[FORTified]

Originally Posted by VeyronSuperSprt

The only area where the BMW scores higher is high speed handling.

In every other area - more powerful engine (read that as faster car), a good 9 speed gearbox etc the Merc is better. Add the fact it is easier to drive in the city and you have a no brainer.

Unless you spend your time tearing up and down ghat roads for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The days of the 3 being a good driver's car were back in the day.

Hey - Forgot to mention. When the roads are good, BMW is butter smooth.
When the roads turn from good to bad to worse to nonexistent, the in-cabin-comfort is pronouncedly deteriorating. I think the Merc handles the bad roads, not so badly

[Axe77]

On a related note, which of these two offers the better petrol powered option? Smoother and more refined to drive etc.

Thanks

[mrinmoy_s]

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

Did some test drives over the week and am now all confused. Honestly there is hardly anything to choose from between the 3 cars here.

The BMW 320d Luxury Line.
For
Punchy engine.
Awesome gearbox.
Better ride and handling
Better legroom and seats at the rear.

Against
Dated looks especially the interior
Low seating. My mum would really struggle to get in and out.
Nosier engine.
Equipment levels. No reverse camera.😡

Merc C220/250 D (Avantgarde)

For
Good looks all around.
Interior is just awesome. Has a touch of class.
Quieter engine in the 220. Found the 250 a little noisy.
Equipment list is long. Sat nav, parktronic , panoramic sunroof , attention alert. Agility control and yes has a reverse camera.
7 speed gear box isn't all that bad.
In addition the C250 gets
204 BHP and 500 nm torque. It's really quick and punchy.
A 9 speed gear box.
Intelligent adaptive headlights
Ambient lighting
Not a bad handler, though not in the BMW class.

Against.
Poor rear bench. The under thigh support is clearly not enough.
Head room at the rear.
Spare wheel or luggage in the boot is the choice to make on long trips.
Nosier engine on the C250 D

I am in a very similar dilemma. I have recently taken test drives of the CLA, C-220 (have not driven the C250) and the 320d. Unfortunately neither Merc nor BMW could provide a TD vehicle for the petrol versions. In fact, I was badly wanting to test drive the CLA petrol. Anyway, I am in no hurry and thus would take my own sweet time to decide. However, let me throw few bits of mine:
1) The 'Sports' mode in the Beemer alters the suspension to a stiffer set-up but in the C-Class that doesn't happen. For the Mercs, that happens only in the E-Class onward.
2) The Beemer certainly handles much better and more aggressive in its nature. The passengers feel the 'pull' every time one presses the pedal, especially in the sports mode. Just the way I like it The Merc (C220) is significantly more refined. So simple - choose the Beemer if you are going to drive it, choose the Merc if you are going to be driven most of the time.
3) I took both the cars in some very bad interior roads near Powai, but neither of them scraped their bottom. However, I felt the Beemer to be more composed and more silent in terms of creaks or suspension behaviour.
4) The Merc doesn't allow any noise/sound in the cabin and that includes the engine sound. However, while keeping the traffic or friction noises out, the Beemer somehow manages to allow a sweet engine thrum inside - I like it

Hope the above points add to your confusion All the best with your buying decision. Do keep us posted.

[Khushrav]

Some additional considerations for you:
1. How many co-passengers on an average will occupy the back seat? How tall are they? Merc offers very marginally better room.

2. Merc does not have memory seats. I found that extremely annoying whenever the car was used by a valet.

3. If you love to drive then rule out the 220

4. The Mercs have a far superior service network and their inventory management is very good.

5. Resale on the Merc will be better since this is a newer car. In a year when the new 3 is rolled out, the BMW will not feel very special, especially with more equipment in it.

My Choice between the two: C 250
Alternative Choice: new BMW X1
Disruptive Thought: Buy the Camry Hybrid or wait one month for the new Accord Hybrid

[kartavya]

I have the new 3 M Sport and it is a gem. My friend has a C220d and a 5 series and he hates driving the C class to be honest. I drove his car for a bit and infact did test drive the C and found nothing special. That said the C is head and shoulders above the 3 in interiors, but I din't really prefer the seats of the C (seemed to narrow/clustered). Rear seats are poor as well in the car. I also prefer the looks of the 3 over the C. That said C has the novelty factor that 3 doesn't have. Mind you this is a 3 vs C220d comparision and not 250d.

If I were you and if the drive doesn't matter then I would pick the C. You won't go wrong with any, I wouldn't swap my 3 for a C and I am sure a C owner wouldn't swap his for a 3

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by mrinmoy_s

Unfortunately neither Merc nor BMW could provide a TD vehicle for the petrol versions. In fact, I was badly wanting to test drive the CLA petrol.

1) The 'Sports' mode in the Beemer alters the suspension to a stiffer set-up but in the C-Class that doesn't happen. For the Mercs, that happens only in the E-Class onward.

If you're in Mumbai as your profile says, Infinity in Worli has a 320i TD car.

Also the BMW doesn't have adjustable suspension, but the C class does (or it did at launch, dunno if Merc has deleted that features now)

[mrinmoy_s]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

If you're in Mumbai as your profile says, Infinity in Worli has a 320i TD car.

Also the BMW doesn't have adjustable suspension, but the C class does (or it did at launch, dunno if Merc has deleted that features now)

Thanks. I will contact Infinity then. Till now I was interacting with Navnit only.

