[EXE46]

Do you have any pictures? I never had the fortune of driving one of those. I hear they fetch a pretty penny nowadays. Cheers!

[Ilyam5]

Originally Posted by Wills2

The Mercs melted rear end and chintz fest interior are just wrong plus a column mounted gear selector? Nah.

Hate the column gear sifter as well. Worst move by MB. Coming from Europe - it was always associated with cheap rental cars and vans.
Still feel like I'm in a Buick driving my father's MB S550

[coladin]

Actually, what drives me absolutely bonkers on the BMW and what I miss badly from my C43...is the reverse camera. The Benz one pops out , so it is always clean, and dry! Heck, even my kid’s Golf has that feature!

BMW is the new Mercedes. And Mercedes is the old BMW. Mercedes has become super sporty, and I don’t know if the F1 angle has the most to do with that. BMWs right now seem to be striking the best balance of sport and luxury.

[NewM3driver]

Originally Posted by EXE46

Do you have any pictures? I never had the fortune of driving one of those. I hear they fetch a pretty penny nowadays. Cheers!

Here is a quick one. It’s all original, 19,695 miles.

[NewM3driver]

Here is the 95 993. The prices for good low miles examples are very strong. With less than 20k miles this car (all original) is probably worth 75-80k. I'll never sell it. I'm actually looking for a good bones 964 to turn into an "outlaw" Porsche... not worried about perfect paint or keeping it original but a second toy to mod at will and have a blast on the track and at rallies.

[EXE46]

Congrats and enjoy in good health.

[NewM3driver]

Originally Posted by EXE46

Congrats and enjoy in good health.

Thanks!

[networkn]

Well my decision became simple quite quickly when I was told no towbar on the C Class AMG models. We don't tow a lot, but do put bikes on the bike rack a lot.

I took a second drive in the M340i in the weekend, unfortunately, with the dealer in the car, but despite being a really nice car, I just am not in love with it the way I want so desperately to be. I guess it's just a case of getting used to it. I have seen not a single bad review of it. When I was driving it, it didn't feel jarring over the bumps on the road, but it felt "bumpy" which is quite an odd sensation and the steering week is so thick. I am sure I'll love it, but I wish I had the same desire and anticipication I had when I ordered my 335D.

I'd feel better if I could have taken it on some windy roads to test how it handles corners compared to the Adaptive on my one, but as the dealer said, they wouldn't have made it worse.

[NewM3driver]

Originally Posted by networkn

Well my decision became simple quite quickly when I was told no towbar on the C Class AMG models. We don't tow a lot, but do put bikes on the bike rack a lot.

I took a second drive in the M340i in the weekend, unfortunately, with the dealer in the car, but despite being a really nice car, I just am not in love with it the way I want so desperately to be. I guess it's just a case of getting used to it. I have seen not a single bad review of it. When I was driving it, it didn't feel jarring over the bumps on the road, but it felt "bumpy" which is quite an odd sensation and the steering week is so thick. I am sure I'll love it, but I wish I had the same desire and anticipication I had when I ordered my 335D.

I'd feel better if I could have taken it on some windy roads to test how it handles corners compared to the Adaptive on my one, but as the dealer said, they wouldn't have made it worse.

My thought is if you are already a BMW customer, and you are trying to decide on a car, you should be able to take as long and thorough of a test drive as you need. Keep the car a half day. Take it on errands, drop the kids at school. Do they fit? Can the wife live with the trunk?

A salesman telling you "they wouldn't make it worse" is bullshit. Find a new dealer, tell them you are a repeat customer, develop a relationship and start getting treated right.

[NIB_]

So after putting a few thousand miles into my M340i over the last few weeks, and driving it back to back with my C43, over a massive breadth of driving from long motorway runs, extreme performance track like racing through windy country and mountain roads, typical city driving etc, I have SO MANY thoughts.

Not just on the driving, but economy, suspension, braking, handling dynamics, exhaust notes, shifting/automatic gearing, build, materials, sound system audio quality, technology, interior build, tactility, feel, materials, practicality, seating, passenger space, boot space, you name it lol.

Fairly confident my comparison of the two will be a few thousand words long. It's going to take me a while to collate and compile all my thoughts in an organised manner, but I'm hoping to post a big comparison review as a new thread, with photos, perhaps within the next few days.

Hopefully it'll help folk who want more nuanced and detailed thoughts, on top of the OP's already fantastic commentary on the two.

[Bimmerg621]

I have an m340ix with MPE and big sister has a C43 which is also awd. She often complains of the rough/stiff ride and poor reliability. Looks like the exhaust note is the only thing it has an advantage over our cars. The g20 is such a well balanced car, best in it's class really. Safe to say I made the right choice

[Germanauto]

My buddy has a C43. Besides acceleration and noise that thing is a lazy boat to drive with an unnecessarily stiff ride and a creaking interior with shocks that wear prematurely. The 340 is a FAR superior driver's car, it's not even close.

