bikenumber99

Hi everyone,

My 2014 BMW 335i is coming towards the end of its lease and I am looking for a new sports sedan to replace it. Most obvious contenders are the BMW 340i, Mercedes C43 and the Audi S4. Given that the 340i is virtually the same car as what I have now and seeing how the interiors of the other 2 cars are right now way ahead of it, it was immediately dropped. Now, I am confused between the Mercedes AMG C43 and the Audi S4. I test drove both of them this week and liked some things about each of them. Wanted to see if anyone else has or is currently cross shopping the two and what has been their experience.

Things I liked about the C43 are the performance exhaust, the black ash wood and other interior trim materials look classy, vented seats option, the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the car over the different driving modes, and the fact that lease payments are favorable. Things I did not like include the light feeling steering wheel with a lot of free play in the center, the column mounted shifter and the lack of CarPlay option with the Command Module (the smaller 7" screen looks cheap to me).

Things I liked about the Audi S4 are the availability of a limited slip differential, fully digital virtual cockpit, integration of CarPlay with the stock MMI interface, and quality and comfort of the nappa leather S sport seats. Things I did not like include the lack of seat ventilation with the S sport seats, quieter exhaust and that lease deals are exorbitant right now.

I realize that this is an MB forum and people will be biased towards the C43, but I would love to hear if I am overlooking something. Car will primarily be my wife's daily driver and I will take over the wheel on weekend fun drives or long distance travels.

Cheers!

GLC63M3

As someone who REALLY wanted the Car Play option, and then had in a rental car last week. I won't be missing it.

It was the most frustrating and annoying piece of software when it came to business use.

Long story short I had to shuffle between calling Delta, checking my GPS in rural areas and the fact that what you see on the screen HAS to be whats on your phone was beyond annoying. I won't be missing it for now.

The virtual cockpit on the Audi is pretty sweet, but I just think the Audi's look too plain and have no personality.

RichardCranium3

I can second lackluster feelings about CarPlay. Traveling for work leads to lots of rentals so I've spent 1000mi or so in cars with it. While I'm an Apple geek, I'm still a car geek first and foremost....I'll never pay extra for CarPlay given the option.

On the Audi front, I've always been a huge fan having owned one previously. However, other than the new digital display, nothing too interesting going on inside cabin. I honestly could've gone either way and waited for the new S4, but the Merc interior and the wife's eyes on the styling got me to pull the trigger on the C43.

imj0257

I think I can help out because it sounds like you are in the EXACT same boat I was a couple months ago.

I was looking for something to replace my car and it came down to the S4 or C43 as well! And I'm not biased because I was coming from an Acura.

From my observations:
Both cars are sporty and beautiful on the outside, however the winner definitely has to be the C43. I love the lines of it. Don't get me wrong, the S4 also looks great, but is a bit more boring compared to the C43.

Both have plenty of power and were fun to drive. It was 50/50 there.

IMO, the interior of the C43 blows the S4 out of the water. I also liked the S4 seats, but I honestly thought the rest of the interior was nothing special at all. And the fact that it STILL didn't have a USB port?! SERIOUSLY? Whereas the C43 is pure quality all throughout the interior. And don't worry about the column shifter.. I too thought it was weird but I got used to it in no time. I actually like it as it frees space up in the middle (or rather doesn't have a shifter sticking out).

Again, I was torn, but in the end I went with the C43 because OVERALL it was the better car to me. The exterior design/looks and the interior are superior to the S4 and the exhaust sound of the C43 also was just .. awesome. and I knew it would be a better daily driver for me and I knew I would be happier with it.

So in the end, I went with the C43. Well, actually, I saved myself 10-15k and went with the 2016 model the C450... exact same car as the C43 basically.. just 7 gear transmission whereas the C43 has the 9 gear transmission.
Both would not budge on price of the car. The Merc was more expensive but I also got 2 year maintenance package and tint included with the purchase.

