New Beemer 3 beats Merc C...oh dear...

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Mercy1

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It's a car - just a car!
Just when we thought MB had a class leader in the C series, along comes BMW with a new 3 series - and Autocar says it beat the pants off the C. Damn!! :doh:
 
What was the competition exactly?

Who can drive like the biggest t0sser?
 
There is a review online of it.

I'm sure it is a great car but the looks of BMWs these days is becoming more and more mainstream and dull.

I really loved the E30 (3 83>91), E36 (3 91>99), E39 (5 96>03) and E60 (5 2003>2010 I think), but I struggle to think of one I do like now - except the X5 is 'alright'.
 
JohnEBoy said:
There is a review online of it.

I'm sure it is a great car but the looks of BMWs these days is becoming more and more mainstream and dull.

I really loved the E30 (3 83>91), E36 (3 91>99), E39 (5 96>03) and E60 (5 2003>2010 I think), but I struggle to think of one I do like now - except the X5 is 'alright'.

I really didn't like the E60 I still don't. An F10 looks nice etc but too many say they are dull. I'd go for a 212 or XF given the choice
 
I really didn't like the E60 I still don't. An F10 looks nice etc but too many say they are dull. I'd go for a 212 or XF given the choice

Me too. I really like the XF, but an E63 would be the winner (one day maybe).
 
JohnEBoy said:
Me too. I really like the XF, but an E63 would be the winner (one day maybe).

The 212s dynamically are a quantum leap over a 211 in terms of ride comfort steering and body control. Great cars.
 
Just when we thought MB had a class leader in the C series, along comes BMW with a new 3 series - and Autocar says it beat the pants off the C. Damn!! :doh:

Yes, but as posted on a BMW forum earlier today ....

Just seen an article in the Telegraph motoring section quoting AutoTrader Pricing Trends for the Top 10 Used Cars.
Based on cars less than 3 years old, the 3 Series has lost 19%, 5 Series down 15% based on Q3 2011 -v- Q3 2010.
Most small cars only lost between 1 and 5%.
Audi A4 down 6%.

Only one car in top 10 GAINED in price.......................MERCEDES C class

Swings and roundabouts! ;)


From a personal point of view I could have bought 61 plate (now old) 3 series or waited for new 3 series. I do like BMW's (the wife has one) but I chose the C220 Sport 125 as it just ticked more boxes for me as an overall package. I really don't care if some journalist decides the BMW ride is better or sharper as his criteria for deciding on 'best car' will undoubtably be very different from mine. :thumb: (Oh, and I'm not getting schmoozed by the manufacturers when I test a car either! :p).
 
Just when we thought MB had a class leader in the C series, along comes BMW with a new 3 series - and Autocar says it beat the pants off the C. Damn!! :doh:
Hi
Coming from a 3 series 320d m sport 2009 car to a 2010 c350cdi I can tell you that the ride in mercedes is so much better even on 18" wheels. Ok maybe you cannot chuck it round corners like the bmw but with the state of our roads now I found the ride just un-acceptable far far to firm!
I see the new 3 series has got the option of different suspension settings for a more comfortable ride but pay for this and the i drive and a 320d will be close to 35k!

Michael.
 
The 212s dynamically are a quantum leap over a 211 in terms of ride comfort steering and body control. Great cars.

Interesting - given how mine drives, I wouldn't have thought that would be possible so that will be interesting to find that out when the time comes.
 
run flats I don't think help any BMW's ride...

I've owned two older BM's a Z3 and a 330Ci. I enjoyed both cars but not the be all and end all they have you think.
 
Interesting - given how mine drives, I wouldn't have thought that would be possible so that will be interesting to find that out when the time comes.
The AMGs are completely different as yours has airmatic suspension with AMG set up.

Going from a NON AMG CLS to an AMG one, the steering was the main different as well as the airmatic suspension.

The 212 is a better "chassis" and simply put, you can drive it faster on tighter roads and there is less slack in the steering than in a 211. Its a more alert car without being nervous. The biggest improvement is ride comfort. A 211 sport can feel firmly sprung, but take bends well. The 212 feels like a Limo, that takes bends even better.
 
was watching the Autocar video test of the new 3 series ..

BMW interiors are really grim these days .. no elegance, no flourish, just nasty.
 
Interesting that BMW has yet to provide a test car without the adaptive damping.

I wonder why ?
 
In some aspects the old 3 was better than the current C.

But now the new 3 is out, it's no surprise it leapfrogs the C. Then soon the new A4 will come out and be the best on the block. Then in a couple of years a new C will come out and be top dog again. This is just the way of the world.

Having said all of that.

As there is no such thing as a new 3 series estate right now or even a 3 with a 6 cylinder diesel you simply can't say that the new 3 is better than my C350 CDI because they simply don't make such a thing.

And besides.

Define better?

Harder ride? Better in the corners? Better cruising across europe?

Horses for courses.
 
Not a great fan of BMWs (well I'm here, ain't I?
biggrin.gif
).

But I drove a few 3-series and I must admit that the handling and steering are very precise and the car feels 'tight' and driver-focused even on the mundane models, a virtue reserved only for the sportier variants in the C-Class range, which in general is more comfortable but feels less 'German'.

As for Autocar... I bought the magazine but hadn't looked inside yet, I was about to indulge in reading the article before going to sleep but now you've ruined it for me
biggrin.gif
 
Define better?

This is the key question. We have to weigh brand loyalty vs magazine reviews vs peer reports vs gut feeling vs our own experience. And each of us has different requirements and values

I didn't plan to buy a BMW but a short trip in an E39 M5 persuaded me that BMW knew what they were up to. Two years in and my opinion hasn't changed

I am sure that if I were buying new it'd be a tough choice

Nick Froome
 
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But I drove a few 3-series and I must admit that the handling and steering are very precise and the car feels 'tight' and driver-focused even on the mundane models,

I've never "got" BMW's at all, but I had a lowly 318iSE from work for a couple of months a few years ago and it's the only car I've driven where I deliberately "took the back road home". Even my wife, who normally hated driving my company cars and would move them to get here supermini out, said she liked driving the BMW.

I had a 325i for an even shorter time and I was amazed how good the engine was.
 
Sorrrrr-y Markjay - but it doesn't make good bedtime reading for a Merc afficianado.

I too have driven (from new) at least four BMs and at the time I thought they were great to drive.

I don't know how I morphed into a Merc man - I guess it was moving from an X3 to an ML that did it - the ML was everythng that the X3 was not - and more! Selling it for a comparative song with 34,000 miles on the clock was the biggest mistake I have ever made in car owning!

I also thought that the BM 3 series was beginning to look very long in the tooth - but I have to say now that when you put the new 3 model alongside the C, the styling looks better in most respects, including the interior.

Just my personal opinion...
 

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