i figure ill put my own .02 in here.

i drove (read: romped on) the new m3 sedan last thursday. it was very good...remember im coming from a highly NA modded e46 m3. it was a little faster than my e46 m3, but not by all that much considering the 4.10 diff.
the clutch was a little soft for my liking, but no problem there.
the gearbox was worlds better than the e46 as well as the seats more encompassing. im 5'9 and 150 lbs so i slid around in the e46 m3 seats all the time. these hugged well in turns and no sliding.
i thought the steering wheel was nice and thick, but the steering feel lacked terribly, the e46 m3 and my 335 both have a more connected feel with the road. at one point i was just flicking the steering wheel from side to side prob 10-15 degrees each way and didnt feel too much in terms of the road, just kinda went without much effect. it did weigh up nicely at higher speeds though.
the car DID feel very planted and the grip was good...and i had it over 100 mph on several parts of back roads. the suspension was very compliant (and yes i was in all the maxxed out M modes) even dare i say soft. it was good, but it just doesnt have the 'edge' that the e46 m3 had. called it refined, call it mature, but its pretty much an AMG with a high revving engine and better suspension (and thats ok). the car masked its weight well, but in more complicated manuevers and slow speeds, you could tell it was heavier than the e46 m3 and the 335, not to say it wasnt good, just showed its weight there to me over the other two cars.
the v8 revved happily and smoothly all the way to 8400, but the real power didnt come on until 6000 rpms...my 335 pulls just as hard if not harder (as its not stock) and it my e46 m3 seemed to rev more violently once the tach hit 6k rpms. i almost felt as if i was waiting for something with the new m3. dont get me wrong, it was quick, but just didnt feel so comparing to the e46 m3, 335 and my dads 996TT. the sound was nice though, although a bit too quite for my taste on the exhaust end.
the interior was the usual, a 3 series interior with a slew more buttons and some M badges thrown about, but good overall like the 3 series.

overall, its a nice car, but once you get into 70-75K out the door, my attention goes elsewhere. to me its a great car, but not worth 75k, esp when in 12 months it will be in the low 50s if not high 40s. for 75K, ill take a 996TT x50, 996GT3, or 997S. something about a 75k 3 series doesnt really sit well with me. now an m3 coupe (white on fix red) for 50-52K sounds like a good deal though.

 

You have a good point, particularly with the tranny, but it's held up well to street use. No way I'd run that on a track regularly, but many people have run the car at the drag strip regularly- both the auto and manual. I would be concerned the tranny would blow up we harsh treatment.