Autoexpress has driven the final production form of the 1M and loves it. The review (published in this week ‘s magazine) is one of the most flattering yet. It starts out with AE asking the question, “Could this be the best M car since the original E30 M3? ” By the end of the review you can ‘t help but think it just may be. Here are a few of our favorite quotes:

>Lay eyes on the newcomer for the first time, and you can’t help but be impressed. With a wide front splitter featuring aggressive air intakes, quad exhaust pipes and fat tyres covered by flared wheelarches, it has the look of a lightweight boxer – small and lean, but very muscular.

>As with all BMW’s M cars – with the exception of the CSL and M3 GTS – this is no stripped-out racer. Thumb the starter button and the 335bhp 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder engine – an uprated version of the unit from the 135i – barks into life. And as soon as you pull away, it’s clear that this is a very agile, driver-focused machine. Throttle response is sharp and the steering, although heavy, is full of feel.

They end the review with the money quote:

>The best M car for a long time? Undoubtedly.

Could it be true? The best M car since the E30 M3? We ‘ll find out May 10th with our own test drive. In the meantime you can read the entire review here.