I couldn't be happier with my purchase

unr1

this is why I don't see CarPlay as something I miss. I've tested it in Honda and Chevy and that's the deal breaker. It's very annoying to have he entire screen switch to whatever is on the phone. And besides that, most apps are not supported with CarPlay. So if you switch to one of those apps the screen in the car just shows the icons on the car's navigation screen.

Carplay needs a lot of improving. I always think to myself whenever I see that long carplay petition thread in the w205 forum. Those guys don't know the crap they are coveting after.

Lionel_Hutz

Not missing out on anything at all in CarPlay. If you already have Nav the only big advantage is the slick music/Spotify integration. But at least on my Golf R this was buggy as hell--I was lucky if Spotify worked 20% of the time. Easier to just do it through BT or USB.

unr1

yea, BT is so convenient. And thankfully this car has two USB ports (although the back seats could use some). The previous MB I had didn't even come with USB without a dongle. It was always a pain to connect phones for audio.

bikenumber99

Wow, I did not expect such a unanimous bashing of CarPlay. Sounds like if I go with the C43, I will just get COMMAND instead, much preferred that screen. Only thing is, given that I will have the car for the next 3 years, it's certain CarPlay would evolve over this time and be less buggy.

Thanks for the feedback, but if it was a couple of months back, you are probably talking about the B8.5 S4 and not the new B9 S4 which only came into showrooms 03/2017 (at least in the US). The interiors on the new one are pretty good and all the tech bits are actually a bit better than the Merc.

sean1.8t

I've typed out the comparison of these 2 so many times I just can't do it anymore. I feel that it comes down to which one you see yourself being more excited to drive everyday. This time around for me, it was the Benz. I used to be an Audi die hard fan boy and never thought I would be getting into a Benz unless I was rich and was getting into a S63-AMG (as Audi doesn't compete to well in those upper segments IMO) or something similar.

I do really like Audi's 'Virtual Cockpit' but It's something that I can live without as I prefer almost everything else on/in the Benz to the Audi.

I will tell you this about the column shifter though as it was something that I was hung up on before I purchased. That is the one thing I didn't like about the Benz. But I forgot I used to hate it because I LOVE it so much now. In a matter of a week, I went from:

This thing sucks - Okay, this aint so bad - You know, this thing is really convenient now that I think about it - To now, I hate it when I get into other automatics with the traditional "stick" shifter. Especially the way the new ones these days are that don't have an actual linkage. Confusing things that are quite literally killing people as they think that they're in park when not.

The steering column stalk shifter is so convenient and it's nice to have something you don't use often out of the way. It's right there where your hands are when maneuvering from P to R to D and all of that. Plus, it makes room for more center console activities!

You obviously get used to whatever ergonomics that you use regularly, but I do believe that whenever I go back to a vehicle with a center console stick, I'm seriously going to miss the Benz setup.

sean1.8t

I was biased towards the Audi as I've been driving them for the past 10 years and LOVED them. And I still chose the Benz over the Audi

dcpattie

How about the new 2018 Jag XE S? 380 HP and starts at 52K.

OC6.3AMG

I replaced my S4 B8.5 with a C43 and IMO it's in a different league. If you get the C43, make sure you get it with the AMG Exhaust.

arnold0523

If you want the driving experience and people looking at your cars - go for C43. Like others said, you need to have AMG EXHAUST!!! I haven't heard anyone said go without it. The exhaust alone is enough reason to pick C43 VS S4.

About CarPlay. I was expecting it to do a lot more, but basically, it's a feature that mimic your phone screen. One thing better than COMAND is that it intergrates Googlemap. But you still need to switch back and forth on the screen to see your music playlist etc. Also, I don't want my passengers to see my phone contact list on a big screen! While I am calling, it would show the contact list. I would not pay any extra for CarPlay. I suggest you play around the E class with the CarPlay.

