trev0006

http://www.************/car-videos-13...n-Shootout.htm

MotorWeek teams up with Cars.com and USA Today for the $46K Sport Sedan Shootout. Cars tested are Acura TL, Audi A4, BMW 328i, Cadillac ATS, Mercedes-Benz C250, Volvo S60.

fireline43

I lost respect for all these comparison studies after I owned the bmw 335i and now the c250. So apparently I had the number one choice in this category, but like the last one so much better.

cleankutazn

Why did you like the 250 much more?

fireline43

Except for speed, mercedes is better overall. Comfort, high quality looking materials, style, reliability rankings. And the handling is better every day usage. The new 3 series is a step up from the one before that I had, but the interior looks very cheap and the handling is left to be desired. The front end makes the car feel large also.
BMW can never get a cup holder right, or a sleek looking dash to me. The screen on the new ones just sticks out awkwardly. Similar equiped cars are also higher then a benz.

BMW to me, is great for someone who doesn't want to give up their sports car, like a camaro or something, but they need more practicality. Mercedes is more for a person who looks at the bigger picture.

Citation Driver

I did my own 'shoot out' with these cars in January. I've owned 3 Bimmers, 2 Audis, 1 Acura (0 Cadillacs) and 1 MB (1968) over the years. I never anticipated actually getting another MB after all these years and after all the BMWs. But the driving experience was so much better than the others, it was no contest. The C250 Sport surprised me so much I had to trade in my GTI.

fireline43

Yea it is suprising after I was part of the bmw crowd that bashes benz quite a bit for not being sporty. I started to relize as I'm gettting older though, what does the cars 0-60 time really matter to me if I'm never going to the track. Some could possibly argue that speed can help you be safer by getting out of situations, but other then that I see mini vans and beaters driving the fastest on the road. Everyone goes to buy a fast car then they just drive it around town never going above 90mph. Just like people who buy a big truck but never haul one thing.

AkaSigFreak

Road & Track, Car & Non-Driver, and other similar magazines always give the advantage to BMW. I guess that's why all of my friends with BMW always comment positively on my car and make me drive when we go somewhere.

LILBENZ230

The takeaway from this is:

1) OMG $46k for a 4-cylinder.

2) So much for the thought that the C250 is just as quick as the old C300

3) The Acura TL is the ugliest car ever built.

Citation Driver

When I watched this shootout on Motor Week, they gave the 0-60 for the C250 as 8.2 sec- driver must have had the dumb foot operated parking brake on. MB claims 7.1 sec and one major magazine recorded 6.8 sec. And that 46k thresh hold must have been established to allow the Bimmer to slip in. For that much they could have chosen the C350 Sport.

fireline43

Exactly. I don't see how they clocked the c250 that slow. Like you said, the guy driving must have hated benz or something (or he was so amazed by the interior). Trying to find that bmw at a dealership with the msport is not an easy task also, and most likley will be priced over that 46k mark because they load that car up more when they order it. And of course the fact that you can get a c350 for low 40s makes the competition a joke also. Even the volvo could have stepped it up with the s60r in that competition and been well within the 46k mark. They should have put the real competitor in that for bmw which would have probably been a 328i sport model.

fireline43

That and they are afraid of their car breaking down or getting a flat with the "run-flat" tires and not having a spare.

LILBENZ230

I see we have some BMW haters in the house. BMW makes fine cars. So does Mercedes. One should not assume that only one of the two can make fine cars.

aznmode

My thoughts exactly. My friends kept telling me to get a 3 series and kept telling me the c300 is too slow. But the most I drive now is 5 miles over the speed limit (after an accident a few years back and 2 speeding tickets in a month on the same year). I'm very happy with my decision, and plus I really love the way the car looks compared to a 3 series. 3 series design seem to age much faster in my opinion.

TexFinn

Wouldn't necessarily go that far (cough...Pontiac Aztec...cough), but it sure is a good candidate.

