Hi everyone,

it's been about 10 days since I got my new c43 sedan. It's beautiful and I'm enjoying it very much, however I'm curious about the thoughts of those who have driven a BMW before. I was coming from a 2010 328 coupe, a much weaker car from HP perspective and a lot less luxurious (zero options, and stick shift). While I can definitely appreciate the plush, interior styling, looks and power from the MB, I must say that I still feel more connected to the bimmer. The steering wheel is much much stiffer, turning feels much more connected to the ground and the turning ratio is also much tighter (I could do a u turn in a narrow street without backing up, while I need to back up with the MB). The MB's steering is so much softer that I could steer with one finger (somehow I didn't realize during the test drive). I'm not saying it's worse, in fact the c43 is a much better car altogether of course, but I'm just curious about the driving sensation that any of you ex bimmer owners have experienced in the bimmer vs the MB.

Thanks!

I too have heard BMW's steering weight is very high compared to other brands.

BMW is widely known to have the best handling of the majority of cars and are used as a benchmark all the time.

Also, I would not compare the C43 to the 328 at all. 340i perhaps.

If I had to drive a car for the next 4 years, I'd take the C43. If I had to drive it beyond 4 years, I'd take the equivalent BMW hands down. Once the drama of the C43 wears off in a few years, I think people will realize the BMW will age more gracefully.

We've had 3 BMWs and 5 Benzes throughout these past 20 years.

In my experience, the BMW's have always had more problems and the problems appear much earlier than they do in Benz with similar problems.
- Vacuum door functionality going out in the 535GT after just 5 years vs the S350 going out after 10 years.
- LCD on the nav screen going out intermittently on the BMWs, never happening in the Benzs

Maybe just our luck. I dunno

Keep in mind your 2010 BMW 328 has hydraulic steering. No one makes hydraulic steering racks anymore.

I personally would not drive a BMW because of the community and "douche" status attached to them. I don't care how good or fast the car is.

Lol Merc drivers aren't any better!

Majority of the time, between equivalent BMW, Benz, & Audi cars, the Bimmer will always drive and feel better. The Benz is the best all around vehicle but BMW is the self proclaimed "drivers car" for a reason. They focus on this above all else and always engineer their cars to have near, if not perfect, weight distribution.

As well as previously said, hydraulic > electric steering.

When Audi introduced electric steering in their A4's first the first time in like 2008, users on Audizine's forums pinpointed its control module and fuze. If you pulled the fuze it basically removed power steering entirely. So they added in a switch to toggle it on or off. Have it on for normal use, but then when you went for a spirited drive through the canyons, you just flip the switch and had 100% road feel.

I wonder if we can do the same?

I'm currently driving a e92 lci 335xi, aka 2011 (first year of the mid-cycle refresh and N55 vs N54 engine) 335 coupe with x-drive, WITHOUT BMW active steering. I've currently got a C43 coupe on order.

That connected feeling is by in large due to the move from hydraulic to electric power steering. Only a handful of companies have been able to simulate "feel" well through EPS, Porsche for example. I've rad that BMW has been able to bring some feel back into the 2018 4 series coupe that was lost going to EPS, but I didn't test drive the 2018 (I feel the 4 series has become too large). The C43 comes closest in length and width to my e92.

According to manufacturer specs, my BMW is supposed to only have a slightly smaller turning radius than the c43 coupe. Not sure if your 328 is RWD or AWD, the RWD has a smaller turning radius vs the AWD version. I didn't look at C43 sedan, but I'm fairly sure it's a longer car than the 328 coupe which means it needs more space to turn. I'm curious if the C43 coupe and sedan have a different turning radius, but too lazy to research it.

For heavier steering you'll need to set your steering to sport/sport +