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

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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
6 - Inline, 4 valves per cylinder
Turbo
2993 cc
204 hp
450 Nm
Engine
Fuel
Configuration
Aspiration
Displacement
Power
Torque
Mercedes Benz
3.0 OM642 DE30 LA HP
Diesel
6 - Inline, 4 valves per cylinder
Turbo
2987 cc
224 hp
510 Nm

Performance (manual gearbox)

manual gearbox - 6 gears
1500 kg
7.0 s
242 km/h
7.3 l/100km
4.8 l/100km
5.7 l/100km
151 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
manual gearbox - 6 gears
1600 kg
7.7 s
250 km/h
9.2 l/100km
5.5 l/100km
6.9 l/100km
182 g/km

Performance (automatic gearbox)

automatic - 6 gears
1510 kg
7.2 s
240 km/h
7.9 l/100km
5.1 l/100km
6.1 l/100km
160 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
automatic - 7 gears
1600 kg
6.8 s
250 km/h
10.0 l/100km
5.9 l/100km
7.3 l/100km
193 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 6-cylinder, 24-valves 204hp unit, while the other one gets its power and torque from a 6-cylinder, 24-valves 224hp engine designed by Mercedes Benz.

Safety

The first thing to look into here would be the results from European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) tests performed on the two cars. Good thing is that both vehicles got tested, with the same number of safety stars gained in the process. That aside, let's consider some other aspects which affect safety. Both vehicles belong to the large family car segment, which is generally a good thing safety-wise, but that fact doesn't break the tie between the two cars. On the other hand, if we'd like to consider vehicle mass in this context too, which we definitely should, Mercedes Benz C offers a marginal difference of 7% 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, when all the models are taken into account. 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. The same official information place 3 Series as average reliability-wise, and C is more or less at the same level.That apart, owners of different cars powered by the same engine as 3 Series rank it on average as 1.5, while the one under the competitor's bonnet gets 4.5 out of 5.

Performance & Fuel economy

BMW is a bit more agile, reaching 100km/h in 0.7 seconds less than its competitor. Still, it lacks the power to win the top speed competition, topping at 242 kilometers per hour, 8km/h less than the other car. When it comes to fuel economy the winner has to be 3 Series, averaging around 5.7 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (50 mpg), in combined cycle. We can't ignore that 21% difference compared to Mercedes Benz C.


Verdict

Mercedes Benz is apparently more reliable, not too much, but just enough. 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. From there things take a different direction, with BMW offering somewhat better performance, just enough to call it quicker. To make things even better, it consumps less fuel! 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 more than 12.000 different ones in our database.

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