BMW Mercedes Face-off (3series V's C class)

[GT4 genius]

This is the most difficult question ever!! Which is overall better the present BMW 3 series or the newly launched Mercedes-Benz c class.

It was simple, until merc gave us something so appealing.
Photos are in the attachment, more are welcome.

 

[Danny]

I don't know why, but I've always disliked BMW. I quite like Mercedes as a brand, and am apathetic towards Audi.

That said, the Beemer is undoubtedly impressive, but the C Class is something else all together. The previous gen C was aging yet still pretty good. For M-B to improve the perenial second-best to not only bring the fight to BMW, but exceed it in many areas is astounding.
The C class often cam acropper when the issue of handling was brought into the equation, but the new one reportedly has it sussed (I'd like to hear the views of anyone who's driven a new one, if there are any).
The looks are modern without being controversial and it gives the impression that it will grow old gracefully.
Interior is top-notch and it's still practical, and with a beautiful range of engines. What's not to love?

 

[High-Test]

One could say that I've been "converted", but I'd go for the C Class. Available with 4 wheel drive, and it's sexy and has very sexy wheel options. One could get a 228 bhp AWD C class for 33,000. Better deal than a Saab 9-3? You bet!

I don't care for the steering wheel, but the rest of the car far outweighs that minor nuisance. Plus, one can't go wrong with that C 63 AMG Estate.

 

[Philly]

I'm a Mercedes fan. I voted as such.

Now, I thought the 3 was a cool car when if first came out, but this and the last-gen 3 have seemed to age pretty quick. The current 3 looks bland and pretty old to me, and I really only like the 335 coupe. I don't know much about what's under for both these cars, but I'm going to say Mercedes is probably better. BMW have used the same winning formula for a while and Mercedes seems to have improved amazingly on what I thought was a relatively mediocre car.

 

[vladimir]

thats unfair, the merc in the pic has some sports kit on it!


i absolutely hate the 3 series in its entry-level, boring looking form with way to small wheels and the rubbish silver-grey colours that most people go with. top of the range with nice wheels, m-kit and stuff, i like it very much though.

in stock form i still like the looks of the c-class though. so i'm voting merc here because in its very basic form its more impressive to me...i hope next time around bmw will make the basic 3er more attractive.

 

[GT4 genius]

Sorry about the pic i'll get a strandard one.

No sorry that is the standard one

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> I've never like Mercedes, and lately Bamgled-BMW too. But based on my previous experiences on both brands, I'd pick BMW.

 

[McLaren]

BMW. Far more amazing performance compared to the C350 Sport Sedan.

Having driven both, the C350 still just barely does it for me to check it off on "Get Up And Go" Power unlike the 335i. The 268 horses show the C-Class is still luxury-oriented instead of power unlike Bavarian, and the handling just doesn't compare. It's a good looking car, but I'd happily pay the extra $2K for the 335i.

 

[JCE]

The new C-class for me. The new C-class is brilliant to look at--I can't say the same with the Bangle BMW designs. The only Bangle design that I really really like is the 6-series. The only time I preferred a BMW product over a Merc is with the previous gen M5 and the M3 CSL. Otherwise I'd take a Merc over a BMW. And if we were talking black on black AMG nothing German would take me away from it--except maybe an R8 or RS6 advant. Either way, the new M3 versus a C63 AMG--no contest for me. The C63 AMG wins hands down. Base model versus base model, I'd still take the slower-yet more beautiful to look at Merc.

 

[land sea air]

despite being obviously biased towards Mercedes this is the first generation since the C class debuted ( before that actually considering the 201 was never sold as a C class) that I would vote for the Mercedes over the comparable BMW. The smallest Mercedes have never been as good as the 3 series IMO until now. I do have problems with the way the "luxury" models look in the front end but the current 3 series has it's own problems style wise.

 

[YSSMAN]

You forgot a car:

Lets see; Goes for about the same price (actually, cheaper), its bigger, has the same amount of power, performs nearly the same, and has one of the best interiors in it's class... Yeah, I think my choice is obvious (2008 CTS 3.6 DIG with the FE3 suspension option in black or burgundy, as pictured)...

===

Otherwise, I'd pick the 3er.

Being a Volkswagen guy, I'm always looking for "feel" whenever I drive my cars. Granted, its been a while since I've driven my last 3-series (a 328Ci), but it was damn-near-perfect at the time. In terms of look, its got a slight advantage IMO. The interior still looks and feels right (I've seen the new C, haven't been able to sit in one yet), and the stick is available across the board. Plus, its really hard to beat the BMW straight-six...

I really give Mercedes a lot of credit with the C, as I really like it too. But when it comes down to spending my own money between the two, I'd rather be the douchebag in the BMW instead of the tool in the Mercedes.

But as we all know, I'd always choose to be the oddball in the Cadillac...

