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When the BMW M3 won Drive's Car of the Year award in 2007, it came as a shock to some that such a fast and expensive car took out top prize ahead of more affordable models. But as we said at the time, we didn't think the BMW should be penalised because of its price, especially when judged against the criteria, taking into account the cost of its peers, and the M3's broad level of capabilities.

It is fair to say that few of us (including the Drive team) can afford a $157,000 BMW, but that's why we have awards in more than 12 vehicle categories and price points. From those winners we select the single most impressive car overall, and that was the BMW M3 after two other finalists were pipped at the post. (For the curious, the Mazda2 hatch, the light-car winner, likely would have taken out the overall award if stability control and curtain airbags were standard rather than optional, and the Ford Mondeo was a worthy winner of the medium-car class but not a standout for the year.)
To illustrate the point, we've gathered three other highly regarded high-performance cars, with three very different prices.

Hey, any excuse to go for a drive in $1.1 million worth of machinery. Here's how they compare.

BMW M3

Surely this can't be a performance car. The interior is understated and practical. And the exterior looks like a 3 Series coupe, but for the bulging bonnet and bigger holes in the bumpers.

As it turns out, this is the most powerful M3 in BMW's history, and the first powered by a V8. The engine block is made in the same factory that builds BMW's formula one engine blocks. Good breeding stock, you could say.

The roof is made from lightweight carbon fibre (although our test car was fitted with a sunroof and metal roof, a no-cost option), the front guards are lightweight plastic and the bonnet is made from aluminium. Even the seat foam has been specially "tuned" so the driver can better feel the road.

These are just some of the measures BMW has taken to make its new M3 as fast and as agile as possible. Even the side mirrors have been designed to slice through the air more efficiently than the standard ones.

Car spotters will also notice subtle changes such as the vents in the front fenders, and more pronounced wheel arches to better house the car's 18-inch wheels and tyres (19s are a $3800 option).

For the tech heads, the all-new 4.0-litre V8 (with 309 kW of power and 400 Nm of torque) has 17% more power than the 3.2-litre, in-line six-cylinder engine in the previous M3 and yet weighs 7% (or 15 kilograms) less than its predecessor. The engine even revs higher than the Lamborghini Gallardo's V10. The M3's redline is a giddy 8400 rpm.

The M3 sprints to 100 km/h in a Porsche-equalling 4.8 seconds. An amazing double act, the new engine also uses 8% less fuel than the previous M3 even though the new model is, overall, 85 kilograms heavier than the vehicle it replaces. The M3 is relatively light by coupe standards but in this company the weight and height of the car become more crucial.

Switching from car to car, you notice how much taller you sit in the M3 compared with the other low-slung vehicles. The latest M3 is slightly taller than its predecessors, and significantly taller than the three sports cars gathered here. To lower the M3's centre of gravity, most new M3s will be fitted with a carbon fibre roof, trimming 22 kilograms in the process.

This is one of the reasons the M3 corners with the same grip and agility as a top-end sports car. Other reasons include the carefully tuned suspension and the beautiful Michelin Pilot Cup Sport tyres, which seem to able to handle any punishment.
 
The brakes are unflappable.

BMW engineers say they gave the new M3 such a broad power band because they didn't want the throttle to be too sensitive in mid-range engine revs. But don't worry, the M3 may be docile at low speeds but it comes alive as the engine revs rise. It takes a moment to find the M3's sweet spot, but you'll certainly know when it hits.

That BMW's M3 can deliver supercar acceleration, grip and handling in a four-seater car with a boot at a price that's a third less than a Porsche 911 Carrera S is nothing short of remarkable. No wonder the waiting list stretches to the end of the year.

For those interested parties not in the queue, don't panic.

A sedan version of the new M3 is due in Australia in late 2008, as is an automated seven-speed manual gearbox, said to have the shift smoothness of the Volkswagen GTI's similar set-up. Hopefully the arrival of these variants will reduce waiting times.

PORSCHE 911 CARRERA S

When you're the benchmark, everyone wants to beat you. That's what it's been like for Porsche for more than 50 years, with countless rivals trying to outgun its famed 911.

Today, more so than ever before, the Porsche 911 is under fire from all directions. Other brands are trying to deliver vehicles with Porsche performance for less money, while some supercar brands are heading slightly downstream, with models within the price reach of a Porsche 911 buyer.

Indeed, the Porsche 911 is one of the reasons we can be thankful there are cars like the BMW M3, Lamborghini Gallardo, and the Audi R8.

Porsche is well aware of the competition, which is one of the reasons it is firing back with a four-wheel-drive wagon (the Cayenne went on sale in 2003) and, by the end of next year, a high-performance sedan.

But the 911 is the foundation of the company, and the brand's reputation. It's also the formula Porsche knows more about than any other car maker in the world.

