[ILC32]

I see these comments in the magazine reviews about whether or not the new M3 is as "edgy" as, or "softer" than the E46, and I really wonder what the heck these reviewers are talking about.

The E46 M3 feels edgy mainly because of the quick response of the S54, particularly in sport mode. That is what makes the overall experience of the car so fantastic. The car seems to surge with power, sometimes surprising to me still even after having owned the car for four years, particularly in lower gears and in the higher reaches of the tach.

I would not say the suspension on the E46 is edgy -- it is actually quite controllable and fairly forgiving. The suspension (at least with the 19s) is fairly harsh over less than perfect roads, but that to me is not edginess, it is harshness.

The brakes on the E46 M3 are not edgy either. They have good stopping power, and the car is very well controlled under very hard braking from high speed. There is no lightness in the rear, or wandering under extreme braking.

So I am left thinking that the only thing "edgy" or "hard core" about the E46 M3 is the motor, and particularly its power delivery.

Everything I have read so far about the new M3 suggests the motor is fantastic. If it retains the feel of the S54 -- a barely restrained wild animal -- to me the car is "edgy." I would welcome less harshness in the ride, as long as the fantastic handling and body control is on par with the E46.

So all of this is a longwinded way I guess of saying that unless the motor is a let down, I think the new car will be at least as "edgy" as the E46. And if "soft" means not as harsh over less than perfect roads, count me in as long as overall handling is on par with the E46.