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BMW M3

Every new M3 is awaited with nervous anticipation: Will this be the one that BMW screws up? Maybe next time. The fourth-generation M3 continues the streak, offering levels of precision, feedback, and response usually found only in $150,000 supercars. A new aluminum V-8—a must this time, given similarly cylindered competitors from Audi and Merc—only adds to the fun, thanks in no small part to an astronomical 8400-rpm redline. That motor, along with M3-specific suspension, a carbon fiber roof, a variable rear diff lock, and wider tires—the M3 has 80 percent new or revised parts compared to the standard 3-series—are enough to push the new M3 around the Nürburgring faster than even the smoldering, 500-horsepower M5. But perhaps the biggest improvement is how the M3 behaves in the slow lane. Gone is the twitchy, harsh-riding young punk with the spiked hair. The new model is now a refined, polite gentleman (though the punk's never more than a right-foot-stomp away).
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Base price: $62,000 (est.)
Configuration: two-door, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe
Engine: 4.0L DOHC 32-valve V-8
Power and torque: 414 hp at 8,300 rpm, 295 lb- ft of torque at 3,900 rpm
Curb weight: 3,650 lbs