There’s no getting around it: the new is a big ol’ boy. Though BMW has touted it as a return to sporting form after the so-so F80 3 Series, it is larger and loses the manual gearbox. I don’t understand the disconnect there, but apparently the answer is the , which has more power than ever but will reportedly offer a “Pure” model with a three-pedal option.

And now, here it is putting in work at the ‘Ring in heavy camo (though as these things go it’s pretty obvious what it is) and making the Good Car Noises in the process:

Zoom! Look at it go.

As spy shooter notes, the new M3 has a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six expected to pack something like 473 horsepower. A Competition variant is expected with about 500 HP or more. Those are expected to have a rear-biased all-wheel drive system, a first for the M3, and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Basically, the M3 is more of an M5 than ever.

The expected “Pure” version, if that is what it’s called, will keep the RWD layout and offer a stick, though it could be down on power slightly with like 450 HP. I say that’s fine, and it’d be the one I want. I’ve never encountered a situation where 450 HP wasn’t enough.

I could sit here and bemoan how the M series doesn’t use actual motorsport-derived engines anymore, or how AWD waters things down, or how the automatic-only top trim is pretty whatever, but what’s the point? The cars are fast and the people who lease them should be happy. This is the future and we’re just all gonna have to deal with it.

At least we get the Good Car Noises.