2020 BMW M340i vs Audi S4 vs Mercedes C43 AMG // Performance Sedan Face-Off

you know it's nice about reviewing actual performance cars people don't put fake badges on them James can go they left the BMW so close James you're watching throttle has I'm Thomas and I'm James and our video of the North American entry-level versions of these cars just hit a million views and one of the top comments on that video is can you please repeat this test with the C 43 the s4 in the new for 2020 m3 40 I so I think it's fair to say that we delivered we did deliver we delivered more than the milkman did that one summer everyday when when my dad was at work the m3 40 I for too long have we said that the m2 is the car that revives the feeling that came from the m3s of old how nice would it be if we could say an m3 was the car that revives m3s of old and the m3 40 is our latest and greatest clue as to what the new gen m3 will be like and so we're excited to try it especially back to back when it's direct rivals on the road after all this is the trim that's supposed to be a little taster menu of M thrills but one that can also crush a rainy day safely thanks to X Drive it gets a bunch more power and two extra cylinders over the 330 and it should given the price jump of near 15 grand with 382 horsepower and 369 power feet of torque being delivered from the retuned 3 liter twin-scroll single turbo in 96 BMW claims a 4.3 second not 200 kilometer an hour time and it comes with a bunch of mm goodies as standard like the M Sport differential for piston brakes stiffer Springs a lower ride height and more wheel camber and the test call today also has the optional adaptive M suspension yeah 382 horsepower is cool I guess in the 2018 c43 might flinch at that this 2019 though has nothing to worry about it has an update taking it from 362 horsepower to 385 what's up powered by a twin turbo v6 and with sport-tuned suspension the c43 is a monster amongst the performance the mid performance the the one after the c300 but before the c63 the liam between us yeah it's the monster of the inbetweeners rich in torque the c43 has matched to a 9 speed automatic transmission it can also be had in convertible or coupe form under the same moniker and this sedan we have today has been provided the performance mercedes-benz in st. Catharines the Audi s4 then seen here in a new for 2019 standard color turbo blues has only one available powertrain but comes in a few different trims today we have the Technic package which is closest in relation to the us's prestige package and playing an S it also has our knees Quattro all-wheel drive system as standard and yet it's down on power compared to the others with a 349 horsepower turbocharged three liter v6 mated to Aldi's 8-speed automatic transmission that's did 100 more than the a4 though so it's no slouch and we're keen to see how it compares but first we're gonna drive the BMW and Merc back to back before we jump into the Audi to talk about all three make sure you're subscribed and hit the bell to see our videos as they come out and follow us on Instagram for fun stuff behind the scenes and some Instagram only car reviews setting off in the m3 40 I now I really liked the 330 and actually won our last comparison so we'll see what happens here I want to get out a few things first a lot of these but all these cars have em badge AMG badge s badge and they're not quite the RS or the real AMG or real end today we're gonna judge them based on the car that they are not the badge that's labeled everywhere [Music] okay see 43 AMG this has a twin-turbo v6 and look back in the day of v6 was kind of like the engine you're like what else do we put in it put a v6 in it but now after having so many turbo four cylinders this is such a refreshing ly charismatic engine and now we have more horsepower for 2019 this has 382 horsepower that is more than an I eight roadster which is quite significant it's also more than an e46 m3 which Thomas just picked up as his dream car so congratulations Thomas on your purchase Mazel Tov you're going to have a great time at that how does it feel it feels 138 horsepower more than the 330 I will give it that also because we're in the upgrades of these cars we get six cylinders now all the other ones are 2-liter turbocharged and where they really suffered was sound this [Music] sounds a lot better a lot better so before we actually get into the performance aspect of it how does it drive on the road well let's put everything in comfort mode okay shuts up the exhaust automatic shifting and the ride is acceptable some people have said it's too stiff I don't actually find it too stiff I find it to be just fine however in dynamic mode it gets a little bit stiffer but we'll hold on before we go into the performance aspect of it this is a comfortable car to cruising I have the adaptive cruise control which by the way you don't have to touch in stop-and-go traffic anything it will just pull you away and bring you to a complete stop which is really really nice and it works very well and I have obviously all of the luxury features that I would need find that I don't have very much knee room though driving musicians good overall though however I will say that this is quite an insulated cabinet even though I know that the sound coming out at the back is great Thomas was in front of me in that c43 before and it was popping off this is not as exciting a sound as I would want it to be but it power is immediately at your disposal I'm in Sport Plus mode at the moment and when I put my foot down I mean it holds the revs hi I am immediately in the power I can is Thomas in front of me it sounds that does sound a little bit better from this from where I'm sitting we're going to put the dynamic selector into Sport Plus we're going to shift with the paddles okay the exhaust is now in the loud mode in this car wakes up in such an aggressive way there is