Compare two cars

Compare any two cars and get our Virtual Adviser™ opinion

Car #1
Make
Model
Variant
Engine
Car #2
Make
Model
Variant
Engine

compare selected cars
2008. - 2012.
D - Large family car
sedan, 4 door
rear
Badges
Production
Vehicle class
Body style
Wheel drive
Safety
2007. - 2011.
D - Large family car
sedan, 4 door
rear

Marketing

Dimensons & Outlines

4531 mm
1817 mm
1421 mm
460 liters
460 liters
63 liters
Length
Width
Height
Boot (min)
Boot (max)
Fuel tank
4581 mm
1770 mm
1432 mm
475 liters
475 liters
66 liters
2008 BMW 3 Series
2007 Mercedes Benz C

Engine

Diesel
4 - Inline, 4 valves per cylinder
Turbo
1995 cc
143 hp
320 Nm
Engine
Fuel
Configuration
Aspiration
Displacement
Power
Torque
Mercedes Benz
2.1 OM651 DE22 LA
Diesel
4 - Inline, 4 valves per cylinder
Bi-Turbo
2143 cc
170 hp
400 Nm

Performance (manual gearbox)

manual gearbox - 6 gears
1405 kg
9.1 s
210 km/h
5.4 l/100km
4.0 l/100km
4.5 l/100km
119 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
manual gearbox - 6 gears
1485 kg
8.5 s
229 km/h
7.9 l/100km
4.7 l/100km
5.9 l/100km
156 g/km

Performance (automatic gearbox)

automatic - 6 gears
1405 kg
9.3 s
210 km/h
6.8 l/100km
4.4 l/100km
5.3 l/100km
140 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
automatic - 5 gears
1505 kg
8.4 s
227 km/h
9.1 l/100km
5.1 l/100km
6.6 l/100km
173 g/km

Expenses

6000 EUR
Price from
5800 EUR

Virtual Adviser's™ opinion

Overview

Well, these are two pretty similar cars we have here! It's only details that could potentially make the difference. Considering they both belong to the large family car segment and utilize the same 4-door sedan body style and the rear wheel drive system, it all comes up to the specific diesel engine choice they offer. The first one has a BMW-engineered powertrain under the hood, a 4-cylinder, 16-valves 143hp unit, while the other one gets its power and torque from a 4-cylinder, 16-valves 170hp engine designed by Mercedes Benz.

Safety

Both vehicles got tested by European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), with the same number of safety stars gained in the process. Moving further on, let's take a closer look at some additional safety-related facts. Both vehicles belong to the large family car segment, which is generally a good thing safety-wise, but it doesn't do much to help us decide between the two. On the other hand, when it comes to weight, a factor that most people underestimate, Mercedes Benz C offers a marginal difference of 6% more metal.

Reliability

Manufacturers have been building their reliability reputation for decades now and, generally speaking, it appears that both brands display similar results in faults and breakdowns, at least on all of the models level. That's the official data, while our visitors describe reliability of BMW with an average rating of 4.2, and models under the Mercedes Benz badge with 4.4 out of 5. Independent research findings rank 3 Series as average reliability-wise, and C is more or less at the same level.We should definitely mention that owners of cars with the same powertrain as 3 Series rank it on average as 4.1, while the one under the competitor's bonnet gets 4.5 out of 5.

Performance & Fuel economy

Mercedes Benz is a bit more agile, reaching 100km/h in 0.6 seconds less than its competitor. In addition to that it accelerates all the way to 229 kilometers per hour, 19km/h more than the other car. When it comes to fuel economy the winner has to be 3 Series, averaging around 4.5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (63 mpg), in combined cycle. We can't ignore that 31% difference compared to Mercedes Benz C.


Verdict

Mercedes Benz appears just a bit more reliable, although the difference is truly marginal. The most important thing when deciding between any two vehicles should always be safety, both passive and active. In my opinion, everything taken into account, Mercedes Benz C offers slightly better overall protection and takes the lead. It all continues in the same direction, with Mercedes Benz offering somewhat better performance, just enough to call it quicker. It does come at a cost though, and that's the fuel consumption... No mistake, whatever you decide here, but I'd still go for the BMW. Nevertheless, let's not forget that people have different preferences and needs, so what really counts is your personal feel. I'm only here to help. In case you have two minutes to spare I invite you to define your needs, desires and budget and see which car would be chosen by the virtual adviser, among thousands of similar, yet so different vehicles.

Check a car by its VIN number

Follow us

AutoManiac Instagram

AutoManiac Facebook

AutoManiac database currently covers:

47worldwide automotive brands
1.531different vehicle models
2.233engines
13.778specific cars