BMW M3 2014 VS Mercedes C63 AMG

2014 BMW M3

The BMW M3 has long since been considered the car to get when in search of excellent power delivery along with precision handling. With this 2014 BMW M3, the burning question is if BMW have been able to do the M badge justice and provide us another fantastic BMW M3.

Churning out 425bhp from a 3.0-litre, twin turbo six cylinder replacing the old V8. The same six cylinder engine can also be found in the BMW M4 with both taking only 4.1 seconds to go from 0-62mph with the automatic gearbox whereas the manual is marginally slower, at 4.3 seconds. Both cars are limited to 155mph.

With this new six-cylinder engine, emissions are also reduced by around 25% over the outgoing V8 showing added benefits to not only things like VED costs, but general fuel costs. The automatic variant is said to reach up to 34.0mpg and 32.1mpg for the manual on average.

So the new M3 definitely has the power needed to keep you happy, but how does it feel to drive? BMW equipped the M3 with adaptive suspension which comes with three modes, Comfort, Sport or Sport+. This takes away from what some would call the M3’s less than desirable drive comfort when going through battered city roads, however thanks to the adaptive suspension, you can expect a slightly more comfortable ride. Not quite as comfortable as a range rover, but you’ll soon forgive it once you treat yourself to some B-road fun.

Prices for the M3 start at £56,175 which certainly isn’t cheap, but the M3 offers a lot of car for your money especially now that the M3 comes only with 4 doors.

Mercedes Benz C-Class Coupe C63 AMG 2dr

The letters AMG amongst the petrolhead community will undoubtedly bring up thoughts of beefy executive saloons, with the well-known 3 pointed star. The C63 AMG is definitely the beefy brute that one would expect from AMG. Packing 456bhp to the rear wheels, it definitely isn’t a slouch and on a smooth road, you can rest assured that you’ll be getting in with a smile and out with an even bigger smile with the addition of sweaty palms.

On a smooth road, the C63 AMG feels sticky, it feels planted and it rewards you with all the thrills a front-engine, rear wheel drive package can deliver, however, unlike the BMW which has the option of going to a more forgiving comfort option, the C63 is forever solid, meaning once you get off the beaten track, you’re going to know about it. An uncompromising ride gets tiresome quickly, especially if using the C63 AMG to go to work over less than perfect roads.

However, if you’re anything like me, you’ll soon forgive the C63’s rather rigid ride once the sound of the 6.2-litre V8 bellows through the cabin. Flex your toe and you’ll see 0-62 in 4.5 seconds with a said 21mpg, although numerous reports suggest that the true mpg is in the low teens.

Would I choose the C63 AMG over the M3? No. Having the ability to at least cushion the pain of driving over bumpy roads prominent in Britain thanks to BMW’s adaptive suspension and lower price tag compared to the C63’s £57,275 coupled with better mileage and running costs, the BMW M3 would be my choice.