Mercedes, if it's not an R107 SL, I'm not interested.

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

My buddy has a C43. Besides acceleration and noise that thing is a lazy boat to drive with an unnecessarily stiff ride and a creaking interior with shocks that wear prematurely. The 340 is a FAR superior driver's car, it's not even close.

Mercedes, if it's not an R107 SL, I'm not interested.

This.

Overall, the W205 is a total disappointment, at least to me. The W205 is a car you want people to see but when you actually drive it you feel like it's confused. Is it luxurious? Not really. Maybe the design but the quality is for s—t with all the creaking and plastics and that's putting it kindly. Is it sporty? Not really. Aside from the sound, that's all it has going for it.

The M340 might not win any beauty contests but it is by far the best overall package in this class. Everything is what you would expect and maybe more. Can't say the same about the C Class or the A4/A5.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by TheBingoBalls

This.

Overall, the W205 is a total disappointment, at least to me. The W205 is a car you want people to see but when you actually drive it you feel like it's confused. Is it luxurious? Not really. Maybe the design but the quality is for s—t with all the creaking and plastics and that's putting it kindly. Is it sporty? Not really. Aside from the sound, that's all it has going for it.

The M340 might not win any beauty contests but it is by far the best overall package in this class. Everything is what you would expect and maybe more. Can't say the same about the C Class or the A4/A5.

G20 is BMW's genuine effort to stay ahead in a crowded field from other premium brands plus top trims of econo brands, and it resurrects classic feels from E39/E46 days with modern day fuel economy and comfort.

I got lucky to get a brand-new minimally optioned 330i cheaper than Accord Touring, it was really a no brainer for me.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by TheBingoBalls

This.

Overall, the W205 is a total disappointment, at least to me. The W205 is a car you want people to see but when you actually drive it you feel like it's confused. Is it luxurious? Not really. Maybe the design but the quality is for s—t with all the creaking and plastics and that's putting it kindly. Is it sporty? Not really. Aside from the sound, that's all it has going for it.

The M340 might not win any beauty contests but it is by far the best overall package in this class. Everything is what you would expect and maybe more. Can't say the same about the C Class or the A4/A5.

My brother literally traded in his W205 lease last week. That thing was a total mess from a quality standpoint. I have another friend whose wife's new C63 AMG s would break down at stoplights and had to be lemoned. Everybody I know with a W205 has issues.

Another gripe I have with that car, and really all Merc cars (not the SUVs) is the poor visibility. Their vehicles have such high beltlines and dashboards I feel as if I'm in a bathtub.

[TruthOne]

That new Hybrid 4 C63 is going to be a mechanical nightmare

[iifymbro]

Originally Posted by TruthOne

That new Hybrid 4 C63 is going to be a mechanical nightmare

yeah that was my first thought after seeing the powertrain/drivetrain schematic, no way in hell I'd own one of these anytime soon. Let others be the maintenance lab rats

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by TruthOne

That new Hybrid 4 C63 is going to be a mechanical nightmare

The only upside, is that basically every Benz model will come with some iteration of this engine, so they will have a lot of experience after a while of working on them. I'm not a fan of losing the V8, but I am interested in the technology and what the power is going to be like (apart from just the numbers themselves).

[TruthOne]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

The only upside, is that basically every Benz model will come with some iteration of this engine, so they will have a lot of experience after a while of working on them. I'm not a fan of losing the V8, but I am interested in the technology and what the power is going to be like (apart from just the numbers themselves).

It seems very complex with a ton of moving parts. One thing goes wrong it will be very expensive to fix. I wouldn't even chance that, maybe after 6 years or so of getting it perfected . Even then, I would not want a 4 Cylinder engine especially since that car will be pushing 100k:

[NIB_]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

My buddy has a C43. Besides acceleration and noise that thing is a lazy boat to drive with an unnecessarily stiff ride and a creaking interior with shocks that wear prematurely. The 340 is a FAR superior driver's car, it's not even close.

Mercedes, if it's not an R107 SL, I'm not interested.

Originally Posted by Germanauto

My brother literally traded in his W205 lease last week. That thing was a total mess from a quality standpoint. I have another friend whose wife's new C63 AMG s would break down at stoplights and had to be lemoned. Everybody I know with a W205 has issues.

Another gripe I have with that car, and really all Merc cars (not the SUVs) is the poor visibility. Their vehicles have such high beltlines and dashboards I feel as if I'm in a bathtub.