5ilver-5urfer

http://www.evo.co.uk/audi/s4/19065/a...-sports-saloon

Good article. Pretty informative and I don't see any overt bias in the reviewer.

CoolCanuck

Just to add my two cents, since I was (until yesterday) in exactly the same boat - looking at the 340xi, S4 and C43. Went with the C43, but was going to go with the S4 if I couldn't get the discounting I wanted. FWIW, my thought process was as follows:


- Completely concur about the pricing - Audi doesn't feel the need to discount or offer better lease rates than MB right now. Here in Canada, you also have to order the very top trim line of the S4 to get the virtual cockpit, which was far too expensive for that option, so it took that benefit off the table for me;


- I think the Audi may be better in terms of reliability - based on Consumer Reports, some reviews and crawling through forums. Not sure, but something to at least think about. Since it's a lease, that may not matter as much, vs. someone who buys and keeps a car for many years.


- Reviews: I feel like I've read/watched pretty much every review imaginable. Both cars get good ratings, though the A4/S4 seems to nudge out the C300/C43 more often. There's a huge gap in Consumer Reports (who love the A4), and while others dump on them, I respect their perspective. At the end of the day, my take away was that both are good.


- Overall, I think Audi may have swung the 'understated' approach way too far - the driving experience, the interior and the interior. It really underwhelmed me.


- Driving Experience: Obviously very quick and competent, but very 'muted' - there seems to be way more sound insulation, and to me at least, less drive feel - the whole thing seemed remote. As you point out, same thing with the exhaust note - it was all very muted too. Now, if you are going to mainly do long haul highway driving on cruise control, the S4 may be the better choice. For me, though, I loved how the different modes in the C43 could change its nature - of the exhaust and drive feel. In the S4, changing modes mostly felt just like a change in the shift points. Don't get me wrong, the S4 is so very good compared to so many other cars, but I liked the C43 much, much more.


- Interior: Again, very well put together (as every reviewer notes), but a bit too stark for me. Not a deal breaker, but I liked the C43 interior better. My family was completely underwhelmed with the S4 interior - it didn't give them a feeling of anything special. As well, the sports seats appear to take up more room for the back seat passengers. With two (tall) kids, that was an issue. The taller of the two barely fit in the back, which would have been a problem. More front head room in the S4, though (if that matters to you).


- Exterior: I really found the exterior to be to horribly vanilla - it did nothing for me. I was really disappointed at how plain/boring it was (to me). Every single reviewer alludes to that, and it really struck home for me. Now, I'm not in for flashy, over the top styling by any means at all (looking at you Lexus IS), but calling the S4 "understated" is well, an understatement :-). I far more agreed with the reviewer who suggested you could easily lose the S4 in a parking lot. That may be exactly what some want. For me, however, I want to have a big smile when I walk up to my car, and it wasn't happening for me with the S4. Now, could the C43 be better - yeah, I think it could, but it was better for me than the S4. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so others could feel differently.


In the end, happily pulled the trigger on the C43 - but as mentioned, would have fallen back on the S4 as a second choice. At the same time, however, I was worried about that - I think I may have felt a pang of disappointment at the S4's plainness each time, even though it's a really good car. For that kind of cash, I want the car to feel a bit special, and it just wasn't happening.


All of that said, they're both really good - if you're torn (as I was), that just means they're both close, so you can't go wrong.


Good luck!

keninblaine

@CoolCanuck: Thanks for your observations. Curious if there is any price flexibility with Dealers on the C43, since you mentioned there wasn't any with the S4.

FWIW, I currently have a RS3 with my name on it, due at my dealer in August. I have no obligation, so nothing to lose if I decide against it. I have been driving Porsches for the past 10 years, and turned in my Macan S last week to trade on the RS3. But I stumbled upon a slightly used C43 at my Porsche/Audi dealer that looked delicious, and it started me thinking about it as an alternative to the RS3. I want something sporty and fun, and not too big. I will test drive the C43 to see what I think of it, and how it compares to the 01 CLK55 I had from 02 until 06. Loved the car, and amazingly they were priced the same or higher then as the C43 is priced now, and the C43 appears much more sophisticated. I'm thinking that, as quick as the RS3 will be, it may be a little too raw for my needs. I have to admit I'm a little bit of a sucker for the luxurious aspect of the C43. More first world problems.