Exactly! Criticizing how the magazines are lopsided to some direction is fine, because usually they are lopsided, but not being able to recognize good points also in other brands is a bit much.

fireline43

haha, well i had a bmw before this and developed that hate. They do make fine cars, just like I said earlier, when looking at the bigger picture, MB makes a better car to me. Go look at their forums, lot's of complaining and pushing their cars to the max. I can tell here, that even though it's not that active, very little complaining about the cars and not everyone is focused on flying down the city streets as fast as they can.
I will say this, when i owned the bmw, i didn't think it was a big step up from the lower car brands like ford and such, but with the MB i see and feel the difference. I was actually going to just get the new vw jetta gli fully loaded instead of another luxury car until I decided to give benz a chance. That 10k difference was very noticable with benz, not with bmw. I would have gotten a pretty basic 328i for that price and would have always been looking for more.

LILBENZ230

You're judging the car by the drivers. That a driver is a d-bag does not mean the car is a POS.

Sportstick

Well, I don't hate anyone based on their car, or anyone's car...and I like to think that I consider the "big picture" when making decisions. And, with all that, I am headed to BMW next time and leaving MB. My view of MB is that they are becoming too soft, too superficial, more for riding in than driving, and mostly trying to gain social approval from others....exhibit #1 of losing the driving spirit...can't ever order a manual transmission any more, so I have my first deal-breaker for the brand. The W205 is going the wrong way by getting larger (and probably more expensive, and softer, as it tries to become a smaller E Class), while the CLA is front wheel drive and has a ridiculous interior with someone's lost iPod stuck to the instrument panel.

Those who are debating the importance of driving at ridiculous speeds are missing the point as I see it about BMW. It's not straight line acceleration. Anyone can build a high power-to-weight ratio vehicle and make it go fast...so what. The guys who argue time-to-speed as how to assess overall vehicle superiority should just get out their rulers, drop their drawers, and get their real competition over with already.

BMW feels different to drive, and that difference is what some of you want to leave behind as you sense yourself aging into wanting more comfort. At 59, I am in no hurry and want to get back to the feeling which feeds back through the steering wheel, the sense of the chassis coming alive, and the overall experience of being "one with the car". I can feel it, and I like it, and although the C Class has been excellent in many ways, it just doesn't have that sensation about it. I may one day get old enough to come back, but next time around in a year or two, a 6 speed 2 Series Gran Coupe, about the same size as my decades-ago original 320i, should be wonderful.

LeifW

I'll dip my toe into this BMW and Mercedes comparison. I owned a 1995 BMW 318ti Club Sport. I sold that and purchased a 2005 C230 Sport Sedan which in turn I traded in on a 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe. After driving the 1M for a while now, I gotta say the C230 compares quite well in some areas. It definitely felt more solid. Also, I think the steering had a little better feel.

I traded in the C230 because the 1M was as close to my favorite car (original E30 M3) as I was going to get. If the 1M hadn't come out, I would probably still have the C230 or I would've gone for the 2013 C350 with the new sport package. That's a nice combination. To bad MB doesn't have the steering wheel paddle shifters on the Sedan.

Bottom line for me, both BMW and Mercedes Benz make great cars. If I had the financial resources, I would have kept the C230 and have it along side the 1M. Hopefully one day, I will be back in the MB fold.

One last item, the C230 was very reliable.

Leif W.

MDMercedesGuy

I believe it was Road and Track who got 6.4.

I've done several informal 0-60s in my car and averaged 6.6. The damn turbo lag kills it off the line if you just boot the pedal. It's definitely more of a midrange puller than a stoplight drag car.

fireline43

I think people have gotten me wrong here. I owned the bmw before this. I think they make a nice car. I just believe MB is the better of the two overall. I think some people here have a experience with the older BMW's then the new ones being released. They don't have that super driving feel that they used to have.

LILBENZ230

Indeed.