MarkL

Anyone else see the Car & Driver comparison test yet? Just got my issue 2 days ago. Compared: BMW 330i, 3.2TL-S, A4 3.0, G35, Passat W-8 and C320. M-B came in 5th! All the models were auto (A4 was CVT). They liked the C320 tranny, ride, "sports-car" brakes. Disliked "delinquent" body motions, mushy throttle response, price, and said the interior (charcoal) was "somber enough to depress a funeral director". The one other car that had a charcoal interior (3.2TL) they also said was "dour". The other interiors were either light gray or beige.

Quote: "In the hills, our C-class went all wobbly. Its body weaves and dips and bobs and rolls and dives and squates whenever you start working the contact patches..." Although, the C320 won the skidpad test.

Funny thing, the pictures looks like the C320 had the sport package -- 5-spoke wheels and aluminum trim. They didn't mention that.

The Passat came in last, and of course, the Bimmer was #1.

Final order: Passat W-8, C320, G35, 3.2TL-S, A4, 330i.

Mike T.

I suppose that means the BMW advertising account for that month is a little richer than the others'. What else is new?

Don't look for external validation of your purchase decision. Buy what you like and let the so-called opinion leaders in the car magazines drink their own bathwater

vyse

Well, I do think that Mercedes does tend to feel wobbly. I switched cars with my friend who drove a 323CI for a drive, and his car felt a lot flatter through the corner.

mdp c230k

The 323Ci is a sport version 2 door. try a 325e if you want apples and apples. Or compare the C230K with the 323Ci.

vadim

The Coupe is still too wobbly compared to any bimmer. Sorry, but this is a fact hard to deny. On the other hand - nothing that H&R springs and thicker sway bars can't fix

FrankW

But somehow i feel that is pretty much all true though. The C-class does have tendency to understeer and plows. The suspension for the C320 is firm but not as sporty as the 330i, or the A4 3.0. The wobbly feel could be due to the smaller tires, and that could be changed with bigger rims and tires. The throttle response of most regular MB does feel slow compare to the BMWs.

As for the interior, because all the other cars have lighter color, charcoal does look "regular", but the quality and material used is definitely better than the crap they put in the G35 or 3.2TL.

i don't think that advertising has to do with who make the better compact sports sedan. Truth is the 330i and A4 3.0 are much better performer than the C320. Just like M3 will out handles the C32 in the mountains.

Magazines comparisons should not be a reason to purchase a car. People should buy cars to their liking, not because some magazine somewhere says which one is better.

AndrewK

You know car magazines rarely take into account anything except acceleration, handling, and how much leather and bulls**t is in the car. They don't consider stuff like "everybody in Atlanta has one" or anything like that.

That said, I would have the Audi #1, C320 #2, 330i #3 and so on. But if you are going on pure performance how can the BMW not win?

mercedesman

Did the A4 have the sport package? I could see why the BMW and Audi are up there but I have to believe the Acura and G35 are there for horsepower reasons and not much else.

MR325iT

Agree with FrankW's comments. The throttle linkage on MB cars is deceptive - makes the car seem slower than it is because you need to step more deeply into the gas. I've driven some American cars which were calibrated at the other extreme - where the slightest pressure on the throttle made the car take off as though you floored it.

I seem to recall C&D has never been a huge fan of the C-class (except for the C32).

FrankW

they tested the C32 in the january issue of this year, and although there are high marks on the C32. they pretty much dislike the handling of the car.

But they did say that if people want to drive a 4 door sedan and a daily driver, C32 is a great choice.

compare to the last generation C-class, the new one is already much better as CD have said before.

SoCal240/6

Analyzing the cars as sports sedans, those rankings seem about right. CD/RT, etc. tend to like sports sedans that are heavier on the "sports" side than the luxury side.

With that in mind, they seem to be right on:

1) The C320/C240 have very soft suspensions, not sporting AT ALL. Including the so called "sports" package. Sure, its better than a Buick, but nothing like a BMW or Audi.

2) The trottle response IS mushy. Esp. with the automatic, which is a big reason I would not buy an automatic C.

3) The price is a downside, compared to an Audi or BMW. No one is ever going to say that price is one of the C320's strong points.

Quote: "In the hills, our C-class went all wobbly. Its body weaves and dips and bobs and rolls and dives and squates whenever you start working the contact patches..."

If the test protocol calls for hard driving, the C is going to lose every time. Its just not made for that.

The BMW came in first because the 330i is a fantastic SPORTS sedan. I've driven one (with a stick) extensively, and its really a remarkable car - rocket quick, smooth with near-full-sports-car handling.

FrankW

i definitely agree with you. right on!

beside CD did test their car as Sports Sedans, not as entry level Luxury sedans. If it was the other way around the A4 3.0 would be the winner and follow by C320 than the 330i.

steve s

eh, think in another mag, the g35 come out on top of 3-series. i do like the look of the new a4...not too bad, although i thought the motion of the body of the car looked kinda odd going over bumps...

DCX Engineer

That would be Road & Track - July, 2002.
The rankings were:
Infiniti G35
BMW 330i
Lexus IS300
Saab 9-5 Aero
Audi A4 3.0 Quattro
Acura 3.2 TL Type-S
Mercedes-Benz C320 Sport
Cadillac CTS
Volvo S60 T5
Jaguar X-Type 3.0
Lincoln LS

The BMW 330i is the clear winner in performance, but lost the comparo based on price.

*note - I love my oyster interior. No more boring, dark carcoal interior for me or my wife.

Kal Rubinson

Originally posted by SoCal240/6
3) The price is a downside, compared to an Audi or BMW. No one is ever going to say that
price is one of the C320's strong points.

I will. Admittedly, I priced the wagon versions of the C320, A4 and 325i and the C320 was entirely competitive, same as A4 and lower than the 325i (and Passat!).

Kal

FrankW

yeah, the way that Road & Track did their test also include the price of the cars. In that test they also have more cars to test with. Actually i think that the G35, Saab 9-5, Acura TL-S, Cadillac CTS, and Lincoln LS should not be included in these type of test because all of these cars are much large in size compare to the Benz, Bmw, Audi, Volvo, Lexus, and the Jag.

If price is not a factor in R&T's test the 330i will definitely come out a winner.

Accord

You just cannot go by anything Car & Driver says about Mercedes-Benz. They are so bias it's not even funny. In their 16 supercar shootout, they ranked the Renntech SL55k AMG 13th out of 16th and the Renntech SLK38 15th out of 16th when it was clear that both cars were far superior to nearly all of the cars in the field.

When Car and Driver did a 1/4 mile test of the Renntech SLK38 which packed 440hp and an insane amount of torque, it did it in 13.5 seconds. Yeah... right... there goes the little bit of credibility that Car and Driver had left.

TimmyC230boy

The SLK32 will do the quarter quicker than 13.5. WTF were they smoking?

FrankW

13.5 might be true because a lot of torque doesn't mean that the car can put it properly on the ground. a lot of torque can cause the car to spin the tires and cause the car to be slower.

i actually seen video of a Viper GTS lose to a Civic in 1/4 miles because of wheel spin on the Viper.

taylor192

If I remember that article correctly, most of the cars were so close it wasn't even worth doing the comparison.

wrabs

Look on the bright side. The MB was not the most expensive,plus it probably has the best resale value. Personally I think the whole 3 series line is looking a little dated (besides that you can't escape them, they are everywhere in the Toronto area). I do like the A4 though.

wrabs

vyse

Hey wrabs, you live in Thornhill too?

There are definetely too many BMWs in Thornhil, it's crazy. I am positive there are more BMWs than Civics!