Naturally, the engine also plays a key role in the fun-to-drive sweepstakes. The M Coupe features the company's redoubtable, 3.2-litre inline 6-cylinder engine. Aided by the presence of 24 valves operated by a variable valve timing system, the BMW develops a very satisfying 330 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque. (Pushing the 'sport' button on the centre console is something akin to opening Pandora's box.)

To place even greater emphasis on these impressive figures, 80 percent of the engine's power is available from 2000 rpm. The estimated time to travel from 0 to 100 km/h, therefore, weighs in at just five seconds flat. By the end of a handful of laps around Estoril in the M Coupe, hurtling down the front straight and carving around those tail-teasing corners, I was completely sold.

The almost perfect weight distribution allows for predictable road handling.

Upon closer inspection...
First impressions are important, but a return visit with a given car can often reveal new information and give rise to more meaningful responses. In the case of the M Coupe, more miles simply confirmed what I'd already suspected: Yes, this car is a blast to drive.

Let's touch upon the engine note for a moment. Clearly, the sound engineers at BMW have spent countless hours fine-tuning their inline-6 so that it delivers just the right pitch. The bigger point is this: If you are able to listen to the hints of what this engine can offer without feeling utterly powerless to resist hammering on the throttle... well, you should probably be driving a minivan. It's a mechanical symphony, full stop.

There is one caveat to report: Driving over the pothole-strewn roads of downtown Toronto stripped almost all the joy out of the driving experience. With its track-ready suspension, the M Coupe is not compliant enough to handle serious interruptions in the road surface at all. Little matter, though; this just convinces you to get out of the confines of the city and take to the open road.

A definite head-turner
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To these eyes, the BMW Z4 upon which the M Coupe is based is not a beautiful car. I've said it before and I'll say it again: too many indiscriminate lines creating concave and convex sections all over the place. (No flow, dude.)

Somehow, though, affixing a sculpted hardtop has managed to pull the design together in a remarkable way; while the Z4 seems just curious and unfocused, the M Coupe is muscular and unique.

BMW's notorious kidney front grille.