2028 BMW i3 Touring Electric Wagon Spied Testing With 400 kW Charging Support

BMW’s first-ever electric 3 Series wagon, the 2028 i3 Touring, is steadily approaching production and has been captured in a new spy video while testing near the Nürburgring ahead of its expected debut next year. Offering a practical long-roof alternative to the market's growing wave of SUVs, the prototype wears black-and-white swirly camouflage at both ends, though the thin disguise indicates the design is nearly finalized. To keep costs in check, the front end will likely carry over virtually unchanged from the i3 Sedan, while bodywork from the B-pillar rearward is reshaped to integrate the extended roofline and a redesigned tailgate.

Based on the spy footage, the i3 Touring appears to lose the independently opening rear window—a feature also dropped on the larger 5 Series Touring, which BMW previously attributed to aerodynamic optimization rather than cost reduction. Inside, the electric wagon will mirror the i3 Sedan by adopting a 17.9-inch central touchscreen and the pillar-to-pillar Panoramic Vision display across the base of the windshield. This system replaces a conventional gauge cluster with three fixed tiles in the driver’s line of sight and six customizable widgets to the right, paired with an optional 3D head-up display and the continued phase-out of the traditional iDrive rotary knob.

While the i3 Sedan achieves a WLTP range of up to 567 miles (912 kilometers) on a full charge, the i3 Touring will likely deliver slightly less distance due to its extra weight and less aerodynamic profile. Even so, it is expected to retain the sedan's rapid-charging architecture of up to 400 kW, which under ideal conditions can add 249 miles (400 kilometers) of WLTP range in 10 minutes.

Alongside the electric model, BMW is considering a combustion-powered successor to the current 3 Series Touring, internally codenamed G51. Although it has not yet officially been greenlit, the G51 would share much of the i3 Touring’s exterior styling while riding on the CLAR platform with gasoline and plug-in hybrid powertrains, potentially including inline-six engines for future M350 and M3 variants. Diesel engines, however, are not expected to return after being dropped from the new sedan. Further bolstering BMW's long-roof lineup, the 5 Series Touring, M5 Touring, and electric i5 Touring are scheduled to receive mid-cycle facelifts in 2027.