S500Sport

Can anyone explain to me, how the C450 has loads more power than the 340xi but yet has comparable performance numbers?

tmoneyC450amg

I think BMW brings power to the wheels more effectively via better handling, transmission, and weight distribution

Xtrema

340xi, S4, C450, you can't go wrong with performance for all 3. It only comes to style and dealer service that differentiate them.

tmoneyC450amg

The only reason why I didn't go with the 340xi was because the interiors of the BMW 3-series is just horrible. No refresh in the new model and the dash and interior looks like my Honda Accord whereas the C-class sedans have the interiors of an exotic luxury car

topsider

it is widely believed that bow's quoted power numbers are at the wheels vs at the crank. when you strap an M5 on the dyno its throwing out almost 660 hp at the crank, and 560 at the wheels, which is the amount of power they claim it has.

MASSC450

Ding...ding...ding! BMW's 8 sp transmission is superb compared to the outdated Mercedes 7G.

The main reason why I would wait for the 9 sp C43.

hans007

yeah i'd wait for the c43 assuming the sedan gets the 9 speed. seems to cut about .2 seconds off. (the numbers mercedes quotes for the c43 coupe are .2 seconds faster to 60) either that or in the real world they are probably pretty equal.

as a current F30 owner I agree that the interior is terrible relative to the new mercedes (guess what i'm buying next...). even on the M3/M4 with the full leather, you are still probably in a worse interior than a W205 with mb-tex dash, and ash wood etc.

alexasa

iTrader: (1)

I went with the c450 because it was the best deal to be had.

I looked at the 3/4 35/40 and they wanted an insane amount of money (they are usually quite fair).

I am coming from an S4, and while I love it - it's time for something new. The S4 also has quite a decent bit of body roll that I am sick of. The S4 has supercharger whine, which some will love (I do) and other will hate. The c450 has much more personality in the noise department.

koalafury

So I have been looking very closely into the C450 since I am nearly ready to upgrade my car. I have been contemplating pretty vigorously between the BMW M2 vs the C43 Coupe and was going to order sometime this fall. I love the idea of AWD so I swayed to Mercedes. I kind of fell in love with the AWD on my Subaru but the dyno numbers I am seeing on the C450 so far is terrible. (260ish Hp at the wheels on 91/93 Oct) My current Stage 2 15' WRX has more power than this. I wanted to buy a classy car while having more power keeping it stock. Give me some input C450 owners. Is it enough power for you? Is the power band linear or does the turbo die off early? In the past couple days of reading it almost feels like the M2 is a better bet (hp + DCT + Track ready suspension) even though I personally like the design of C43 better.

nvestr

Can't talk about dyno numbers but performance numbers for the C450 have been very good in terms of 0-60 and 1/4 mile times.

Gungaslow

The 260whp #s you are seeing are on dyno dynamics and mustang dynos.. My stage 2 sti made 260whp on the same dyno.. Stock was about 215...most BMWs get put on a dyno jet since most are 2wd and those read much higher.. Stock n55 BMW engines read about 300whp on those.. I bet if both cars were on the same dyno the hp would be very close...
Power on the c450 is very linear and seems to pull to redline stock.. I have not tuned mine yet.. I can definitely feel that it's faster than my 09 stage 2 sti... But the quick auto transmission in the Benz definitely helps that feeling cause it covers more ground on the same street I drove the sti..

RobbieAZ

I went with the C450 for several reasons. It looks way better both inside and out. There are far fewer of them on the roads (BMWs are everywhere around here). The performance is close enough to everything in its class not to matter to me. And I am totally happy with my choice.

