BMW has turned up the wick on the M3 Touring by handing its midsize-performance wagon the ‘CS’ treatment. The first BMW station wagon to don the illustrious ‘CS’ badge, the special edition employs an uprated version of the Bavarian brand’s familiar 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six, features a raft of mechanical upgrades and model-specific design elements.

Endowed with 405 kW, the M3 CS Touring is 15 kW more powerful than its Competition-badged sibling. Peak power chimes in at a heady 6 250 r/min and is sent to all four corners via an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission. Maximum torque remains unchanged at 650 N.m, but is available across a broader swathe of the rev band, from 2 750 to 5 950 r/min.

According to BMW, the increase in power, mechanical upgrades made to the chassis and suspension, and fitment of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic elements to save weight, help the M3 CS Touring despatch the 0-100 km/h dash in just 3.5 seconds. Though only one-tenth of a second quicker to 100 km/h than the M3 Competition Touring, the special edition’s 0-200 km/h time eclipses the latter’s by 1.2 seconds. The top speed has also increased, from 280 km/h to 300 km/h.