Did anybody read the article in the May edition of Automobile Magazine?
It compares the new C32, the BMW M3, and the Audi S4. It pretty much said the C32 wins by a small margin, with the Bimmer only having a little more "driver involvement" (read: stick shift).
The track tests show that the Merc and the Bimwad are neck and neck in the 0-62 mph (5.2 secs) with the C32 having 16 more horses, and 70 more pounds of torque.
Seeing that the C32 weighs more than the M3 (3597 lbs vs. 3415 lbs) and the fact that it's a four door, as opposed to a two door, not to mention the auto tranny (Merc) and stick shift (Bimwad) I think the new little Benz holds up nicely.
The article ends by stating the BMW M3's "early performance edge already has been neutralized by the newcomer from Mercedes-Benz."
Chalk one up for Mercedes!

Ryan

I would love to see these tests rerun after three years! That should be plently of time for the Mercedes engine to get broken in and gain some more speed.

Also, compare how many trips to the dealer the cars have for unscheduled maintanence, like the M3's high strung valvetrain???

I still question why those statistic are so important. How many times you can recall seeing a C-Class, for that matter, any car going from 0-60 for no reason? I can say I have not seen any car peeling out from red light to red light. Maybe its the small town where I live. I just read an article on MSN that the new C-Class is one of the best car buy. But some how the comparison with BMW is also brought up. The new C is an entry level luxo sedan according to the article, but yet the analyst said the performance of the new C is inferior that of the 3-series Bimmer. Duh, a C IS a SEDAN. It was never intended to be a sport car. So what if a Bimmer outrun a C, the speed limit on the highway is still 65, and city is 25. So what a guy driving a Bimmer gets to the next red light sooner than me? He still has to sit there for the green. Lets get a grip, life is not just getting to your destination couple seconds faster. Be happy what you have, people from other parts of the world don't even have cars.

95 R129
98 W163

I guess here in California, everyone races each other! It seems at every stoplight, I see a Porsche racing a Bimmer, a Viper racing a Corvette, etc. So the bragging rights are always in question at every stoplight. Especially with the expensive cars! I saw an M5 trying to catch a brand new Porsche Turbo on the freeway the other day......

he..he..he..

if you have a sport car (car with pretty nice power), wouldn't you like to try out some other car (race them, chase them, and what else that pleases you).
I guess it doesn't matter anymore whether it is a luxury car or not, nowadays every manufacturer want to produce the best car there is, wether it is sedan or coupe.
For a car like mercedes, lexus, bmw, I am not going to paythe extra money just for the luxury sake only, I want the most out of my car. Power, yet luxury, comfort, and handling. (True there is always a compromising trade off between handling and comfort).

I think nowadays are more people think like me, get the most out of you car.

Look at other car such as Lexus came up with new engine lately 4.3l (GS430,LS430, and SC430). I think they are considering the performance aspect of car finally.
They are all want to be the best car out there.
I admit so far BMW handle better than mercedes, and perform better (regardless the tranny). So even the E46 3-series is more comfortable than their predecessor E36 3 series. So are W202 and W203, W203 handle more precise compare to W202 (I test drove C320) the other day, I am pretty impressed with the handling). Eventhough I currently drive a C-AMG, I still felt the steering response of the W203 is more precise, superior...


So long life motorsport..(///AMG + ///M === Joy)
I think you should enjoy you car anyway you can..
when you drive a C32 of course you will want to race an M3. That if you see one on the road (off course always pick the same size for a fight..he..he. .., so you're not going to be embarassed)

Just FYI , I've been a die hard BMW fan, and Mercedes..for so long. They do have some advantages/disadvantages over each other, but yet I think these are the best 2 German automobile..
And of course if you want a German sport car, Porsche will be my #1 pick..
Regardz,

J Irwan

The new C32 AMG garnered a great deal of praise from the latest May issue of Car Magazine, a very authoritative UK publication. The SLK32 AMG was also well regarded (although both reviews were brief "Newcomer" articles rather than in-depth tests).

Personally I think the new AMG wheels are disappointing. A sad departure from the 5 slot disc style and lacking any historical cues (and BMW do wheels so well). The new front air dam, although obviously striking a formula one inspired pose is also a little ugly for me.

That said, for me the new M3 and M5 BMW cars are quite simply crass, especially when compared to the no-need-to-shout-about-it Q-ship M-cars of the eighties. They could not be called sleepers anymore: medallion man step this way.

The automatic transmission was singled out for praise--as was the speed shift system that is unique to the new 3.2 litre supercharged V-6--while the handling and grip were feted. Apparently the C32 AMG has far superior brakes to the M3: 7 feet less stopping distance from 60 mph. That could make all the difference. Sadly no ceramic disc option although I'm sure AMG would cook them up to special order.

The Audi S4 has been discontinued, by the way. Don't know why.

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JJ Rodger
2013 G350 Bluetec
1999 SL 500
1993 E300 diesel T
1990 190

I once did a vacation in New Mexico where I rented some type of ford or something that didn't have very much power. I found myself terrified and in not just a little danger when attempting to merge onto freeway traffic: the underpowered car took forever getting up to speed, causing oncoming traffic to swerve around me. Luckly I made 65 before the big 18-wheeler had to make the choice of crusing me like road kill or attempting a dangerous swerve.

After that experience, I became a true believer in "the more power, the better."

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john
'87 2.3-16v
'92 500E

That automobile magazine comparision pretty much sums it up. The C32 does not weight close to 3,600 lbs but more like 3,460. You see in Europe when MB weighs their cars the put a 70 kg driver and 10 kg of luggage in the trunk is included, so the C32 should weigh just a little more than the M3, so the C32 will be as fast as the M3.