Robvoip

Test drove the 340 M-Pack xdrive before I went with the c450 AMG. The C450 is definitely quicker (verify with motortrend or car and driver the c450 traps 2-3 mph more). I also drove a new S4 and it was definitely quicker than that as well. My previous cars were a 2006 stage 2 STI, a 2009 stage 2 STI and a 2015 WRX stage 2, the c450 is definitely quicker than all 3.

koalafury

Yeah I usually run mustang dyno and seeing 270-275 hp on my stage 2 wrx at 5000ft elevation. I was just really surprised to see the 260s number on the dynos people are talking about. If I do choose the C43 coupe I would definately do a stage 1 flash. I feel like I am getting too old for loud TBE so I would keep everything else stock.
I think Audis are out of the game. They dumped the dual clutches and going with traditional auto for reliability which seems a little downplayed for a performance line. It comes down to the M2 vs C43. Mercedes definately seem classier as far as looks go. It seems like the C43 coupe will have some upgrades compared to the current C450 so I will be able to better decide when it gets released. I assume the C43 coupe will be about +4k above C450 price seeing the trend on other trims. This puts the C43 coupe I would want at about 62k after options/destination vs 59k fully loaded M2. It is good to know that the C450 is linear. Great to know that no one so far seem disappointed with their C450 decision.

Mr. J

FYI, the exhaust note on the M2 is very whiny and sounds more like a 4 banger than a TT6.

I'm sure the M2 has more giddyup though. It's considerably lighter, has a has a smoother more responsive tranny, and a much higher HP:weight ratio.

So the real decision here boils down to what you want. C43 has 4matic, a much nicer interior, and better advanced tech options (HUD, Distronic, etc.). The M2 is quicker, has better handling characteristics (on dry pavement) and is much more responsive.

These are not apples to apples comparisions.

koalafury

Yeah I did notice the M2 exhaust note. And its getting help from speakers too. It sounds nothing like the M3/M4.
This is why I am asking you C450 owners. Between myself and my family we have always been a lexus/audi owners. This is the first time I am looking to go bmw/mb. It feels at the price range I am looking at, if I want a AWD there is no competition for me than the C43. If I want a RWD, the M2.

lbowroom

It doesn't do much good to compare published peak HP and torque numbers. You need complete, calibrated dyno graphs and then compare the entire area under the curve from idle to redline.

MASSC450

I know it's not a true "M2", but have you driven a M235i xDrive yet? I test drove a 2016, and man was that car fun to drive!

Arthrodesis

If you want a coupe, get the M2. I think you will be happier unless you really need awd.

hbu

I test drive the 340xi, S4 and C450.
For performance and handling, S4 wins. supercharger drive gives instant power. S4 has the very good connection to the road. The interior is nicely done. The infotainment system is easy and make sense to use. To only draw back is the back seat is not as big as C450

For 340xi, I am kind of disappointed. The interior is ok but doesn't standout. Kind of boring. The performance is there but doesn't have the excitement as the S4 and C450. Handling is not bad but not as good as S4.

I get the C450 at the end. The interior is nice. The handling is not as good as S4 but very close. At least better than 340xi. 360hp and 380tq is the best amount the other 2.
For discount, I got 7200 off msrp and great leasing rate. 340xi only have 4K off and S4 only have 6% off msrp. So c450 is the winner for me.

Beside, I am not fan of 9 speed transmission. Usually, new transmission always has problem. I rather stick with the 7 speed transmission which its is good enough for me.

Robvoip

While I am happy you picked the c450, I disagree that the s4 performs better. I test drove and ran many during drag strip runs and lapping events with my subarus, it does not have the acceleration from a rolling start as the c450 and it is just as grippy as my old 2015 WRX. The c450 with the max summer p-zeros corners much better than my Subaru.

RA7822

Hopefully the 9G has been tweaked and there won't be any major issues. Should make for an exciting drive especially with quicker 0-60, quieter drive, and better fuel consumption.

alexasa

iTrader: (1)

The c450 definitely feels quicker than the S4.

z28lt1

Motortrend tested them at the exact same 4.4 0-60 and 13.0 1/4 mile, although the C450 is trapping over 2 MPH more at the end of the 1/4.

C450 is a second quicker in the MT Figure 8, although almost the same average lateral gs in the figure 8.

So, performance is really close.

alexasa

iTrader: (1)

Those figures are with auto transmissions I'm assuming.

My S4 is a manual and I don't believe it is that quick 0-60.