In essence, one of the many secrets to what makes Porsches magic is weight. Or, more importantly, the lack of it.

The 911 may be the least powerful among this group but it's also the lightest car here. It's a great example of efficiency; Porsches always have been.

The entry ticket into a 911 is a snip over $200,000 for the Carrera with a 3.6-litre six-cylinder engine. There are 15 models in the 911 range but we've chosen to test the most popular version, the $230,000 Carrera S with a 3.8-litre six-cylinder engine. The $335,000 Turbo model would be a closer match for the Lamborghini Gallardo but the Carrera S better sums up the purity of Porsche 911s, and is the car most rivals have in their sights. The Carrera S has a relatively modest 261 kW of power yet still delivers impressive acceleration. You won't be left wanting.

Despite its compact dimensions, the 911 is a four-seater, although it must be said the back bench is for short people or very short hops. Headroom and legroom in the rear are severely restricted. Most owners use the back seat to stow briefcases, handbags and jackets.

Part of the reason for the tight rear seat is because the engine's in the back. The upside of this is that there is ample weight over the rear wheels to help the 911 launch off the line. The super-wide rear tyres help, too.

The only potential downside to the rear-engined arrangement is that the front end gets the jitters when you hit a puddle at cruising speeds. You also need to adjust your driving to get the most of a 911 in tight turns in the dry. The lack of weight over the nose can make the 911 want to run wide. It's simply a matter of technique, which usually means using less throttle.
That said, Porsche has worked wonders to improve the front-end grip of the latest series of 911s, which were released in late 2004. A mid-life update is due by the end of the year.

The real magic of the 911, though, is how accessible its power is and how easy it is to drive. Purist 911 drivers may scoff at the improvements made to the latest model; some believe it's not a true 911 unless it gives you a fright once in a while. But the new model truly is bliss. The driving position is supremely comfortable thanks to good seats and excellent adjustment of the steering wheel. The clutch and gearbox actions are a delight. And the power, grip and agility are there whenever you need it. Plus, it looks like nothing else on the road.

AUDI R8

Over the past decade, Audi has gradually been positioning itself as a true rival to Mercedes-Benz and BMW, matching its German colleagues almost model for model.

For some time, however, there has been a gap in its line-up.

Audi has made fast versions of its coupes and sedans, just as its rivals have done, but it hasn't had a true high-performance sports car. Until now that is.

When Audi took over Lamborghini in 1998, rescuing the Italian supercar maker from financial ruin and reviving the brand, pundits predicted it would only be a matter of time before Audi built a supercar.

It took a little longer than industry-watchers were anticipating, but it's finally here. It's called the Audi R8 and, while it shares some of its genes with the Lamborghini Gallardo, most of its parts share nothing in common with the Italian.

For starters, there's the small matter of a rather large price difference. The Audi R8 starts from $259,900 for the six-speed manual but we've tested the automated manual version, which starts at $274,900. That's a lot of sauerkraut, but it seems cheap compared with the $440,000 Lamborghini. For that money you could have an Audi R8 and a BMW M3.

The Audi and Lamborghini are the same width, but the Audi is lower and longer. The extra distance between the front and rear wheels has been used to create more cabin space behind the seats. Inside, the Audi R8 feels like the cockpit of a fighter plane. That is, there are lots of gauges, and the footwell is cramped. This is less of an issue in the automated manual version because the clutch pedal is removed. But in the regular manual model your feet can be a bit fiddly and your right leg can cramp.

Powering the R8 is Audi's highly regarded high-revving 4.2-litre V8 which delivers its performance to the ground without fuss or any loss of traction via its all-wheel-drive system. The V8 sounds incredible. From the outside. From the inside, the ruckus is relatively muted. Audi has done a good job of keeping the noise from the mid-mounted engine in the engine bay. Perhaps too good a job.

Despite an official claim of 4.6 seconds for the 0 to 100 km/h dash, the R8 doesn't feel that fast. Some independent testers have matched or beaten this figure but our satellite-assisted timing equipment stopped the clocks at a snip under five seconds, slower than the Porsche and BMW, although still not to be sneezed at.

Perhaps part of the reason the R8 feels more like a luxury car than a performance car is because Audi deliberately tuned the suspension, steering and throttle response to give it a sublime feel (although the sensitive brakes nearly put you through the windscreen). You can switch from comfort to sport mode at the press of a button but the comfort setting is recommended. All the interior appointments have a luxury (rather than sporty) look and feel. Neat touches include a standard rear parking camera and discreet lights that illuminate the glass-covered engine bay at night.

In essence, the Audi R8 may look like a supercar, but it feels like a luxury car and has modest acceleration considering the overt styling statement it's making.

