I love this engine. The long-travel clutch and shifter are a bit of a surprise, but the relationship between the controls is about perfect, and again, the engine is otherworldly. The M3's best quality is how well matched the engine, suspension, chassis, trans, and brakes are. The brakes are perfect, the steering is numb until you're sideways (and then it reads you your Miranda rights) but the effort is definitely heavier than in the pre-production cars I drove. The differential could be faster and smoother in its lock up, but dynamically there's little to fault with the M3. I've made my decision and I think I want it more than I want a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. I'm sure that'll change again the next time I drive a C63, though. I seem to always want whichever one I drove last.
Jason Cammisa, West Coast Editor ...next page >>