The BMW 320d does have the adaptive suspension - when you press the 'Sport' button the screen shows the suspension set-up as well. And this is quoted from BMW website: "COMFORT mode guarantees an extremely comfortable driving experience by suitably adjusting the settings of the suspension components. In the SPORT and SPORT+ modes, all drive and suspension settings are adjusted for more dynamic driving."
The link is: http://www.bmw.in/en/all-models/3-se...fficiency.html

Also, while driving the C220d, I remember specifically asking the Sales Adviser about the adjustable suspension in the sports mode. He clarified saying that comes only in the E-Class and above. But no idea if he was ignorant of the fact.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by mrinmoy_s

Thanks. I will contact Infinity then. Till now I was interacting with Navnit only.

The BMW 320d does have the adaptive suspension - when you press the 'Sport' button the screen shows the suspension set-up as well. And this is quoted from BMW website: "COMFORT mode guarantees an extremely comfortable driving experience by suitably adjusting the settings of the suspension components. In the SPORT and SPORT+ modes, all drive and suspension settings are adjusted for more dynamic driving."
The link is: http://www.bmw.in/en/all-models/3-se...fficiency.html

Also, while driving the C220d, I remember specifically asking the Sales Adviser about the adjustable suspension in the sports mode. He clarified saying that comes only in the E-Class and above. But no idea if he was ignorant of the fact.

The BMW website lists a lot of features which aren't available. Adaptive damping is one of them. You can check the spec sheet, and variable damping suspension will not be listed.

Also the Merc salesman may be ignorant, because at the time of the launch I clearly remember the C class having adaptive dampers as standard.

[mrinmoy_s]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

The BMW website lists a lot of features which aren't available. Adaptive damping is one of them. You can check the spec sheet, and variable damping suspension will not be listed.

Also the Merc salesman may be ignorant, because at the time of the launch I clearly remember the C class having adaptive dampers as standard.

Well, then BMW seriously needs to look into the graphical display that appears when the 'Sport' button is pressed. It shows an animation with the skeleton of the car and something happening near the suspension . This animation coupled with clear statement in BMW 320d India webpage and the salesman's confident confirmation is good enough to fool a customer.
And I am not an expert of the level at which I can understand the difference in the suspension during a Test Drive on Mumbai roads in Saturday afternoon traffic.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by mrinmoy_s

Thanks. I will contact Infinity then. Till now I was interacting with Navnit only.

The BMW 320d does have the adaptive suspension - when you press the 'Sport' button the screen shows the suspension set-up as well. And this is quoted from BMW website: "COMFORT mode guarantees an extremely comfortable driving experience by suitably adjusting the settings of the suspension components. In the SPORT and SPORT+ modes, all drive and suspension settings are adjusted for more dynamic driving."
The link is: http://www.bmw.in/en/all-models/3-se...fficiency.html

Also, while driving the C220d, I remember specifically asking the Sales Adviser about the adjustable suspension in the sports mode. He clarified saying that comes only in the E-Class and above. But no idea if he was ignorant of the fact.

Many of these write ups on their websites are just copy pasted from their international websites without actually checking whether the Indian versions have that particular equipment or not. They even make mistakes in the spec sheet. For example when I bought my X3 last year, the spec sheet said 10" iDrive screen, but the car came with an 8.2" screen. Other examples are comfort access and automated tail gate both of which the website boasted of and not found on the car.

Best is to ask for a VIN no. of any equivalent car, decode it and check the equipment list.

[Nucliomaniac]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

If you are looking at the C250d, why aren't you considering the 320d M sport?

My vote goes to the LCI F30.

In fact I would go a step further, and advise you to save some cash, and buy the 320d Prestige.

Its almost better (ride/handling) than the luxury/sport line - smaller tyres, while giving you the essentials.

The LCI f30, or f31 as some are calling it, was rated 10/10 by autocar UK, I believe. an honour rarely awarded, and on last count awarded to the 458 Italia.

The 3 series just gets it right. silent in eco-pro, sufficiently fast in sport (way faster than the c250d by the way), comfortable, spacious.

Its all the car you would ever need.

The C-class is shiny, like a new suit, but slow, and with garish interiors, and really uncomfortable. I didn't like it at all. I abhor Audi's, so my decision was fairly simple.

The C-class does have a better music system though. I dont know why BMW invests in such crap audio systems, throughout their range.

I took mine with a 5years repairs inclusive, BSI

- Nucliomaniac.

[VeyronSuperSprt]

The new Superb is faster than the new 320d.

The C250d is only half a second faster than the new Superb.

You'll also have 2 more umbrellas and 10 lakhs more in the bank to blow up while on that trip to Paris with your girlfriend.

[Arjun Reddy]

Originally Posted by VeyronSuperSprt

The new Superb is faster than the new 320d.



The C250d is only half a second faster than the new Superb.



You'll also have 2 more umbrellas and 10 lakhs more in the bank to blow up while on that trip to Paris with your girlfriend.

Thanks for the advise. Do love the comfort in the new Superb. Would love the extra umbrellas too 😆 However the Superb will not fit my garage and that would require alterations to the garage. Also I have decided not to go with Skoda for the ASS horror stories.
I am looking for the right balance (read as good car to drive and family will enjoy it as well) and not just a fast car. I am assuming that decent performance is a given in this segment.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by VeyronSuperSprt

The new Superb is faster than the new 320d.

The C250d is only half a second faster than the new Superb.

You'll also have 2 more umbrellas and 10 lakhs more in the bank to blow up while on that trip to Paris with your girlfriend.

The Superb is a great car and superior value but the Merc and BMW do have better driving dynamics. Also they will probably help you get a mistress!

[Nucliomaniac]

Originally Posted by VeyronSuperSprt

The new Superb is faster than the new 320d.

The C250d is only half a second faster than the new Superb.

You'll also have 2 more umbrellas and 10 lakhs more in the bank to blow up while on that trip to Paris with your girlfriend.

Wrong on both counts.

new 320d is faster than the c250d.

on paper, and on the road.

320d = 0-100 is 7.2 seconds.