2020 BMW M340i vs. Mercedes C43 AMG Comparison | Review + Roll Race - Sponsored by MotorEnvy.com

The compact luxury sports segment. It's a pretty tough crowd, a lot of different options out there. But today we have two middle of the road sports cars from Germany for a little head to head review. The Mercedes Benz C43AMG against the BMW M340i xDrive. Let's get started, shall we? But I want to keep it pretty simple today because this is my first time doing a real head to head review. So I want to make sure I get it right. So what we're going to do is we're going to talk about both cars and then we're going to get some seat time and then we'll head to our closed course and get some roll racing in. If you want to watch a more comprehensive review of either car, I'll leave a link in the comments section as well as the description and you can check out the solo reviews for both cars. Let's get started. This is the 2019 Mercedes Benz C43AMG. It looks like they refreshed a little bit for this model year, which I'm guessing is in preparation for this. The all new BMW M340i. On the exterior I got a little facelift. They did a little update on the interior and they bumped the horsepower up to 385, which is coincidentally 3 more horsepower than the BMW. Pretty sly of them, huh? Now this is the all new 2020 BMW M340i. It's the new G20 generation which replaces the outgoing F30 model. And it just hit showroom floors earlier this year. It shares the same B58 engine, but the biggest difference is it's got 382 horsepower now, which is a. It's a pretty big jump from last year's 320. Both of these cars have all wheel drive, but with the BMW you have the option of getting rear wheel drive and saving a few hundred pounds if you're a purist. But you can't really be a purist with either of these cars anymore because, well, they don't offer manual gearboxes. Instead, the BMW gets an eight speed automatic with paddles and the Benz gets a nine speed. The brake setup on the Mercedes looks a little bit bigger than the M340i. It also comes with drilled rotors. I'll admit I'm not usually a fan of yellow calipers, but kind of works with this dark matte gray. And the Mercedes just feels a little bit more aggressive out back. I like the clean look of the BMW, but the C43 just feels more mean. Both cars weigh just under 4,000 pounds, which means they're no lightweight track monsters. But the biggest difference, should probably point out, is that the AMG is a coupe and the BMW is a sedan. But the fact remains that they're the same class of car. The AMG just can be had in coupe, sedan, or cabriolet. The BMW only comes in a sedan. Anyway, let's go for a spin. AMG first, because it's blocking my driveway. I've always thought of AMG as sort of like the muscle cars of Europe. I mean, big V8, loud exhausts, and kind of sloppy in the corners. And that might have been true back in the day, but not with this thing. This car handles pretty well for how much it weighs. And I'm gonna be honest, even though it only has a six cylinder turbo, it's probably one of the best sounding six cylinder turbos I've driven to date. It's deep, it's throaty, it burbles, it's got backfires. It's easy to win in this comparison. And then there's the steering wheel. Unlike the BMW, this thing feels like it's got purpose. Flat sides, flat bottom. Every time I get in this car, I just want to drive it fast. And that's not to say that the BMW is bad. I'm just saying that the AMG does it better. And then here's my favorite part. The pad. For an entry level performance car, they got it right. I mean, perfect positioning, great materials, and when you hit them, you know something cool is about to happen. The upshifts are pretty responsive. The downshifts could use a little bit of work, but hey, anything's better than my C7Z06. I'm a little upset that they didn't give you the option to have rear wheel drive like BMW does, because I think that's the perfect combination in a car like this. On top of saving around £200, you make the car just that much more fun to drive. I mean, who doesn't like a little power slide with their morning coffee? I could see all wheel drive being helpful in something like the big bad C63, where you have 500 horsepower and you need to put that power down. But in something like this, where you have less than 400 horsepower, it would have been nice of them to give you a choice. You also have the option of a digital dashboard in this car. Unfortunately, we weren't that lucky. But I was surprised to find a heads up display. It's nice and bright, and I think it's crisper than the one in my Z06, so that makes it pretty easy to look at. Anyway, let's hop over to the Beamer and see what's