[Video] The Stig Rips the BMW M3 Touring at the ‘Ring Track

The E61 M5 Touring was the last generation of a BMW M vehicle to be offered in a waggon body type. It was a decent vehicle with a top-notch powertrain. Despite its brilliance, however, it was never able to achieve the sales success BMW had hoped for. Now fast-forward to the present day, and it appears that the G81 BMW M3 Touring is a new contender in the waggon segment.

DriveTribe’s latest video has Ben Collins, the original Stig on Top Gear, behind the wheel of a BMW M3 Touring for a few circuits around the Nürburgring. Driving the E61 M5 Touring and the new M3 are entirely different experiences. The E61 M5 Touring is more cumbersome, unstable, and large. But it produces a great noise and can rev to over 8,000 rpm. That’s one thing in its favour.

However, getting behind the wheel of a G80 BMW M3 must have been eye-opening. It is more efficient (using fewer cylinders) and more precise and well-balanced. Collins lauds the new M3’s flexibility and notes that it strikes a good balance. His skids are massive and smoky. When driving an M3, you just must do that.

Collins also applies his signature “Apple Test” to it. In the past, Top Gear conducted this test in secret. Collins would have to slide into the corner and hit the apple that Jeremy Clarkson had placed at the turn’s apex. This demonstrates the vehicle’s responsiveness, accuracy, equilibrium, predictability, and power.