We've all seen the spy shots, read up on the crucial details, taken a look at the competition, but now it's time for the final step -  a review of BMW's new M3. Not due to go on sale until September, the world's media were invited for a drive of the car and here's a quick synopsis of what the chaps from CAR Magazine thought about Munich's latest Bahnstormer:

The M3 has grown up and lost a little of the E46's edge to the more weight/more power vicious circle. But BMW has no doubt judged the market perfectly. The M3 is now a genuine volume seller and, last time, accounted for 13 percent of all UK 3-series sales. The new car needs to be a brilliant all-round package, capable of pleasing those who like the idea of the badge more than what it first stood for: track-honed thrills. And it is very, very good. This car is fast, practical, well built, comfortable and safe.

But in trying to hit so many targets, the E92 leaves purists wanting. So a CSL - a lightweight, more dynamically focused special edition - is now an absolute must and should form an integral part of the range going forward, filling the niche that the original E30 once satisfied in 1986. The good news is BMW's top brass dropped some very large hints in the press conference, so the CSL sounds like a dead cert. We'd bet on it arriving in 2010. If you want a great all-rounder and you don't drive everywhere at ten tenths, the new M3 won't disappoint. But if you crave trackday thrills, hold fire for a CSL.