BMW M3

BMW M3

Engine: 2,979cc, twin-turbocharged straight-six

Power: 431bhp and 406lb.ft. of torque

Performance: 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds and 155mph (limited)

Economy: 34 mpg (combined)

CO2 emissions: 194g/km

Price: £54,775

Believe the specialist automotive press and each step of the way has been greeted with criticism and doubt by the Bavarian brand’s loyal M-car following.

Without doubt, those who kept faith in BMW’s drive for an ever-improved fast saloon will have experienced three very different cars which are increasingly effective at covering ground at a mind-bending velocity.

Visit the on-line forums and the main voices of descent towards the all-new M3 will stem from derisory comments about its power plant and a soundtrack which some have likened to a diesel repmobile.

Find a such a car blessed with a thumping 431bhp delivered from 5,500rpm to 7,700rpm, 406lb.ft. delivered all the way from 1,850 and 5,500rpm, and the ability to hit 62mph in 4.1 seconds, though, and I’d eat my driving gloves (if I had any).

Turbocharging may not endow the latest M3 with the aural drama or purist appeal of the previous version’s high-revving V8 but it’s damn effective at returning the numbers that can light up a spec sheet.

Important to BMW, of course, was also an ability to be eminently drivable and muck-in in their bid to reduce their overall CO2 and mpg targets. As such, it returns impressive claims of 194g/km and 34mpg.

Sporting my test car’s Yas Marina Blue paintwork the M3 looked every bit the £54,775 3-Series.

Tested with a raft of options including a head-up instrument display (£825), dual clutch automatic gearbox (£2,645) and a set of Carbon Ceramic Brakes which will alleviate owners of £6,250, the M3 came in at over £66,000 though.

Sitting low, on a broad track, its rear arches are flared in a fashion that communicates where all that power and torque swells from.

The inclusion of the carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) roof — previously reserved for the M3 Coupe — is also apparent.

Now standard kit on the M3 its exposed weave looks great and yields a 5kg weight saving over the alternative tin top.

Elsewhere BMW has used CFRP to create a lightweight drive-shaft, cutting 40 per cent of the weight of that found in the previous generation M3.

Despite this, the quoted weight saving over the M3 V8 is just 10kg, at 1,595kg.

Aerodynamically, this is the most advanced M3 to date. A quick glance revealed wing mirrors sculpted to channel air flow around the car and everything from gills in front of the front wheels and a specially-sculpted oil sump are designed to reduce drag and create a degree of downforce.

Inside the M3 things felt remarkably standard by comparison to the exterior.

M3 kick plates, the prerequisite handful of leather steering wheel and sports seats with inflatable side bolsters to hold the driver in place during high speed cornering are the biggest clues to this 3-Series’ potency.

BMW interior quality abounded, with the now familiar iDrive system serving up all manner of multi-media, including sat-nav, Bluetooth phone connectivity, an internet connection.

It also allows the driver to set up MDrive Manager, a system which can pre-determine settings for the throttle response, gear changes and suspension to be activated by the push of a button on the steering wheel.

In Comfort the M3 is just that, remarkably easy-going and subdued.

Dial-up SPORT+ and there is access to a whole new world of supercar-rivalling performance.

Before taking a breath it becomes apparent just how impressive that new three-litre, twin-turbocharged, straight-six really is. It literally punches the car down the road is seemingly any gear, at any revs. It delivers effortless, deep-chested grunt.

The seven-speed DCT will be a little ungainly — even a little noisy — if left in SPORT+ for pottering, but the full-bore shifts it delivers are aggressive and rapid.

At the helm it is at first quite alarming how direct the front end of the M3 is. This feels like a car that can be driven on the throttle. Not quite as rear-biased as I once found the Jaguar XFR-S, but very nearly.

Exlpore the outer extremities with caution, however, as the direct nature of the front end and the fairly free reign served up by the traction control systems in SPORT+ mean that the break-away could come quickly.

For all BMW’s weight claims, the M3 felt a little hefty on the first phase of a corner, requiring faith in that front end grip before the driver can commit.

With those optional carbon ceramic brakes scrubbing off speed on the approach is no trouble though. Ripe for abuse on track they simply haul off speed with fade-free aplomb at road speeds.

Point-to-point the M3 is devastatingly rapid and the fact that it offers up such mild manners and four door practicality at the same time retains its legend in my eyes.

Rumour has it that the gutsy new Mercedes C63 — all 476bhp of it — will provide a stern test.

For now, a judgement on that will have to be put on ice... The M3 remains king of the super saloons.