A HIGH performance estate model is being added to the BMW M3 line up with prices starting from £80,550.

It is the first time BMW has featured a Touring model in the M3 range and the car will be powered by a 3.0-litre straight six twin turbo engine developing 510hp.

With BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive set up and available only in Competition specification the M3 Touring can accelerate from 0 to 62mph in 3.2 seconds with a maximum of 174mph available.

Fuel return is said to be 28mpg at best with emissions of 229g/km.

The car is 85mm longer than the standard 3 Series Touring and measures 4.794 metres in length. It is also 76mm wider and four millimetres lower.

With 19-inch wheels at the front and 20-inch at the rear the car can be fitted with special track-ready tyres as an option.

Cargo capacity ranges from 500 litres to a maximum of 1,510 and it is a full five-seater.

Standard specification includes automatic tailgate operation as well as a rear window that opens separately as on BMW Touring models.

Options include rubberised anti-slip rails that rise up from the boot floor after the tailgate has been closed, preventing items of luggage sliding around when cornering and buttons to automatically fold the rear seats from the boot.

With an M-specific BMW kidney grille, large air intakes, flared wheel arches and side skirts the car is dressed with performance looks all round and comes with LED headlights as standard.

U-shaped fibre-optic light guides for the daytime driving lights are also standard for the BMW M3 Touring while BMW's Laserlight system which gives the lights a range of some 550 metres is available as an option.

As with all M models the interior has a sporty theme and the M3 Touring comes with BMW's new Curved Display layout comprising a 12.3-inch information display behind the steering wheel and a control display of 14.9 inches, which merge into a single fully digital and high-resolution unit behind a frameless glass surface angled towards the driver.

A number of special displays are also available in the BMW M3 Touring containing information on the current vehicle setup, as well as tyre pressure and temperature.

The Curved Display enables the number of buttons and controls to be reduced cleaning up the interior, with the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant and BMW Operating System 8 permitting operation using voice control and the touchscreen.

A cloud-based BMW Maps navigation system forms part of the car's standard BMW Live Cockpit Professional set up which also adds a head-up display with M specific readouts.

The straight-six engine powering the BMW M3 Touring also forms the basis for the unit in the new BMW M4 GT3 endurance racing car and the M3 Touring has an M-specific exhaust system with electrically controlled flaps to generate a distinctive soundtrack.

In normal guise the M3 Touring is limited to 155mph but comes with the option of an M Driver's Package which increases top speed to 174mph.

Other features special to the performance model include adaptive suspension, an uprated braking system and a traction control set up to optimise the car's all-wheel drive.

It is the first Touring model in the line up since the M3 was launched in 1986 and as such it will be a rival to the likes of the Audi RS 4 Avant and the Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate.