2012 merc c250, audi a4, bmw 320i

[battlebot]

hey

so im in the market for a new car and id thought id get into the entry level luxury market

in your opinion which of these 3 has best value for money?

mercedes c class c250

audi a4 (the quattro)

bmw 320i

[little_wan]

Just went through the same comparison except with the 335 and C350. I went with the C350 because Mercedes had a good promotion (free 4-matic, $3500 off and first 3 payments free), so it ended up being way cheaper than the BMW with the same options.
I don't think you can go wrong buying any of the 3, so It just comes down to which you like best during test drive and what price the dealer can get you.

[roopi]

Looked at some similar cars as well for my wife and ended up going with a C300. She loves the car I wish I would have went for the C350 though.

[shakalaka]

Went through the same comparison a little while ago and ended up with a C350. Just didn't find them as common as the 3 series and I liked the look of the Benz sedan more. Can't really go wrong with either of them.

[Aleks]

A4 will outperform the rest by a wide margin with the new 8sp auto trans. Also I think it looks the best and you can't get the bmw with xdrive yet if I remember right.

[Mibz]

Originally posted by Aleks
A4 will outperform the rest by a wide margin with the new 8sp auto trans. Also I think it looks the best and you can't get the bmw with xdrive yet if I remember right. Have you driven it? My wife was pretty much sold on an A4 until we drove it. It feels like a geriatric compared to the C300 and 328i, let alone C350 and 335i. It feels big and slow. The BMW definitely has the sportier suspension and better engine (in both the 328 and 335) but we both prefer the MB for interior and exterior looks.

Honestly, if the 328i looked like the C-class coupe we would have bought one months ago :P

[rage2]

For 2013 C's, you can order the Black Series interior in the C350 Coupes with the Sport package (Code 956). Oddly enough, in the base C250 you can get that interior PLUS AMG suspension, more aggressive steering, larger brakes, AMG exhaust, and rev matched downshifts with the Sport Plus package (P84). What's even more strange is that the optional interior is NOT available on the C63's haha.

Aside from the CF interior bits and AMG Black Series emblems, the sport package interior is identical to the BS.

Heads up for those looking at non AMG C Coupes.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Originally posted by Mibz
Have you driven it? My wife was pretty much sold on an A4 until we drove it. It feels like a geriatric compared to the C300 and 328i, let alone C350 and 335i. It feels big and slow. The BMW definitely has the sportier suspension and better engine (in both the 328 and 335) but we both prefer the MB for interior and exterior looks.

Honestly, if the 328i looked like the C-class coupe we would have bought one months ago :P

Agree with everything, except the OP is looking at a 320, not 328.

[Aleks]

Originally posted by Mibz
Have you driven it? My wife was pretty much sold on an A4 until we drove it. It feels like a geriatric compared to the C300 and 328i, let alone C350 and 335i. It feels big and slow. The BMW definitely has the sportier suspension and better engine (in both the 328 and 335) but we both prefer the MB for interior and exterior looks.

Honestly, if the 328i looked like the C-class coupe we would have bought one months ago :P

Haven't driven the new 8 spd version. OP only mentions 320/C250 as options.

Not sure why the A4 felt slow. It's quite a bit faster than the C300 even with the old trans.

[Mibz]

I didn't know we were getting the 320i, I assumed he meant 328i, my bad. We didn't drive the 250 or 320 so I guess I can't really make the comparison.

That said, I know the numbers say one thing, especially at this altitude, but the A4 just didn't feel good at all. More power to the guy who doesn't feel the same though!

[benyl]

The A4 and the 3 series have grown in size and weight.

The C class is still smaller than a civic. I dislike fat cars.

[Aleks]

Audi is definately heavier than the RWD C and 3. But the difference between RWD C class and RWD 3 series is less than 50 lbs.

Can't really go wrong with any of these cars. Such a first world problem arguing over what is better, an Audi or Mercedes :nut:

[benyl]

Fat isn't just weight, it is also girth. The a4 and 3 series keep growing with each new iteration.

[battlebot]

thanks for all your advice/comments:

heres what i feel about the 3 cars....

mercedes c250 has an amazing interior but its just too small compared to the other cars (interior space)

bmw is way too common and the interior trim seems cheap/dated compared to the other 2

audi seems to best but its much more expensive

first world problems :drama:

[Kg810]

Originally posted by battlebot
thanks for all your advice/comments:

heres what i feel about the 3 cars....

mercedes c250 has an amazing interior but its just too small compared to the other cars (interior space)

bmw is way too common and the interior trim seems cheap/dated compared to the other 2

audi seems to best but its much more expensive

first world problems :drama:

I'm assuming since you said the 3 series interior is dated that you were test driving a E9X. You might want to take a look at the F30 because the interior is definitely not dated.

My suggestion would be since you are looking at an entry level and you don't seem to have a favorite in terms of brand or styling, just go with whatever provides the best value and/or price.

It would be easier to gauge which one has the best value once you compare all three cars on equal terms (AWD, similar packages, etc).

[Mibz]

The gauge cluster on the F30 blew my mind.

[CanmoreOrLess]

My choice would be an Audi or BMW. We should all have such difficult choices in life....LOL.

A set of winter tires would make choosing the BMW easier over the Audi, also the summer tires would last four years as would the winter tires. Summer rims would be nice and protected from winter.

Edmonds did a run through on the 2012 Audi A4 vs. 2012 BMW 328i vs. 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 Comparison Test:

http://www.insideline.com/bmw/3-series/2012/2012-audi-a4-vs-2012-bmw-328i-vs-2012-mercedes-benz-c250-comparison-test.html

Conclusion from the article: Truth is, you won't go wrong with any of these cars.

All-weather ability, for example, might be necessary. If we lived in Colorado, we'd buy the 2012 Audi A4 and ditch the 19-inch wheels and tires in favor of a choice with lighter wheels and better-riding rubber.

[Lubu]

I would stay away from the E90 BMW's, I test drove the M3 and was not impressed by it at all. Everything about those E90 seemed how should I put it delicately "cheap" and lacked the elegance and styling that the previous generation (e46) had. Not to mention, performance, it just lacks behind the Audi

Don't get me wrong as I love BMW's and I have 3 M3's in my garage right now but in recent years, BMW has really cheapen the brand to the point that the new generation BMW is now the new Honda Civic as everywhere I turn, I see one. :( The new M5 is the only car from BMW that has stirred my loins to get one. The rest of the lineup interests me as much as watching the Kardashians on tv :barf:

[ducaudi]

What about those "Audi Care" "BMW Service" Packages that are included with the purchase price. I'm not too sure about MB's, but I seem to recall that Audi and BMW have that type of offering when you buy new or buy their CPO's.

[Mibz]

MB didn't have an equivalent when we were shopping there.

[Impreza]

I just went through the same thing and ended up with a C350 coupe. I wanted the 2013 AMG interior, but I couldn't pass up on the great deal I found on a 2012 hanging around the lot. Like everyone else has said, you really can't go wrong with any of these cars. The new C250 is surprisingly peppy though.

[benyl]

All of that is built into the price of the car.

I would go F30 328i.

[Xtrema]

A4 is a nice car but Quattro being front wheel drive bias, it feels more boring of the 3. The 8sp auto is actually pretty fast and a nice unit.

Interior wise, Audi lost quite a bit of lead in this front. I now like both 2012/13 model of C and 3 where I wasn't too fond of them before.

Also, there isn't a 320i at the moment. And I would pick a 328i over A4 2.0T. There is a reason why Audi detune the 3.0T from the S4 and put that in the A4 range in Europe.


Originally posted by ducaudi
What about those "Audi Care" "BMW Service" Packages that are included with the purchase price. I'm not too sure about MB's, but I seem to recall that Audi and BMW have that type of offering when you buy new or buy their CPO's.

Yeah, BMW has that built in the car's price and Audi will usually provided that as deal closer. Merc is cold hard cash on maintenance.

For average drivers, that's basically 1 service a year. Not a big deal.

[Impreza]

Originally posted by benyl
All of that is built into the price of the car.

I would go F30 328i.

:werd: If I wanted a sedan right now, this would be the car to get IMO.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Xtrema
A4 is a nice car but Quattro being front wheel drive bias, it feels more boring of the 3. The 8sp auto is actually pretty fast and a nice unit.
Is the sport diff available in the A4? I've driven the S4 and S5 with the sport diff, and the difference in the corners is night and day. It feels like a well sorted RWD car with lots of grip, instead of a FWD car.

[ducaudi]

Originally posted by rage2

Is the sport diff available in the A4? I've driven the S4 and S5 with the sport diff, and the difference in the corners is night and day. It feels like a well sorted RWD car with lots of grip, instead of a FWD car.

As Rage said about the the RWD feeling. Aren't Audi's 60/40 Rear?

[Xtrema]

40/60 front:rear is the default and max out to 85% rear if needed. This is basically the same a x-drive.

Sport diff basically adds left:right split torque vectoring, similar to Acura's SHAWD which improves handling.

Sport Diff seems to be S cars and above only, not on any A models, not even A7.

IMO, Sport Diff is a must. And that's mostly the consensus on Audi forums for S4/5.

The few weeks that I had the A4 loaner while adequate, feels subdue on the handling department.

[ducaudi]

Originally posted by Xtrema
40/60 front:rear is the default and max out to 85% rear if needed. This is basically the same a x-drive.

Sport diff basically adds left:right split torque vectoring, similar to Acura's SHAWD which improves handling.

Sport Diff seems to be S cars and above only, not on any A models, not even A7.

IMO, Sport Diff is a must. And that's mostly the consensus on Audi forums for S4/5.

The few weeks that I had the A4 loaner while adequate, feels subdue on the handling department.

So base model Audi's don't get the bells and whistles that the S and above get. That's interesting.

[rage2]

I've driven the S5 with no sport diff, and it's hard to get the front end to bite exiting corners, or powering through corners. Like others said, it felt like FWD.

Drove the S5 Cab last week with sport diff, and a S4 coupe with sport diff, and it was neutral everywhere. The car had way more grip than the roads I drove would allow.

Weird that even in their sport line, the diff was optional. Even the RS5 the sport diff is optional. :nut:

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by ducaudi


So base model Audi's don't get the bells and whistles that the S and above get. That's interesting.

It varies, Audi package some bells and whistles as Drive Select packages. There are Drive Select packages for all models but the equipments in them varies.

When it comes to sport diff, I just checked, it's only available on S4/5/6/7/8 and RS5. TT-RS doesn't get one since it's not on the same platform.

And yes, it's optional but it's worth it. Audi should make it standard tho. Grip is insane.