Mercedes Benz C Class - C200 vs Audi A4 35 TFSI vs BMW 3 Series - 328i Sports Line

Mercedes has made an early entry of the next-gen 2015 C Class aka ‘Baby S’. The German luxury automaker has only launched the vehicle in petrol trim today, while diesel is expected early next year. Priced at Rs. 40.90 Lakh (Ex-Showroom New Delhi), new C Class competes with Audi A4 35 TFSI and BMW 328i Sports Lines. Let’s see, how the new 2015 C Class petrol - C200 competes on-paper with the rest of its German rivals - BMW 328i Sports Line and Audi A4 35 TFSI! 

Exteriors and Interiors

There’s no doubt in the fact that, the new C Class is the most flamboyant and elegant of the trio, Mercedes has raised the bar when it comes to styling. The 2015 C Class draws heavy inspiration from its flagship sibling - S Class, that’s the reason behind its flamboyant quotient. Moreover, the new C Class comes with all-LED headlamps with daytime running LEDs, while LED headlamps are missing in the rest two. Talking about the sheer size, Mercedes has the largest wheelbase compared to A4 and 3 Series and is also the tallest among the three.  

Interiors - Speaking on the infotainment system, Mercedes comes with a 7-inch display featuring Merc’s COMAND infotainment system with new interface sporting a touch pad along with the regular scroller. It also offers Micro-USB, iPod, Dock, iPod lightning cable connectivity, Bluetooth and Navigation with Garmin maps. 

BMW 328i offers a 8.7-inch display and comes with an iDrive controller featuring host of connectivity options and comes with a built-in navigation. Audi A4 35 TFSI comes with a 6.5-inch display with Audi’s MMI (multi-media-interface) offering an array of connectivity options but misses out on navigation unlike the rest two.    

Spec Comparison 

Engine, Performance and Efficiency     

Speaking of the raw power, BMW excels here while A4 has the smallest block among the trio. Speaking of the Beemer, it gets a 2.0-liter twin-turbo motor that chucks out 245 bhp max power compared to Merc’s 181 bhp and Audi’s 167 bhp. When it comes to peak torque, the new C Class generates 300 Nm of torque but starts extracting it as early as 1200 rpm compared to the rest two and the entire 300 Nm poured-in at 1400 rpm (at which the Audi starts building it!). 

This said, BMW chucks the highest torque among the two - 350 Nm and seems to be spread over range for linear delivery - (1250-4800 rpm). Figures speak the same - BMW clocks naught to 100 kmph earliest at 6.1 seconds, Mercedes at 7.3 seconds and Audi reaches in 8.3 seconds. 328i comes with a top whack of 250 kmph again leading, C200 offers 235 kmph while A4 - 225 kmph. 

In terms of efficiency, A4 leads the charts with 15.64 kmpl while C Class and 3 Series are nearly same at 14.74 kmpl and 14.79 kmpl respectively. When it comes to driving modes, Mercedes Benz C200 comes with ‘Agility Select’ that offers - Comfort, Economy, Sport, Sport+, along with an Individual mode. BMW 328i comes with four modes - ECO Pro, Comfort, Sport and Sports+. Audi on the other hand, offers three driving modes - Dynamic, Sport and Auto. 

Safety 

The new C Class comes with the regular  Mercedes Benz safety features like we have seen on its siblings. Starting with the Pre-Safe which recognises critical driving situations in advance and activates safety systems, as a precautionary move. It also comes with Attention Assist, which analyses driving styles and provides a visual and audible warnings, if it detects any signs of drowsiness or inattention of driver. Apart from these, the new ‘C’ comes with equipped with 7-airbags, ABS, BAS (Brake Assist System), ESP (Electronic Stability Program), ASR (Acceleration Skid Control), amongst others. 

Audi A4 35 TFSI offers, dual-front airbags, front side airbag along with rear side airbags. The Four Ring sedan is also equipped with ABS, Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR), Electronic Differential Lock (EDL), Electronic Stabilisation Control (ESC), ESP with electronic axle-differential lock.  

Bimmer offers 6-airbags along with ABS, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Traction Control (TC), Cornering Brake Control, etc. BMW 3-Series 328i also comes with full-color head-up display with project driving information on the windscreen (optional feature). All the three cars come with start-stop feature to save fuel and increase the overall economy. 

Read More on : Mercedes-Benz New C-Class price