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@cybertect
I have a 2009 M6R that I bought for my rail commute from Surrey into London Bridge. I have a couple of very steep hills on the way to my home railway station, so I do make use of all the gears. I hired an M3S for a couple of days to see how it worked for me, but I'm glad I chose the 6 speed. YMMV.
The interleaved gearing took a couple of weeks to get used to, but I barely think about it now. It's a bit like learning musical scales on a guitar and becomes second nature pretty quickly.
It certainly isn't as fast as my other road bikes, but it's a fun ride with good visibility in traffic. My first two 'proper' bikes when I was a nipper had 16" wheels, so there's a small element of kid-ness creeping in too :)
I'm 5'11" and I think the standard seatpost is just a teeny bit to short for me after living with it for a few months. I could do with an extra inch, but can't be bothered to change it . Maybe when I'm flush (if ever?) I'll replace it with an extended titanium one, though you lose a little bit of the compactness when folded.
One thing I've found invaluable with the 'R' version (with a rear rack) is that fitting the Ezy Wheels (larger diameter rollers with bearings) makes moving it around folded a doddle. No worries about how heavy it is (plus the contents of my bag which stays on the bike). I can nip through the regular barriers at London Bridge instead of having to go through the manned gates:
YouTube - Brompton Rolls When Folded in Train.wmv
it also means I don't catch my ankles on them like standard small roller wheels they replaced, which project out sideways a bit more