CoolCanuck

Hi Keninblaine, just bought my C43, so have fresh intel :-) In Canada, there sure is room for discounts, and from what I recall from this thread (assuming you're in the US), there's discounts to be had there too: https://mbworld.org/forums/c450-c43-...d-you-get.html


I hear you about the rawness issue - I've ridden in an RS5, and it sure wasn't a relaxing daily driver.... It would be too hard edged for me for daily driving.


Good luck!

cowboy019

I had a claim on an RS3 as well, but when I found a CPO C43 it was a no-brainer to me to go with the Merc. Having driven the S3, it's a great car, but not in the same league as the C43 - different class of vehicle. Add to that that there are no discounts on the RS3 (in fact you're probably lucky to get it at MSRP) and it doesn't make much sense unless you're a huge Audi RS geek, which I am not.

Modio1234

Now don't hate me guys but I will give some "facts" here.

They are going to be just as fast as each other.

The audis all wheel drive is 40/60 while the 4matic is more sport tuned at 31/69 split so the Audi would be better in the snow.

Because of the 31/69 split on the all wheel drive the c43 is going to corner with less understeer

Audis are known to be reliable since they are Volkswagen and are not good track cars just great daily drivers.

Lionel_Hutz

RichardCranium3

x2

sean1.8t

Having extensive seat time in Audi's over the years, and 1 winter in my 450, it's hard for me to say that the Audi is "better" in the snow. They're both amazing with Blizzaks on.

One thing I can undoubtedly say, the Benz is more fun. More fun to play with in an empty snow covered parking lot. And more fun on dry pavement as it holds a corner with more confidence as Audi's love to understeer with their engine being 100% ahead of the front axle. the 450/43s motor is right on top of the front axle and that larger rear bias really REALLY helps

Twowheelsgood

Glad to hear your winter experience. I currently own an Audi B8 S4 with sport diff. I swap the 19" summer wheels/tires for an18" winter setup and I've been happy with that. It's time for me to trade the S4 and after driving a C43 and a B9 S4 back to back, I'm going with the C43. In the Audi, the sport diff makes a huge difference but from limited driving it seems the C43 rotates fine with the brake torque vectoring and open diff. The C43 motor and the whole driving experience are way more engaging than the Audi.

My C43 order will have 19" wheels and will be my first car with run flats. The C43 had a more compliant ride than my S4 despite the run flats. There doesn't seem to be much choice for 18" winter run flats at Tire Rack so I guess it would be Blizzaks and a sealant/inflation kit.

sean1.8t

Glad I could help

I did the regular Blizzaks and just bank on roadside assistance. But the sealant/inflation route isn't a bad choice by any means.

Glad to hear you like the 43! You really can't go wrong with either car. Neither are perfect, but both are awesome!!

Twowheelsgood

These are the times that try mens' souls, at least in the first world. The local MB shop offered 16,500 for my 2010 Audi S4. They don't yet know 2018 C43 pricing and can't place an order until July. There is no 2017 C43 in the USA that matches my specs.

The local Audi shop offers 18,000 for the trade and found a 2018 S4 in country that matches my specs. MSRP for that car undercuts a 2017 C43 build by 2,500 and they're offering an 1,800 discount that I could probably drive a bit lower.

In the Audi's favor are better nav/MMI that I'm already familiar with, torque vectoring diff, magnahelic shocks, more adjustable seats, likely better reliability, lower cost and I can get it right now. What the Audi lacks is soul, which the C43 has in spades. What's the price differential on that?