oh by the way, just to mention an important point.

Asking such a question on the c63 forum is kinda a way to justify your decision on the c63.
Try the question the m3 forums, you'll get the opposite results. lol.

 

^^Good point, although when to comes to daily driving, just seeing it on paper it's easily done better with the C63. Gobs of more torque and a great automatic transmission. The C63 can be tracked but does a much better job than the M3 on the street. Plus, you stated E92 M3, you get 2 more doors with the C63 along with more practicality all while having amazing performance.

 

if you havent driven both you cant make a compassion drive the m with the pp you will be convinced that the merc is the better buy.

 

I have just joined the forum (my first post) and have also just placed my first order ever for a MB vehicle - a C63. I had always admired BMW (and still do) and had decided to purchase an M3 for daily use only (my only competitive outlet is getting 'clear' in Hong Kong's often sluggish traffic). I test drove an M3 and would agree with other contributors that the M3 engine is a gem, the sound alone is symphonic! The point I would make here is that at low to 'normal' speeds in medium traffic conditions for those living in urban areas, the M3 felt heavy, almost sluggish. When finding a bit of space to exercise my right foot, the engine came to life (and how), but only as the engine was allowed to work at a higher RPM range.

At the urging of a colleague, I test drove the C63. The differences were enlightening. The menu of choices available to M3 drivers is truly amazing for some, confusing for others. The 'darker' side of the AMG design hints at what is to come when the rubber hits the road. The ways in which both manufacturers have controlled costs is also in evidence (the M3 is not a 7-series and the C63 is not an 'S'). The internal appointments reflect the different 'design cultures' of BMW and MB - you choose the one that suits.

The power and flexibility of the AMG engine was for me the deal clincher. Instantly responsive, effortlessly flexible, and accompanied by a 'rock concert' soundtrack, the C63 instantly endeared itself to me. It was ready to play each time my right foot even twitched. At the same time, when meandering through traffic, it was completely happy to 'dawdle' without demanding anything of the driver. I am not able to comment at length on ride stiffness, as it felt very comfortable to me (I test drove a standard, but ordered the P30 performance package).

For me it comes down to this: in the hands of an expert exploring the outer reaches of the performance envelope on a track, an M3 may have a very slight edge (at least according to some reviews - I have to rely on the experience of others!), but in the daily reality of driving and enjoying the experience of traveling from here to there and back again, the C63 is the car you want to wake up to each morning.

 

M-DCT with a GIAC tune and your M3 is a fast overall performer.

So far.. this transmission is a great equalizer over mods on the C63.

On a real world situation.. its hard to beat that transmission from a dig or roll.

Even boosted 335's need alot of mods to out run a tuned M3 with DCT.


Since I don't owned a W204 C class.. (only W203) and if I had the choice..I would pick the M3. Just my opinion.

 

Fastest E92 M3 listed on drag times is a 2008 DCT and it ran 12.196 at 115.17. No where close to the fastest C63 times.

 

Agreed! I'll gladly run any tuned E92 M3 DCT with my tuned C63 from a dig, a roll, a dead stop or on a road course. I have yet to find one that can hang with me in any of these venues!

 

There are some great videos on YouTube pitting the M against the C63. The vids corroborate everything said here about "track" vs street. The C63 is an absolute monster on the straight away, but loses time on the turns at high speed track racing. To me, the choice is really clear--if you're racing on the track and want to shave a few seconds off your time, the M is a better choice, but if you're not, the C63 is the Unholy Terror that will rule the highways and byways like no other.

 

Great review!

There are now N54-powered (135i/335i) cars with full bolt-on mods running in the low 11s at 120+ mph. That's modded C63 range...

 

Terry's car and hotrod182's car are not the norm, imho; those guys push the envelope, weight reduction, and boost to the extreme on their N54 engines. They're of course running on race gas with super custom race gas maps AND DRs; those guys are some seriously experienced drag racers. Other tuned 135i/335i drivers with similar mods just cannot reproduce their times.

I believe that a majority of highly modded BMW 135i/335i's are still running in the low-mid 12's @ 111-114mph with full mods (piggyback tune, DPs, Intake, FMIC, exhaust, etc.)...not that there's anything wrong with that! They can be seriously quick cars.

 

Well said, I read up on N54Tech quite a bit, both Terry and hotrod got a lot of strip time. The 335i is a very quick and fast car with the mods, it does have it's bit of issues. I've always wonder how in the world BMW made a turboed car that doesn't come with a factory oil cooler. I've read up stories about guys going into limp mode because of that and of course purchased an aftermarket one. You of course know all of this since you owned a 335i and did your research. With that being said, it has nothing on the C63, right?

 

Thank you everyone for all the advice/comments... Yesterday I decided to go with the C63 and it should be here tomorrow... Very excited

Thanks
-Tyler

 

Congrats! Post pictures when you get it..

 

Hey man is that a new sig pic? Looks badass. That yellow 996 looks awesome as well

 

I love the C63 AMG, but the E9x M3 isn't as exciting to me. But ruining things is the fact that I'm one of those nuts that loves having three pedals in cars. If the C63 AMG had a manual transmission, this would be a no-brainer 10 out of 10 times for me. That being said, I dont like the E9x M3 enough to actually want it, 6-speed and all. Great handling and power but not the type of power I like; low-end torque is where the fun lies, especially in a daily driver.

So, do you think Kleeman or somebody could take the 6-speed out of the regular C300 or 280 or whatever, strengthen it, and plop it into a C63?

 

With the amount of money that would cost, you might as well move up a car-rank to something faster than the c63 with a manual tranny.

 

Well said. Cannot go wrong with either. C63 is a little faster, M3 handles a little better....but both are very quick and both handle really well....only other thing is the tranny differences, great to have the choice of two such sweet compact rides. I find the C63's exterior details a little fussy but I don't love the E92/90 either and looks are purely subjective in this instance. I guess it comes down to Nascar torque or Formula 1 high revs...

 

i think the thing is C63 feels a lot faster than m3 stock for stock and if you max both cars out with mod C63 is a lot faster than a M3

Also eventhough m3 revs to 8k but C63's 6.2 revs to 7k and thats not bad at all for a 6L engine nvm with proper tuning C63's engine can go up to 7.5k. Overall C63's engine is just a whole lot more exciting than M3's

Only if M3 has 100more torque it would be the ultimate sports sedan

 

I doubt the transmission would last 500 miles before it went kaboom with that much torque, wishful thinking . You'd have to build a whole new tranny from the ground up for the 6.3L most likely.

 

Hey guys picked up the new ride yesterday... so far love it and have gotten a lot of good looks... will try to post some pics when i get a chance

-Tyler

 

Congrats Tyler, good to see you made the right choice......pics ASAP!!

 

Be prepared to put some disappointing faces on every M3 owner you dispose of.

 

Resale value.

BMW and the M3 wins any day...

If you dont care about that the C63 is better.

 

I'm sure this isn't true for anyone owning an 08 with the older IDRIVE interface let alone anyone who owns a Alpine White/Fox Red combo. It seems like 1 out of every 3 M3's is that color combo. Don't get me wrong it is certainly nice, but way to common in that car.

 

just because its common doesnt mean that it doesnt have a good resale value. just check out the e46 m3s for sale and how many of them have over 20k miles and are listed for over $45k USD.