good. Now here's the thing, and I might be a little biased because I own a BMW, but I find that this car is a little bit more nimble and more agile than the C43. And that's even considering that this is a sedan and the C43 is a coupe. It really doesn't mind digging into corners at all. And almost like it wants to oversteer. Unlike the C43, which starts to understeer at the limit, this thing has a pretty neutral feel to it. The biggest difference is the steering in this car, it's nice and heavy. In the C43, it's a little bit lighter. Both give you pretty good feedback. But in the BMW, it's just that much more precise in the inputs. And that's where it counts. And see, that's the thing. I've always felt like BMWs were the best handling of the big three German automakers. This is no exception. And this isn't even a full fledged M car yet. I think the suspension setup in this car is just that much better. I mean, both cars have adaptive suspension, but the BMW just does it right. In Sport plus, you feel like you're one with the car. And in comfort mode, it's actually comfortable. But in the Mercedes, the Sport plus is super, super stiff, which is nice. But in comfort mode, it just feels like a drunk version of Sport plus where, you know, it doesn't know it's drunk. So it still acts all tough and stuff. I'm not gonna lie. It feels fast in a straight line, too. The boost comes on earlier. The torque really throws you in your seat, and the shifts are immediate. And then there's the throttle response. It's just. It's just really nice. It's like it to go like every time you kind of get on. Doesn't feel like a 382 horsepower car. It feels like something with more than 400 horsepower. I'm really curious to see what comes out on top later on acceleration test. But I think I know who I'm putting my money on now. Here's what I don't like. The steering wheel. I mean, it's nice and thick. Pause. But there's no flat bottom. There's no perforations. I mean, you put an M badge on a car and you sort of have expectations for it. On the Audi S5, it's flat bottomed, there's perforations. Same thing in the Mercedes amg. So come on BMW, let's get with the program here. But this is what pisses me off the most. The paddles in the C43, they're exactly where you want them to be, but in this thing you need to have like Slenderman fingers to reach them. I almost rather shift with the gear selector. I really like the center layout though. It's a lot more intuitive, a lot more hip, a lot more futuristic. In the C43, it just felt cheap. The materials were kind of plasticky, the design was outdated. In this car, everything feels really premium for a 3 series. And I love the fact that the digital dashboard here comes standard. It's the same one as the M850i that we drove. And that's a good thing. Let me put it this way, if I could have the seats from the Audi S5 in the C43, AMG's exhaust note and paddles, I wouldn't want to drive anything else. It's, it's. What a fast and furious finish at the end with that little jump. That last run was also the most fair and frankly, that was the outcome I expected based on our solo acceleration tests. Things probably would have been even worse for the C43 once you start modding, because the aftermarket for the BMW is just that much stronger, not to mention cheaper. I still think the AMG sounds better though. So after driving each car for a few hundred miles, I think it's about time we make a decision. But unless you're like me and you feel like there are better options out there for 60 grand, then the fact of the matter is that you can't really go wrong with either car. Both of them offer a different but satisfying driver experience. You really have to try them and decide for yourself. With the amg, you have more presence, an arguably better driver cockpit, a lovely exhaust symphony every time you mash the throttle, and in my opinion, a cooler looking car. With the BMW you get a nice spaceship interior, fantastic handling, the option for rear wheel drive and acceleration that is just unfathomable for something under 400 horsepower. Neither car is a true M or true AMG, but these middle of the road sports cars give you the most amount of balance and livability. And as much as I want to take home the C43, I'd have to choose the BMW. Even despite its minor flaws, it gives you the most complete driver experience. If this is your first time on the channel, be sure to watch some of my other stuff. I'm dedicated to producing cinematic car content and doing real world performance tests for all sorts of fast cars. So if that's your jam, be sure to hit that subscribe button and ring that bell icon for new episodes every Thursday. Thanks for watching.