are you from m3forum? think i recognize the name..
anyway, never been an suv guy. picked up a 4.8is a few months back and havnt looked back. the e46m3 sits in the garage now, as does the e30 318is. course i spend a ton of money on gas now, but that is besides the point. get the 4.8is, you wont be dissapointed. it is fun to throw into some turns with dsc off, car-like handling.