Well, today is "tomorrow"
And yes, I got to drive the 3!
The one I tested, was the Titanium Grey Sport GT, fully loaded (w/ auto) @ around $26000CAD.
Keep in mind, I drive a 1.6EL....basically a prettied up version of the Civic EX from 2000. I like driving the EL, save for the exception of the really bad torque and hp. So basically, as a one person driver, the EL is very suitable for my commuting to and forth from school and hom (around 77km's total).....but lacks a lot of power. I like the crisp road feel of the EL, since it has, I believe, a little stiffer springs than a normal Civic. In a way, the EL will be my "benchmark".
Unfortunately, it was raining really hard in Vancouver today....therefore, the roads were slippery, and I didn't want to drive too fast (which also meant I didn't want to bring my "baby"; my camera; out in the rain). However, I loved the short gears....there was plenty of "oomph"! And you can definately feel it too....it's quite like what you'd feel with a V6 actually. Up-shifting on the "Sportronic" (or whatever Mazda calls it) is great, but down-shifting is a little slow. Took about a second to go from 3rd to 2nd.
Did I say that this car has OOMPH!?
Visibility is very good...save for the rear hatch. I think since there is now a "reverse" window, there's more of a larger blind spot in the back. Front visibility is very good.
Weird thing was, after I finished driving it, it felt strangely like a Volvo S40....the older one, not the new one based on the same platform. Possibly this is due to the higher positioning of the driver's seat?
Body roll is minimal. Even in the Sport GT, I felt almost none, but then again, I wasn't cornering that hard. Traction on the wet pavement/paint marks was EXCELLENT. No slippage on the hard accelerations. Steering is "light", but still maintains good road feel.
As for road noise, the M3 is FAR superior to my EL. It's QUIET! I'd say, on par with the M6 2.3L....maybe even better. Speaking of sound levels, I love the steering wheel sound controls - my family has a Caravan that has that, and I love how easily I can change stations and stuff. I'll sure miss the little "Honda-roar" on my EL....
So, here's a Cole's Notes for all you lazy people

:
Pros
-LOTS of power
-feels "safe" (Volvo)
-nice gearing
-quiet
-good road feel; body roll, handling, is so far so good
Cons
-big blind spot
-feels like a Volvo (could be bad or good)
So there you have it. I will be going back for a 2nd test drive, I think. I still don't think I got a good feel of the car yet. Like I said, no pics, because it was raining real hard, and I didn't want to take out my camera.