You realise your posts do not come off as credible right? It's so often the same with the most zealous of fans, irrespective of the products in question, be they Apple vs Android, BMW vs Mercedes, Samsung vs LG, PS5 vs Series X etc; "My buddy has a" "My brother traded his" "I have another friend" "Everyone I know". It's quite hilarious.

As someone who literally OWNS both cars (C43 and M340i), and has owned a multitude of different BMW's and Mercedes, not to mention also has another BMW company car (X5), I can straight up say certain aspects of your posts here are unfounded and simply untrue (which other online comparisons also corroborate). No surprise then that your complaints/descriptions are impressively vague and give no useful detail at all besides anecdotal sensationalism.

The C43 a lazy boat to drive lol.

I was going to save this for my comparison review, but if anything it's the C43 out of the two that actually feels a bit lighter and more nimble, due to the fact that it has stiffer suspension and lighter steering (eg it's quite a bit less stiff/heavy to turn), with a thinner steering wheel with more angular thumb cut outs and perforations vs the M340i's much chunkier and thicker, stiffer steering wheel with plain leather covers, which combined give the C43 more road feedback and slightly more direct, sharper steering vs the M340i's slightly more numb and heavy input.

Then there's the suspension/camber differences. Whilst both handle supremely well but also both feel like relatively heavy cars, there's minor notable differences in handling dynamics. The M340i gives a sensation of more downforce vs the C43, bedding into corners with more forward momentum and mid corner grip, but also has on occasion a hair more sway and instability on exit (and on occasion entry) due to the slightly softer suspension vs the C43's stiffer set up.

The C43 thanks to its stiffer set up, has slightly less body roll and less variation in suspension travel during high speed cornering/bumps vs the M340i. It essentially manages to stay ever so slightly more composed around corners, and in high speed cornering feels just a hair more progressive the entire way around, in that mid corner and corner exit require roughly the same steering modulation/input, whereas the M340i tends to sometimes switch to slight oversteer on corner exit in comparative speeds, so needs a bit more micro adjustment.

Some may actually prefer this since it is technically more "fun", but it's also not quite as confidence inspiring. The C43 I've thrashed at eye watering speeds meagre inches away from walls with cliff drops on the other side, whereas the M340i requires much more bravery to do the same due to its tendency to break traction at the limit visa oversteer, and also react to road undulations more notably due to the less stiff set up (this is with the C43 set to Sport Plus TC off and the M340i Sport Plus Individual, all on Sport Plus, Steering on Comfort).

Another thing I find is that when doing extreme high speeds on straights, even on the stiffest suspension set up the M340i almost has a very mild porpoising effect, where larger bumps/lumps in the road, will put it into a temporary very mild vertical up down waft, whereas the C43's stiffer suspension makes the exact same bump disperse through the car/suspension much quicker, so you don't end up feeling as much vertical wobbling/waft. You only notice this at high speeds though.

Likewise, on occasion when you're going extreme high speeds and lift off the gas in the M340i, sometimes the car will micro sway to the left or right immediately after, presumably as downforce/air resistance dramatically increase in pressure without acceleration bolstering you, which coupled with the softer suspension give that fraction of lateral body movement. Conversely the C43 does this far less, presumably again down to the stiffer suspension set up.

Then there's the brakes. Even though the M340i has larger calipers and larger disk brakes, they're not punctured like the C43's, and I actually find the M340i's ever so slightly softer or more squishy, with the C43 having just a hair more manageable bite.

So in the end, I think those trying to talk up the handling of the M340i whilst disparaging the handling of the C43, especially with comments about it driving like a boat lol, are simply talking utter nonsense and have clearly not driven one or the other of these cars before.

Ultimately, they both handle incredibly well for the type and weight of car they are, And whilst the M340i is the more comfortable, less stiff of the two, the C43 is far from a "boat to drive". In-fact I'd actually argue it feels lighter, more nimble and ever so slightly more progressive/stable during high speed cornering or performance handling, though the M340i is perhaps a bit more loose/"fun" (I put that in quotation marks as not everyone will find that more fun lol), with a greater likelihood of oversteer/traction slip at the limits, but not quite as confidence inspiring grip/balance.

[Frank_Zuccarini]

Very much enjoyed reading this Mr. NIB. Thanks................ Frank

[billnchristy]

I can get where you are coming from. Back in the late 90s I had a Porsche 924s and it handled on rails but if you pushed too far it would swing on you like a prize fighter, serious snap oversteer but you had to be doing really dumb stuff.

A looser car is more fun on the day to day because you can make it step out without doing ludicrous stuff, but if I am on a mountain pass I would want the tighter car every time.

Luckily I am older now and understand mortality better so the 440i has more grip than I have balls.