The wagon is the single finest automotive form. What could be better than the driving experience of a car paired with the spaciousness of an SUV?

Unfortunately, you usually have to make a few compromises on the first half of that equation. There are plenty of wagons that can go toe-to-toe with their sedan cousins, but the upper reaches of the automotive hierarchy — true performance vehicles — usually lack a touring counterpart. That's certainly been true of BMW's M vehicles.

That could be about to change, though. With the new 3 Series Touring due for launch at the Geneva Motor Show next March, rumors are suggesting that BMW could also be weighing up the possibility of launching an M version. That would make it the first time we've seen a wagon from BMW bearing the M3 name.

Of course, people have been turning run-of-the-mill 3 Series wagons into unofficial M3 Tourings for ages, by swapping in parts from an actual M3. And it seems that BMW will actually be taking a similar route with their official version; the G21 3 Series Touring that will be launched next year and the upcoming M3 scheduled for 2020 will have enough in common that BMW should be able to switch parts between them without drastically increasing production costs.

The M3 Touring would go up against the likes of the Audi RS4 Avant and the Mercedes-AMG C 63 Estate, which have proven popular with Europeans looking to juggle everyday convenience with a great driving experience. The bad news is that the M3 Touring will prove popular with Europeans — the chances of it making its way across the Atlantic, where wagons are nowhere near as popular as they are in Europe, seems slim.

Ah well. Looks like we'll just have to make do with custom builds for a little while longer.