MONTEREY, CA — Oftentimes, when the topic of premium automobiles is raised, the devil’s advocate in the room will offer something along the lines of: Why buy an expensive car when a cheaper model will do just fine? Fair enough: If your driving life consists of commuting from A to B and extracting as little pleasure as possible from the experience, then pretty much anything with four wheels, a floor and a roof will do the trick.

But if you have much, much higher expectations for your mode of transportation, then perhaps you understand why BMW has, since 1975, unabashedly and unreservedly referred to itself as “the Ultimate Driving Machine.” Engineering is what’s behind all this — pure and complex engineering — the latest example being the 2012 BMW 3 Series sedans.

Yes, I know what you’re thinking: The 3 Series is the boringly obvious choice for junior executive types that litter urban centres around the globe. But there’s a reason why they’re the boringly obvious choice: Somehow, the master magicians from BMW are able to continually raise the bar when it comes to building small sport sedans and coupes.

In this case, proof was found in the form of the 335i and 328i sedans, both of which are entirely new for 2012. To showcase the unique abilities of the sixth generation of this car, a drive event sent us south along the beautiful, coastal Highway 1 from Monterey to Big Sur. All was well and good during the drive. The 335i displayed impeccable road manners, a high level of comfort, richer interior materials than in past versions and, of course, truly enjoyable driving dynamics.

This last point is worth emphasizing — and, in order to do so, a more stringent test was required. Luckily, the fine people at BMW were thinking along the same lines, so the drive ended up at Laguna Seca, one of the most challenging racetracks in North America.

I’ve attended a number of track events in which a given manufacturer’s latest offering was intended to be the star of the show. It doesn’t always work out as planned.

At one event a few years back, a manufacturer attempted to suggest that their brand new mid-size sedan was, in fact, a brand new mid-size sport sedan. The track experience suggested otherwise: After a handful of laps run under what was, admittedly, a blistering California sun, the car’s automatic transmission refused to shift gears, automatically or otherwise.

Another example: The latest version of a different manufacturer’s iconic sports car was brought to the track to provide all sorts of thrills for participants. Sure, it turned out to be a fun car to drive, but the manufacturer admitted that it had been fitted with a transmission cooler (see above story) and more robust brakes, both of which were not on the car’s options list. Wha..?

I mention these two examples — neither of which applies to BMW products, it should go without saying — merely to illustrate the following: When a manufacturer hands you the keys to a completely unmodified, fresh-from-the-showroom car and allows you unfettered access to a brutally challenging racetrack for hours on end, it’s a very rare thing indeed.

Of course, the BMW 3 Series is not without its flaws. The seating position on the versions equipped with a manual transmission simply doesn’t suit me; the pedals are too far away and/or the gearshift is too close. This fact alone might be enough to prevent me from ever buying a BMW with a manual, but it shouldn’t deter anyone with more fitting body proportions.

The 6-speed manual transmission is the source of another criticism. The throws, the distance the lever must travel when switching from one gear to the next, are overly long and, consequently, not very sporting. Of course, it’s worth remembering that the 335i and the 328i are not intended to be track cars — this is where the more focused M3 comes in.

Beyond these points, the two cars are remarkable for the following reasons: The brakes are powerful, steady and consistent, the steering is borderline telepathic, and the engines are responsive and free-revving. With each lap of the track, the cars became more impressive — also a very rare thing indeed.

Given all this, the toughest choice surrounding the new 3 Series is whether to choose the 335i (with its powerful 3.0-litre, turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine) or the 328i (armed with a very pleasant 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder turbo). Later this year, the choice becomes even more mind-boggling when the 320i (equipped with the same 4-cylinder turbo engine, but less power) enters the fray, followed closely by a hybrid version of the sedan.

In terms of engineering, all versions show marked improvements over the previous generation. The 335i, for example, boasts quicker acceleration — the 0-100 km/h sprint now takes just 5.7 seconds — and 12% better fuel efficiency than its immediate predecessor.

Naturally, all this automotive excellence comes at a price. The 2012 BMW 328i Sedan starts at a fairly steep $43,600, while the 335i rings the cash register at an even steeper $51,200. (When it appears, the 320i will be priced from $35,900.)

So, no, the 2012 BMW 3 Series Sedan is not an inexpensive car and, yes, there are definitely more frugal ways of getting from A to B. This is equally true, though: There are far more boring ways to travel and, for this reason alone, the new 3 Series will be everywhere in no time at all.

Related gallery: More pics of the BMW 3 Series