IMO what makes a car special is not its outright acceleration or top speed, but the quality of the sensory feedback you get from it during "normal" but spirited driving. Afterall, how often do you get to drive at 9/10? I recently considered trading my '97 M3 in for a '01 M5. But two test drives later I decided to wait for the E46 M3. Yes, the M5 was fast, but everything else about it was too soft, refined, filtered, removed. Even to get the sensation of speed, you gotta floor it. Now, based on what I've read re: the E46 M3, sounds like more of the same -- softer, more refined, more forgiving, less demanding, etc. Arghhhh :(