Countdown is on for the new BMW i3 Touring as popular feature may not be axed
More space and class-leading range will make the BMW a serious competitor, and it could yet get an opening rear window
The all-new BMW i3 Touring is only months away from its official unveiling, when it will join the recently launched Neue Klasse saloon in the German firm’s line-up, which will eventually expand even further to include an i4 Coupé and Convertible.
We’ve already seen the i3 Touring testing multiple times and during the saloon’s international reveal earlier this year, BMW even gave us an official teaser of the all-electric estate.
Previous spy images have suggested that one key bit of tech we’ve been accustomed to on BMW estates might be removed on the i3 Touring, however. The latch to open up the rear window hasn’t been visible on any models, and with the current 5 Series Touring having already done away with this nifty feature, its future is uncertain.
However, all hope is not lost. When Auto Express asked the head of BMW’s Neue Klasse division, Dr Mike Reichelt, if we should expect the i3 Touring to get an opening rear window; he simply smiled and nodded, before stating: “We will see.”
The i3 in saloon form only gets a 420-litre boot, 30 litres off the petrol-powered 3 Series and a whopping 50 litres down on the Mercedes C-Class Electric saloon. The new Touring version of the i3 will offer a more generous load space and folding rear seats to bump up practicality, without requiring buyers 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 are only two versions of the i3 – the high-spec 50 xDrive with two e-motors producing 462bhp and 645Nm of torque, and the i3 40 xDrive, also with two e-motors but with 374bhp. Single-motor versions are expected to join the line-up soon.
The range for the i3 saloon in 50 xDrive guise stands at a whopping 565 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 will take a slight hit, although like the saloon, it’s still likely to sit at the top of its class. 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.
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.
However, what is new is the fact that BMW will expand the Neue Klasse range to include a new i4 Convertible we’ve already spied, and in all likelihood a two-door coupe. These will share all of their relevant underpinnings with the i3 and i3 Touring, the open-top variant featuring a fabric roof.
The new BMW i3 has already gone on sale from £47,925 in 40 xDrive form, with the 50 xDrive starting at £53,425. If the outgoing 3 Series pricing is anything to go by, the i3 Touring version is likely to incur a premium of around £2,000 over the saloon.
We expect BMW’s compact electric estate to arrive in early 2027, but if you don’t want to wait that long, the i5 Touring can be had on the Auto Express Buy A Car service with an average saving of more than £11,000.
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