compact car, 7:25.534) and the M4 CSL (fastest ‘mid-range car’, 7:18.137) are anything to go by.

And now it’s happened again. Well, sort of. The M3 CS Touring has set a 7:29.490 lap at the track, making it the fastest BMW Touring ever to lap the Nordschleife as well as the fastest estate period. But they aren’t official Nurburgring Record Drive categories, so the CS wagon doesn’t go to the top of any table. Pity - although it remains an incredible achievement. It wasn’t that long ago that Nordschleife wagon records were being claimed by Leon Cupras at a little less than eight minutes; a decade later and essentially 30 seconds have been taken from that time.

A sub-7:30 is impressive for anything, let alone a car that weighs 1,925kg with a medium-sized driver onboard. Perhaps what’s most notable about the Touring’s lap is how close it gets to lighter BMWs; there’s another 90kg to carry over a saloon, yet the four-door’s 7:28.760 is less than a second ahead. Although it might just be BMW’s development engineer and record driver Jörg Weidinger getting even quicker at the Nurburgring - he does get plenty of practice. For reference, a standard M3 Touring recorded a 7:35.060; a useful improvement for the CS given it’s only 40hp more powerful.

Franciscus van Meel, BMW M CEO, said: "From the very beginning, it was clear that the BMW M3 CS Touring would set new standards in dynamics. With a time under 7:30 minutes, this model impressively demonstrates that this vehicle concept perfectly combines racing DNA with everyday usability." They suggest this new M3 is ‘the ultimate one car solution’ - an opinion we're inclined to agree with…