The Victors

Though the CT5 is awesome.

If you're more the drag racing type, it's easy to get around 10-11 secs in the 1/4 with the CT4 VW with just throttle body, downpipes, and tune running 93 pump gas. But it's a carver, not a drag car, IMO, even though they (and their predecessor, the ATS-V) do great on side quests as drag racers, with many in the 9s with only $3-5k in mods.

But the stock CT4 BW's almost 500hp is more than enough for most people.

There's a reason that both BWs are in Car & Driver's "10 best" every single model year -- the Alpha platform chassis is insane, and every curvy road (and the track) is an absolute pleasure. I'd encourage you to read reviews for both and test drive at least one. They're not everyone's cup of tea, though. Within the segment, the CT4 is the driver's/enthusiast's car, compared to the M3 or C63, which are less agile and more creature comfort oriented than the CT4. Many, including me, say the CT4 BW is the spiritual successor to the outstanding M3s of old. Again, though, not everyone's cup of tea, so test drive for yourself and compare against whatever your other finalists end up being.

I also think that and the CT5 are the only ones in their respective classes you can still get with a manual.

Another thing -- you should be able to get a low-mileage, pristine CT4 BW for under $60k and save the other $40k for hookers and blow.