Audi reckons there is a market for such a vehicle. Not every well-heeled customer wants to be shoved around inside the cabin, apparently. And they're prepared to pay a premium for the privilege, for the R8 is not cheap.

It looks like Audi could be on to something. Already, 22 cars have been delivered in Australia and there are another 120 orders for the car that will take the rest of the year to fill.

LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO

If the Audi R8 is the supercar for sensible shoe-wearers, the Lamborghini Gallardo is for the completely irrational among us.
There is absolutely no plausible reason to pay so much money for such a staggeringly quick car that is so easily hamstrung by a speed bump, and is achingly uncomfortable to get in and out of.

But I guarantee that if you drove a Gallardo you'd be tempted to willingly and negligently over-commit yourself with a loan you couldn't possibly repay just so you could drive one for a while until it was recovered by debt collectors.
The Lamborghini Gallardo is like nothing else on the planet, for better or worse. It's also part of the reason the Audi R8 felt like a slight disappointment.

Audi and Lamborghini have deliberately kept a canyon between the performance of these two models. After all, as the owner of Lamborghini, Audi is keen for the Gallardo to continue to sell well.

The Gallardo went on sale with a price tag of $400,000 four years ago. It has just had a price rise, to $413,999 and gained extra equipment such as navigation, Bluetooth phone connection, and USB and auxillary audio inputs. But the price jumps to $439,880 once Lamborghini's automated manual system called E-gear is added. Two-thirds of Gallardos sold have this formula one-style transmission, with large shift levers behind each wheel, and it's the one we've tested.

The gearbox takes a little getting used to and is by no means smooth, but you can finesse it. Part of the reason it feels like a brute is the heavy duty hardware that enables the all-wheel-drive system to cope with the V10's awesome power.

Originally, the Gallardo had 368 kW of power but it got an upgrade in late 2006 to 382 kW. Since then, Lamborghini has released an even more powerful model, called the Superleggera, with 390 kW. We tested the 382 kW version, which is intimidating enough.

It's a race car with number plates. Simply saying "0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds" does not do the Gallardo justice. It accelerates with more force than most cars brake with. The shove in the back really is a shove. Your head can nudge the head rest between gear changes if you don't brace for it. Quite simply it is a stunning car.

The V10 sounds like a fight between a Ferrari and a one of those big tunnel-digging machines from Thunderbirds. It sounds really angry, even when it's idling. It's possibly the best sound in the world, and that includes anything from mother nature as well as machines.

It's not perfect, though, and the Gallardo is not for everyone. It's a bugger to park. It's a bugger to see out of. And you're a mobile chicane because other cars in the traffic either want to take photos of the Gallardo while they're driving alongside or are so busy staring at it they wander from their lane. Some drivers, of course, just don't see it because it's so low. And that's a pity, because they don't know what they're missing.The verdictSo which would we choose?

Any one of them.

The BMW M3 is incredible value when parked alongside this company.

In an amazing double act, it can do one thing that the others can't do: carry four adults and their luggage in comfort.
The 911 is understandably the purist's choice, while the Audi R8 is for those who want to make a supercar statement for a Porsche price.

The Lamborghini Gallardo, meanwhile, is quite simply on another planet.

AUDI R8
How much? $274,900
Engine: 4.2-litre V8, mid mount
Power: 309 kW at 7800 rpm
Torque: 430 Nm at 4500 rpm
Weight: 1565 kg
Drivetrain: Six-speed automated manual, all-wheel-drive
0-100 km/h: 4.6 seconds
Top speed: 301 km/h
Fuel use: 13.6 L/100 km
Emissions: 325 g/km

BMW M3
How much? $157,000
Engine: 4.0-litre V8, front mount
Power: 309 kW at 8300 rpm
Torque: 400 Nm at 3900 rpm
Weight: 1580 kg
Drivetrain: Six-speed manual, rear-drive
0-100 km/h: 4.8 seconds
Top speed: 250 km/h (limited)
Fuel use: 12.4 L/100 km
Emissions: 295 g/km

PORSCHE 911 CARRERA S
How much? $227,600
Engine: 3.8-litre six, rear mount
Power: 261 kW at 6600 rpm
Torque: 400 Nm at 4600 rpm
Weight: 1495 kg
Drivetrain: Six-speed manual, rear drive
0-100 km/h: 4.8 seconds
Top speed: 293 km/h
Fuel use: 12.1 L/100 km
Emissions: 288 g/km

LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO
How much? $439,880
Engine: 5.0-litre V10, rear mount
Power: 382 kW at 8000 rpm
Torque: 510 Nm at 4250 rpm
Weight: 1569 kg
Drivetrain: Six-speed automated manual, all-wheel-drive
0-100 km/h: 3.8 seconds
Top speed: 315 km/h
Fuel use: 17.0 L/100 km
Emissions: 400 g/km