You will be seeing a video shootout between the Dinan 335i and the E92 M3 on WebRidesTV.com this May. In the meantime, let me give you my impression of the most touted M car since the E39 M5.

First off, the M3 we tested was equipped with the six speed manual. Actually, I prefer manual transmissions for driver involvement, to the DSG type paddle shifters which give you no brainer perfect performance shifts every time.

Secondly, our M3 came as a refrigerator white coupe version which is not the most flattering color for the coupe. More on exterior design later.

Starting with the interior, I am not a fan of the iDrive system. It is still a pain in the butt to use. BMW has made improvements but I think they should start over or make a deal with Audi to buy theirs. The dash of the car is a tall vertical face design, with the glare shield level with the top of the chest of a six footer driver, giving the driver the feeling of driving while seated in a barrel. This dash design also tends to close in the cockpit with the dash high and close to the driver. Not only is the dash design not very exciting and high end , but the materials used, especially accents are not in keeping with a 70k msrp car. The brushed aluminum trim and vinyl surfaces look inexpensive. Finally, the steering wheel’s fat rim is about the size of a long extruded Bavarian bratwurst. Please, BMW, a thinner rim would be nice.

One more thing about BMW cars, they have the lamest cup holders. They are too shallow for safety and too flimsy for longevity. They are the first thing to break.

The exterior of the E92 M3 coupe is an improvement over recent BMW designs by the celebrated Chris Bangle head of BMW design. Please go to stopchrisbangle.com. After the latest 7 series and 5 series design debacles BMW had no where to go but up. I would think the M3 needs to make a masculine statement in it’s look. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. The rounded conservative shape, Coke bottle rear quarters, the feline front end, doo dad fender/hood openings and orifice shaped side mirror brackets add up to a feminine looking design, did I say girls car? A friend of mine said “it’s doesn’t look like a muscle car, its obviously not a sports car, but I can see a 35 year old blond optometrist driving it”.

Would you know, looking at it, that the M3 has a killer drive train and chassis setup? Yes it does!

Even though the E92 M3 looks like a girls car it drives like man’s car. When driving on the track or in the canyons or changing lanes on the interstate this is one of the best powered and handling sedans ever. Besides our track experiences with this car I had it in the canyons this past Sunday in the midst of some very fast sport liter bikes. I had no trouble running with them in the twisties, and in fact I drove up their tail pipes of the ones in front and they moved over.

When pushed hard there is no tire squeal or any indication with all the electronic aids deployed, that the M3 is working very hard. It does it all effortlessly. Transitions are smooth and precise, power band utilization is perfect, the M3’s brakes burn off kinetic energy with ease. The chassis is compliant and handles rough road surfaces with a poise you don’t see in a track ready car. I now understand why BMW engineers took 600k miles to set the car up. The car handles perfectly. No excessive push, squat, nose dives or body roll.

The M3 can be driven normal legal speeds without the feeling of wanting to hammer the throttle because you are at the wheel of a “race car”. In fact the driving experience at normal speeds is similar in feel to that of a new Mustang, sitting low, looking over a high dash across a bulging hood through a narrow windshield. Unfortunately, it costs 2 1/2 times more but delivers 1000% better handling with a vastly superior driving experience.

If any body cares about mileage, I averaged 12.8mph with over two days of testing. The factory says 15.8 city and 30 highway, but not in the power mode!