In fact my morning test in the M5 proved a bash of note, an event I will savour for some time. Flooring big-power cars is a passion. With the DSC switched off there's simply no way of pulling off without the M5 angrily lighting up the tyres and tar, billowing smoke and leaving seemingly endless tyre-marks.

In fact it's the SMG III 'box that creates the ideal conditions to achieve these results ? which proved even wilder than the monster SL65 AMG! With the spoilsport DSC 'partially' on the M5 momentarily coughed its displeasure then blasted away ? and in the process lost a tenth of a second or more.

Anyone know what the circled 'M' on the steering spoke stands for? Magic! Yes, pressing it brings on the Jeckyll and Hyde syndrome as some 100 extra brake horsepower is magically pumped into the engine. But why not offer more engine sound to accompany this incredibly high performing V10 show?

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evo and the newly faced Subaru STi proved too difficult to split without the assistance of our score sheets. It was Subaru that initially introduced the 'giant-killing-performance' genre cars with prices to make you smile. In fact the automotive world was turned on its head when the even hotter STi and Lancer Evos arrived.

You'll notice that the STi just gets the better of the Evo ? our schedule well indicating the few points difference. However the all-new 2.5 engine does not offer that blinding Subaru performance we're used to.

This time around it produces more torque and more power in a more docile manner and in the process has turned from the blindingly quick 2-0litre cult-car to a softer feel yuppies would seek. The tornado-like response of the 2.0-litre engine is no longer there. In performance terms it's just fractionally short of its banshee-like smaller-engined progenitor too.

The Evo matches the STi in almost every sphere except acceleration, tractability (due to its 2.5-litre engine) and engine refinement. The latter two areas of comparison are better due to the symmetrical layout the flat-four boxer engine offers via its centrally mounted gearbox resulting in equal length front and rear side-shafts respectively for better power distribution.

Instead the Evo's engine is a conventional four-cylinder twin-cam engine with an offset gearbox resulting in unequal length side shafts. But in all other aspects the two are equal and to choose the better would come down to personal preference.

In terms of hooligan-performance the Japanese twins have no peers in their segment ? and almost totally so above them. To drive either for the first time is an indelible experience. The adjustable 4x4 set-ups in both are technologies not found in any other car, allowing adjustments to the front and rear diffs to suit personal competition requirements.

Driving the all-new Chrysler 300C was a totally different experience. An example of this was when I'd completed my acceleration test run. The big HEMI V8 seemed to be totally out of the scheme of things as it peacefully completed the run. However its 6.7-second result indicated much more ? it's in the realms of the Subaru Impreza WRX 's performance.

The 300C proved a true surprise package. Preconception ? something that certain comedian/journos suffer from in the UK ? is something we should stay away from. Not for a single moment should the 300C be assimilated with the Yank Tank syndrome of the past.

It handles well, has a fine ride, is exceptionally comfortable, has a positive steering feel and sells at around half the price of some of the Hun-trio equivalents. The only downer was the 'kick-down' lag between gears that took an age to occur putting a bit of a damper on some of the 300C's true performance abilities.

Four truly different cars that satisfy in different ways, but it's the manner in which the M5 stands out in the 'purist' saloon car world that for the time being is almost beyond the grasp of rivals. And it's achieved with advanced engineering and technological brilliance. The Jap twins, instead, achieve their dynamic brilliance more via the use of turbochargers ? a far easier way out.