 

[land sea air]

Lets see; Goes for about the same price (actually, cheaper), its bigger, has the same amount of power, performs nearly the same, and has one of the best interiors in it's class... Yeah, I think my choice is obvious (2008 CTS 3.6 DIG with the FE3 suspension option in black or burgundy, as pictured)...

::shoves YSS out the door and tries to hide what he just said::

"Germans only in this room sir"


we must not let the Americans know they have a competitive car or it may go to their heads!!

 

[JCE]

::shoves YSS out the door and tries to hide what he just said::

"Germans only in this room sir"

+rep I was really hoping not to see anything AMERICAN in this topic--I was so looking forward to a legitimate discussion of 3-series v C-class.

GET THAT AMERICAN CRAP OUTTA HERE!

 

[Philly]

German submission OK? Audi A4? There are three "nice car" brands in Germany....

 

[YSSMAN]

+rep I was really hoping not to see anything AMERICAN in this topic--I was so looking forward to a legitimate discussion of 3-series v C-class.

GET THAT AMERICAN CRAP OUTTA HERE!

Well, I figured it was worth mentioning...

YOU'RE WELCOME, GUYS!​

But seriously, I'm all for the 3er. Those of you who've been around here know that...

 

[JCE]

German submission OK? Audi A4? There are three "nice car" brands in Germany....

The A4 is a great car--in V6 and V8 trim only. I still maintain that the turbo I4 is rubbish in a car this size. The turbo lag is horrible as well. But trim for trim its very hard for me to not pick the C-class over the A4. The RS4 and S4 are quite brilliant in every possible way--the gangster in me wants a black on black AMG more. I'm torn really.

 

[Muzaffar]

If i have a choice, i would choose Volkswagen 👍 the Jetta is quite the car. (although not in this category) but since its between these two cars, i would have to choose the BMW 3 series. To simply put, the 3 series is just considered slightly better than the C class cause Mercs are just too COMMON!!! (well actually both are common in my area. But i've seen one too many C320 already so......)

 

[vladimir]

Sorry about the pic i'll get a strandard one.

No sorry that is the standard one

even worse than for my poor bimmer.

 

[forza2.0]

BMW. Far more amazing performance compared to the C350 Sport Sedan.

Having driven both, the C350 still just barely does it for me to check it off on "Get Up And Go" Power unlike the 335i. The 268 horses show the C-Class is still luxury-oriented instead of power unlike Bavarian, and the handling just doesn't compare. It's a good looking car, but I'd happily pay the extra $2K for the 335i.

I would have to agree when we are talking in the more high powered end of both vehicles.

The engines in the MB are really letting them down power wise. However if we are talking about the less expensive models I would take the MB due to the BMW only looking nice with the expensive M-sport kit.

On a side note in the UK, a 6-9 month old 335i will have lost nearly £10,000 in depreciation when not fitted with a m-kit. The M-kitted version *only* lose about 5 grand.

As for the A4 the I4 2.0T FSI is the best engine in its class, and right now the best engine for the A4. Havent ever heard of anyone complain of lag in that car either. Maybe the one you drove is a lemon as that engine is a firm favourite in Europe!

 

[YSSMAN]

As for the A4 the I4 2.0T FSI is the best engine in its class, and right now the best engine for the A4. Havent ever heard of anyone complain of lag in that car either. Maybe the one you drove is a lemon as that engine is a firm favourite in Europe!

Thats exactly what I was thinking in response to JCE's post... I can't recall a single complaint about lag in any of the 2.0TFSI cars, but I can understand the overall call for big-power in what is now a truly mid-size car.

(BTW: Passat W8 FTW!)

But, until Audi transfers the A4 to the new A5 chassis, its a no-go for me. Its still not "right" by comparison to the 3er or the C-class. BMW's advantage will always be that they literally control this market. Every new car that comes out is a reaction to the 3er in this class, and just when you "think you've got it," BMW goes out and changes the formula.

The difference now is that its a race to see who can beat BMW to whats new. Mercedes seems to be getting off the lazy issue, and Audi seems to be sick of riding third-wheel. Cadillac and Lexus, not to mention Infiniti, want to play too... And lets be honest, they've done a damn-good job scaring the hell out of BMW and Mercedes.

 

[GT4 genius]

I've just voted for the BMW, i know the looks on the base model are poor but BMW are much more driver orientated than mercedes, also i would rather the i drive over whatever mercedes have.
And with regard to the issue of the so called "american" cadillac, isnt it basically a saab 9-3 with a different body! Therefore making it partly Sweedish!!

 

[YSSMAN]

And with regard to the issue of the so called "american" cadillac, isnt it basically a saab 9-3 with a different body! Therefore making it partly Sweedish!!

INCORRECT!

You're thinking of the Cadillac BLS which is a Euro-only model that is based on the Epsilon chassis, essentially a re-skinned Saab 9-3.

The Cadillac that I brought up is completely American by design, but went through extensive testing and tuning in Germany. The Sigma II chassis is at the basis of the new CTS, born of the award-winning Sigma chassis from the previous model. The car is build in Lansing, Michigan United States and utilizes many parts from the US and Canada.

