The term q-car or q-ship might not be familiar to many. But for those growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, a q-car is a sleeper, a stealth-mobile—a car that appears very ordinary but in fact hides its huge performance prowess underneath its rather mundane skin.

The ’80s and ’90s offered a plethora of q-cars: the original Porsche-built Audi RS2, the Mercedes-Benz E500 (or 500 E, also built by Porsche for their neighbors), the Lotus Carlton (or Opel Lotus Omega outside of the UK), and of course, BMW’s excellent line-up of M-cars: the M3 (available in coupe & sedan) and the larger M5.

Though today q-ships are less popular (everybody wants to stand out), the tradition lives on, serving up supercar speed and performance coupled with everyday ease of use. None live up better to this tradition than BMW’s latest G81 generation M3 Touring in Competition-spec.

To start, the transmission of choice is the excellent 8-speed ZF8HP, a departure from dual-clutch transmissions of previous BMW M models. A manual is available, but in traffic, the convenience of an automatic is preferable, especially if a million things are running through your head. BMW’s straight six finds its way again into the engine bay, reinforced with direct injection and turbocharging, bringing output to 530 horsepower and 650 Newton-meters of torque available from 2,750 to 5,950 RPM. M xDrive all-wheel drive is standard but pretty much behaves like a proper rear-drive machine from Bavaria that can dynamically send torque to the front wheels as needed.

There is the matter of the Touring variant’s cargo space: the sedan gets 480 liters of cargo space, while the Touring gets 500 liters. Doesn’t seem like much until you drop the rear seats and the Touring expands to a cavernous 1,510 liters of cargo space. For this added space, the weight penalty is a paltry 85 kg.

There are other aspects of the car worth mentioning, like the 3-spoke M-steering wheel with paddle shifters, auxiliary controls for the multimedia system, and the M-buttons, the BMW Live Cockpit Professional with iDrive OS 8.0. The very comfortable yet supportive sport seats covered in orange/cinnamon leather, plus other M-specific equipment: M Traction Control, M Drift Analyzer, and M Laptimer. And of course, many scream that the huge kidney grille is ugly. Truthfully? It won’t matter because you’ll be having so much fun, as evidenced by that huge smile each time you drive. The roar of that straight-six coupled with your manic laughter will drown out the critics.

On the highway, the M3 is stable and composed at all times. On tight, winding roads, you feel the weight of the rear pulling and pushing the car a bit, like a pendulum influencing minute steering movements. But it’s a slow, predictable sensation easily reined in with more steering or throttle, or simply allowing for a slightly longer rein. Lift-off oversteer on-track is easily accessed even by intermediate drivers. And if you can brake fade the massive 6-piston Brembo front brake calipers with enormous 380mm by 36mm steel two-piece rotors, you’re well into illegal speeds and jail-worthy antics as the massive stoppers are bona-fide track-ready items. Thankfully, they possess progression and ease of modulation most other car brands should aspire for. It is these massive brakes that also give the driver amazing confidence in the M3, goading pilots to take more liberties and explore the limits of their skills (or lack thereof).

And yes, that massive front barbecue grill does look much better in the metal.

Performance is easier to unlock in the M3 Touring than in typical sports cars, and it has far more practicality and versatility. This truly is the joy of driving, distilled and purified into a very practical and versatile package which is, *gasp*, I dare say, almost realistically affordable.

Ultimately, to the untrained eye, the M3 Touring exemplifies speak softly, but those who know understand that it carries a (very) big stick. The Touring silhouette doesn’t shout its presence nor hype its performance credentials up. It’s a car that appeals to the true enthusiast, someone who appreciates tradition, real-world exploitable performance.

Driving and owning a M3 Touring is a truly life-enhancing experience.