If you’re shopping for a German luxury sport sedan on a relatively tight budget, and you prefer new cars to used, chances are very good that you’ll be cross-shopping the BMW 328i against the Mercedes-Benz C250. Both are comparable in size and price, and both now derive power from turbocharged four cylinder engines.
The BMW gets a 2.0-liter four, rated at 240 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque. This helps the car sprint from 0-60 mph in just 5.6 seconds, yet it still manages to return 36 mpg on the highway. The Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, makes due with a 1.8-liter four, good for 201 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque. That’s still enough to propel it from 0-60 mph in 6.9 seconds, while returning up to 31 mpg on the highway.
While these numbers serve as reference points, the real value of a sport sedan comes from feel. How it communicates to the driver in a corner is, to some degree, even more important than how fast it accelerates off a stop light. Factor in the luxury aspect, and driver comfort becomes equally important.
There’s a clear winner in this comparison, and there’s really no surprise which car comes out on top. It’s worth pointing out that the BMW 328i is all new, while the Mercedes-Benz was last updated in 2007. A new C-Class model is under development, so a comparison between the new 3 Series and the new C-Class may be a closer dogfight.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
