The 2015 BMW M3 is very, very fast, but not in the same tradition that has guided the model since its original inception at the end of the 1980s. Whereas previous M3s delivered chassis tuning intended to facilitate communion between the driver and the road, the 2015 edition strives instead for something different, and that’s all-out performance at any cost.

One of the tolls paid for the BMW M3’s new take-no-prisoners strategy is the utter isolation of the driver from the outside environment. This is accomplished in several ways, starting with the uncertain responsiveness of the seven-speed dual clutch automated manual transmission when left in automatic. Even with the shifts set to their quickest, and most direct mode (one of three settings associated with the gearbox alone), the M3 had a habit of unpredictably holding certain ratios longer than others, as well as a requiring varying degrees of throttle input to initiate a simple kick-down. In manual mode things weren’t much better: grab a lower gear and you’re treated with a skeptical delay by the BMW’s electronic minders until they collectively determine that it’s safe to seek out higher revs. Puttering around at lower speeds I even experienced bucking from the tranny in first and second gear, especially when the weather turned cold, which detracted from the driving experience.

The BMW M3’s electric power steering is also somewhat of a let-down, for while one can adjust the level of resistance provided by the wheel (again, choosing from three separate settings), there’s no real sensation of being in touch with the front half of the car’s suspension when driving quickly. This insulation continues with the car’s suspension tuning, which does an exceptional job of holding the road but doesn’t really impart anything other than confidence in the process.

Although it might not recall the lithe and limber sedan of old, the 2015 BMW M3’s twin-turbo engine gives it the grunt it needs to overpower many complaints about the previous two issues. It’s clear that this car’s selling point is its lighting speed (0-60 in 3.9 seconds), and while this speaks again to the muscle-oriented nature of current luxury sport sedan design, it’s still an impressive accomplishment for a four-door car. V-max is limited to 155 miles per hour, and the M3 pulls hard all the way up to that point without any worry about running out of breath – the 18 psi being pumped into its twin cylinder banks makes quite sure of that. You can easily light up the BMW’s back tires should you feel the urge to party like it’s 1969, but with its traction control and its electronic limited-slip differential engaged the M3 rockets forward with very little momentum lost to wheel spin.

I only wish that the BMW M3’s designers had as much faith in the sonic properties of the car’s six-cylinder engine as they did in its performance potential, for in place of the pleasing whoosh and whistle of a powerful forced induction motor I was instead presented with a simulated amalgam of what an eight-cylinder M3 might sound like, played through the car’s speaker system. This made me sad.