 

[GT4 genius]

Sorry about that, i knew one of them was a saab, thought it was that one. Sorry again!

 

[land sea air]

i drive over whatever mercedes have.

iDrive??!?!? have you ever used COMAND? it is infinitely better than that oxymoron that BMW insists on using

 

[JCE]

Thats exactly what I was thinking in response to JCE's post... I can't recall a single complaint about lag in any of the 2.0TFSI cars, but I can understand the overall call for big-power in what is now a truly mid-size car.

Thats my point. Put the 2.0L FSI engine in an A4 2 generations old and it would be brilliant. But, the current gen A4 is too big for this engine in my opinion.

(BTW: Passat W8 FTW!)

Thats the only Passat I would ever own.

Cadillac and Lexus, not to mention Infiniti, want to play too... And lets be honest, they've done a damn-good job scaring the hell out of BMW and Mercedes.

But lets be honest, the manufacturer who has come the closest to invading on BMW's sales has to be Infiniti. The G and M sport saloons are flatout brilliant. Especially the M.

The engines in the MB are really letting them down power wise.

Err, I'll take it that you mean the NON-AMG models. The AMG engines are truely breathtaking.

As for the A4 the I4 2.0T FSI is the best engine in its class, and right now the best engine for the A4. Havent ever heard of anyone complain of lag in that car either. Maybe the one you drove is a lemon as that engine is a firm favourite in Europe!

I've driven two A4's with the 2.0L FSI and I still maintain that the engine just isn't enough for the size car. I'm not saying the engine is small, I'm saying the power output isn't what I'd want in a larger saloon car. The new A4 isn't a small car anymore.

 

[neanderthal]

vis a vis audi four cylinder turbo; cant argue with higher fuel economy than either of the competition though!!!!

 

[YSSMAN]

Sorry about that, i knew one of them was a saab, thought it was that one. Sorry again!

Don't worry about it. Your house isn't a half-hour away from where they build the cars like mine is...

---

Thats the only Passat I would ever own.

I've been looking quite heavily into getting one, but they're way more money than I want to spend right now. Problem is, for the same price as a used Passat W8, I can get into a '08 Jetta TDI, or an '08 Saturn Astra.

But still, if I had the money, there would be one in my driveway right now. Particularly after I found the perfect one: A 2004 Passat W8 in black on black with the six-speed stick.

But lets be honest, the manufacturer who has come the closest to invading on BMW's sales has to be Infiniti. The G and M sport saloons are flatout brilliant. Especially the M.

Sales wise, I believe you are correct, but overall I'm uncertain of the numbers. I believe the 3er is still outselling pretty much all of the competition, and for good reason. Sure, the G35 is a great car, but it isn't nearly as refined as the German and American offerings. Same can be said of the IS350, which is a pretty good car, but thats if you get off on having the performance but not being able to take advantage of it.

When it comes to the top three, I'm sticking it to BMW, Mercedes and Cadillac thus far. Pedigree, prestige, and performance per dollar all make up the top spots... The Infiniti is right behind, but the quality issues and other refinement problems overall boot it out of the top.

...And I'm sure Audi will be happy to knock Cadillac out of the top three when the new A4 hits. Whenever that is...

 

[forza2.0]

Thats exactly what I was thinking in response to JCE's post... I can't recall a single complaint about lag in any of the 2.0TFSI cars, but I can understand the overall call for big-power in what is now a truly mid-size car.

(BTW: Passat W8 FTW!)

But, until Audi transfers the A4 to the new A5 chassis, its a no-go for me. Its still not "right" by comparison to the 3er or the C-class. BMW's advantage will always be that they literally control this market. Every new car that comes out is a reaction to the 3er in this class, and just when you "think you've got it," BMW goes out and changes the formula.

The difference now is that its a race to see who can beat BMW to whats new. Mercedes seems to be getting off the lazy issue, and Audi seems to be sick of riding third-wheel. Cadillac and Lexus, not to mention Infiniti, want to play too... And lets be honest, they've done a damn-good job scaring the hell out of BMW and Mercedes.

Well going by the current world wide market trends and current to future market predictions audi should be overtaking MB and BMW by 2015 as they are growing much faster than the other two marquees, and infact could overtake MB in world sales in as many as two to three years. Its a very interesting market race, and these predictions were made without including the future audiporsche models!

 

[GT4 genius]

Here in ireland the top 3 are BMW, Merc and Audi, then maybe saab and lexus. I've never seen a Cadillac near where i live, but there is some, and have definitly never seen an infinite anywhere in ireland. Do they not make right hand drive cars?

As for the passat all the ones available here are front wheel drive, which kind of puts them in a different class, although i know they are the same size.

 

[JCE]

and have definitly never seen an infinite anywhere in ireland. Do they not make right hand drive cars?

Some of the Infinitis are sold in the UK and Japan (and Australia?) with right-hand drive--and as Nissans in Japan.