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A couple months ago, I had the opportunity to drive an M3 very much like this test car on the Lightning course at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Driving on a racetrack is always a fun, but good God, the M3 was amazingly fantastic and super fun at NJMP. The V-8 engine is so rev-happy, so powerful, and it sounds incredible. The dual-clutch gearbox (although a pricey option at $2900) is a thing of beauty, and that comment comes from a guy who adores traditional manual transmissions. The steering is telepathic, and the chassis is near perfect.

Months in service: Four
Miles to date: 9004

Love the flat-bottom steering wheel and its Alcantara trim. Love the fabulous cream-colored sport seats over a black interior. Love the engine and the sounds it makes. Love the downshift blips from the seven-speed automatic.

Almost two years before the first front-wheel-drive BMWs arrive, we've dug up enough information to put together a detailed idea of what the model range will look like. BMW will develop its front-wheel-drive portfolio simultaneously with the next-generation Mini lineup on the UKL1 architecure. The collaboration will result in three BMW-Mini pairings with each set distinguished by a unique door arrangement. The vehicles, which will arrive at the beginning of the 2013 model year, are:

Mercedes-Benz pioneered the so-called 'four-door coupe' segment with the first-generation CLS-Class. But with its 2012 CLS sedan, Mercedes now faces plenty of competition in the segment it created -- most notably in the form of coming offerings from German rivals Audi and BMW.

BMW's striking Vision EfficientDynamics concept, which debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show, is headed for production as the 300-hp halo car for the company's Project i lineup. And then there's the M version.