Article Summary
- The high-performance wagon featured Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires.
- The 7:28 lap time is for the shorter configuration of the track.
- The official lap time for the 20.6-km layout is 7:24.7.
The BMW M3 CS Touring was crowned the fastest production wagon at the Nürburgring in 2025. The ultimate G81, in the hands of M development engineer and seasoned race car driver Jörg Weidinger, was the first estate to crack the 7:30 barrier. Last April, he crossed the finish line in 7 minutes and 29.49 seconds.
Sports Car test driver Christian Gebhardt has also put the pedal to the metal at the Green Hell with the M3 CS Touring. Although the 7:28.21 performance may give some the impression he beat the official time, that’s not the case. The onboard footage shows the experienced driver lapping the shorter Nordschleife configuration, which spans 20.6 kilometers instead of the full 20.8 km.
Jörg Weidinger still holds the wagon record with a 7:24.72 lap time on the shorter Nürburgring layout. Even so, Christian’s performance is impressive and marks a massive improvement over the regular M3 Touring he tested back in 2023. The non-CS variant completed the lap in 7:34.39making it about 6.1 seconds slower than the Competition Sport.
However, it’s important to distinguish between the two M3 Touring versions. Not only is the CS more powerful and slightly lighter, but the Nürburgring runs were completed on different tires. The standard performance wagon used Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s, whereas the CS variant had stickier Cup 2 Rs. The latter remains street-legal but is more track-focused. We reckon most of the six seconds Christian shaved off were likely due to the upgraded rubber.
As for which other wagons could beat the M3 CS Touring, a few come to mind. BMW might one day eclipse its own record with the M5 Touring. It’s too soon for a hotter CS derivative, but we wouldn’t rule one out later in the G99’s life cycle. If a CS-badged version arrives, it would likely be based on the facelifted M5 Touring set to launch in 2027.
Looking at the competition, Audi has just unveiled the RS5 Avant and is only months away from introducing a new RS6 Avant. Both of Ingolstadt’s super wagons are plug-in hybrids, albeit with different engines: a V6 and a V8, respectively. Mercedes-AMG is phasing out the C63 Estate and replacing it with the six-cylinder C53. It’s still too early to say whether Affalterbach will attempt to snatch the Nürburgring wagon crown from BMW.