an explosion on the upshift and i absolutely love it is it ridiculous yes is it unnecessary yes but whatever it's fun I cannot get over the difference between the C 300 and the C 43 AMG that gap is huge the steering is nice and weighted in this car I would go as far to say it's probably the heaviest out this three but I'll confirm that in a second and it feels really direct I'm really good I think this is a really really comfortable car I would I would almost be prepared to give up some more comfort to be honest I'd like to have felt a bit lighter on its feet than it is and on the highway it's a breeze absolute dream it has all the creature comforts I have the pilot assist or whatever BMW call it the lane keep assist is wonderful and the adaptive cruise control is incredible so it does absolutely everything a330 does and it just fills a bit faster and it makes a 600 noise it has the M adaptive suspension and differential but I think I'll just on the road I don't feel a huge difference from the 330 I really don't the engine pulls really really well and this little bit of turbo lag but it's like really really minimal you can't tell and the engine just makes fantastic noises it doesn't feel synthetic it doesn't feel fake it feels organic all right this is 4matic so when I have everything kind of turned off it'll actually give you a fair amount of rear-end play before it cuts those front tires in the steering I find to be actually quite light but half decent feedback and it weights up very obviously in the corner and I find that the front-end grip in this car is one of the best parts about it it's really stellar it really is you just turn in and that front just hooks into the pavement this is just genuinely a really sharp feeling car yeah the comfort doesn't change that much in Sport+ it doesn't feel that much harsh of the suspension but the gear changes become a lot quicker everything feels sharp the throttle definitely feels a lot sharper the brakes are very sharp in this car if they're immediately like the throw is not that long on the brake pedal for it to be very sharp so something to get used to all right this has not a full AMG transmission but you know what [Laughter] those explosions in the upshift are so loud and the show keeps sorry the shifts are fantastic very very quick down shifts are very obvious and I can skip gear so if I'm in fourth and I brake i double click the paddle and all genuinely to skip it's an excellent car and it feels like a normal progression from the 330 but it definitely doesn't feel as a wacko and I guess a lot of that is then there making room for the m3 so I really hope the m3 delivers I'm interested to see what Thomas thinks of it this is just a really good car this is just a really really good car but what you do need to know is that from this cockpit on this back road with these noises this feels like an occasion of a car it feels exciting it feels fun they did this right ok m3 4 TI time to do a launch [Music] pretty quick it really is [Music] what that sound is unbelievable if to something that's a bit rude it sounds like slapping someone's face every time they're up shifts alright I got everything in Sport+ let's toss it to some corners front end is very direct steering really nicely weighted although you know what this does not feel that different to the regular 330 that we reviewed in the previous comparison there's not that much of a gap in the way that this feels and sounds different obviously he's got more cylinders but there's not that much of a difference that's a bit disappointing actually it sounded dramatic from the outside it sounds dramatic from the cabin as well well we owe those lil Purple's as well so the BMW did bevels as well but these are slightly higher pitch which is funny steering is lighter driving position is good just as good as the BMW steering wheel feels great definitely lighter steering I'm in the heaviest steering mode right now and the steering feels a lot lighter this is the horsepower leader of the group and it feels very very it's by three wolves power from the BMW and it feels very similar so there's definitely lots of power there wow that's amazing how much joy can come from the sound alone that sounds fantastic and you know what in terms of that I've got everything in sport the sound of that c43 and the experience and the shifts it's crisper it's more aggressive it's more exciting this is just really fast but it's a bit softer it's a bit more luxury feeling than that c43 that's scene 43 is a more of an an agressive yeah no this is a great car this is absolutely fantastic but I'm not sure that it's different enough from the regular 330 [Music] the car feels lighter much lighter on his feet it probably isn't it feels a lot lighter than that 3 Series the driving position is definitely perfect very BMW steering wheel comes at me I'm sitting nice and low this is a really comfortable car and it's comfortable on the ride department - it's quite a it's very luxury feeling I was actually expecting this to be quite a heat more aggressive than it actually is it's fast but it's not super like wow do you know what I mean purely from a perspective of joy this takes the m3 40 although Thomas told me around town it's quite a harsh ride even in comfort mode whereas the BMW is incredibly comfortable buy a BMW because of that definitely the xDrive shunts all that power to the rear and it really creates a rear-wheel drive feel which would make this unsure on a track to be definitely the most engaging however out here on the road that c43 is definitely feeling more exciting to me than this is down to the Audi for the tiebreaker but first we're going to look at the interior and exterior designs okay I'm out of Castle piano black these are good cars they really are excellent can we talk about this girl the girl this is unique to the m3 40i yes special mesh kidney grille I don't love it nor do I hate it I'm also indifferent to it just I do like the brass color though like this headlights is the lasers right laser lights very new build the end performance brake Yamcha blue yep and these M wheels which have even have the M on it pretty cool it's a good-looking car overall I actually do like it this is this is tanzanite blue - metallic it comes in Portimao blue which is my preference for - mouch is really nice and bright it's a nice track in Port amel okay this is the updated c43 we have a new grille a new bumper some people don't like this new girl they like the diamond one I like the diamond one I like this better really I do I think it's good-looking it looks like it's missing the diamonds it is missing but it's therefore it's better the two Wolverines stripe yeah no it's cool it's honestly a really good I I have no issues with the way this thing looks little bi turbo badge right there got some big dirty wheels and brakes it's pretty murdered-out it is actually yes it's it's it's like black wheels by everything blue it's so bright this is called turbo turbo blue that is such a cool name no this is uh this is a fantastic looking car this is the most understated looking it that adventurous with the design although it is getting a 2020 refresh which looks differently yeah whether it looks better I hope they don't lose like the like the razor sharpness of some of the looks like this right and like these I think it's just really neat and it's a great color Howdy's Aldi's the best this is the best way to put it they're the best of doing sleepless looking car absolutely yeah right the rs3 we just drove on track doesn't look like a crazy car no it's not at all quad exhaust quad exhaust too not too big too big exhausts under the back end these cars look really good I like the taillights in the end please yes really they are real sq5 room recently they're very fake very fake so that's not good at the real alright interiors yeah let's do the Sade's yep yeah there's some creaking yeah yeah it sounds like the dorms in college not my dorm but anyway this is piano black I don't love it actually it's really honestly not the choice to have but it can be Specht with wood trim yes you should do that but other than that the rest of the interior like materials wise is really nice we're gonna stitching stitching stitching it's really nice and this is a new steering wheel this year wow this is really good car yeah and it's also got these little Sun things which we love love those anything that Mercedes has with these works perfect and we talked about some things anyway so this is the AMG style digital gauge cluster I can have like the old-style gauges as well but I've optioned it like that this right here is you know well new stuff well now that all get in the long one right yes they are but this is still the new tech alright so this is actually really cool this is new to check this out I go to vehicle and then I go to track pace okay and then I've got a whole series of really cool apps it warns me to use it on a race track only no I'll do what I want so we've got track race here so you can actually set quarter-mile times braking distances and measure acceleration and under this time there's actually a timed lap situation that's not like one of those like you push the button across the start line it's an actual proper like tell me this is quite a big call to lap though right it is but honestly it feels really capable I would I think this would be a good track test one of these cars you can customize this and I can put this information here I can have my tire temperatures laid out there's some that's good for the track or in the future people that's important but that's the sound system how's this sounds absolutely fantastic yeah I love it these seats are not like the full-on AMG performance seats but I actually really like them they're very comfortable they're very adjustable that's the typical double flip rachets consoles double roof this is this is a nice interior I don't mind it I wish that this did not do this and I wish that it wasn't even the wood one does do that it does my Mercedes you're supposed to be the leader in quality I know this is not okay backseat let's check it out all right all right pretty good right it's okay I got a little bit less Headroom than I would like it's not awesome but we have our own little sunroof five-foot-ten and terrible for science we can't get lots of legroom that's my driving position you're missing some climate control here at some heated seats I'm guessing the BMW has that I wouldn't I would purport to say it just shall we go check yeah all right inside the m3 4000 K and it looks like every other right now on sale so good it does so we've reviewed the the 330 before so we're not gonna go this in too much detail we're gonna talk about where it's slightly different yes this has a different material here doesn't it this is like a wood grain yeah this is the wood grain the other one we had was like aluminium honk would answer honky-tonk yeah it didn't look as good yeah this is better that's better it's supposed to be a cool design thing on the alarm I don't like this is a fine design actually do like this I just don't like the gauge cluster I just don't like that I'm sorry I know you don't I just don't subjective it's it's utilitarian it's good we get to see a song there this has the new infotainment which is have you got used to it so yes I have okay my favourite thing about this is joy ways oh yeah yeah that's cool I do have issues with it though because every time it has over-the-air updates great but when they come along it like blackens the whole screen to tell you it's done an update so today on the way here I got an update saying map update installed yeah and it for like 10 seconds it blocked the screen it blocked the very thing it claimed to update while I was using it that's actually kind of interesting I didn't know tonight or something like that so I like you really like leather color by the way and the materials in here are quite good yeah it's not quite as fancy as the Mercedes but it's a little bit more I think it's less tryhard than the mistake I agree actually feels nothing ya know like there's a little bit of creepy the backseat yep if I just realize that one sunroof one but maybe I've got more Headroom you have more Headroom we're going to find out you do have more yes if you care about your wrists as a good inch more easily an inch more yeah the same legroom oh okay this has the Harman Kardon sound system is it good it is good and our friend sandwich keys did a video on sound systems recently about how they fit out the space that they're in and it works in this car in the x3 room recently it's not as good the the 5 Series can be optioned out with the Bowers & Wilkins which blew my mind that's a really good you can't do that for this this only comes in the Harman Kardon and in this space it works really really well howdee s4 okay this is the best interior it's it's it's older now the other doesn't look older yeah it's more timeless it absolutely is like the only thing that makes it dated is this little stuck on thing with like a slightly older just changing with the new gen exactly but like this digital cockpit I like this the best I think it's the sharpest this theory the steering wheel is absolutely lovely well Cantera here these seats are really comfortable this is there's out look at that no freaking solid yeah howdy build quality the interior messes where this is where they absolutely the Bang & Olufsen sound system is fantastic yeah these are nice seats to the s seats really good okay like I mean there's not much else to say but this is the best every one tiny complaint weight and the way that the blind spot detection is on these mirrors yeah it kind of looks like an orange warning light from 1980 oh really yeah but you see it and that's the point of it I guess other than that I really I really like this interior you know it's just lovely honest a back seat yeah yeah yeah so this is more than Mercedes but the same as the BMW all right let's drive this now all right all right howdy s4 sounds good it sounds feel asphalt no it gives it's cuz it's not it's fan there's two of us in the car now so we'll see yeah it's it's definitely not as fast as the m3 forty like there's just no question the ride feels excellent I'm in dynamic mode at the moment yeah and the ride feels really really good as a passenger it feels really good actually steering is incredibly light that you can you could feel the body motions though right you're feeling a little bit more wallowing the other c43 is way more like harsh dude I mean it is yeah yeah and then I would say the BMW is half way between the two yeah I get me a double use I'm surprised how much more of like a Lexus fear that had them I agree yeah I figured it would be really sharp but the steering is too late do you agree in the most sport mode it sporty mode yes but even in the individual mode where we've adjusted it to the most tight serious yeah it's still very light yeah it had it in terms of like body control I found it to be totally acceptable he's a great lad you see I mean like for me just spitting as a passenger the interior is just so good how do good Howdy's are very good at being a letís yes and therefore they kind of like jack of all trades and master of none yeah this doesn't leave me with the same sense of passion that the c-class did it does no well as much theater no it's definitely not and typically as you to be pushed into a corner the front end start to push a little bit yeah it's not super athletic but we're on a road right now so that doesn't really count and the owner of this call commutes hours a day and he bought this car because he wanted to sit community I would be my mom for that let's go yeah it's got the best ride yep it's just to live with steering yep they had great Headroom yes [Music] although the brakes are good - oh it's definitely a competent performer absolutely yes okay so which one would you which one would you have all things considered you go first you actually know let's just say at the same time ready all right three two one c23 I would have to see 43 just because there's there's more theater there's more drama and that's kind of what I mean which is funny because that was the one we didn't pick at all on the basement exactly I think the c43 does the best job earning that price premium yes I think it's the farthest from I think it's closer to the c63 yep then the c300 and I think the N 340 is upsettingly close to the normal 330 yes so here's here's what I'm saying ed of these three I would take the C 43 we both agreed on that right but I wouldn't take the C 43 I would take the regular 330 and save them and save the money so ed of these three cars my choice is the 330 that's better that's how that's where I land on because it just makes more sense it's still just it's still very good yeah but I don't know I got that's better I would still take the Sepoy three out of the three would you okay Sarah and again I love the Audi's and this is just lovely but they're just good okay conclusion time the C 43 is the most exciting the most dramatic yeah thanks to the engine and the exhaust name absolutely and the s4 is the most subdued and possibly the nicest to live with every day yeah this doing so light even in you're really good oh yeah and then the M 340i is somewhere in between yeah right not super exciting they're still easy to live with better ride than the c-class but not as exciting as a c-class yes either way all three of them are absolutely fantastic cars and you can't thanks for watching [Music]

Channel: Throttle House

Views: 2,585,794

Keywords: 2020 bmw 3 series, 2020 bmw m340i, 2020 3 series bmw 340i, 2020 bmw 3 series vs audi s4, 2019 audi s4, 2019 s4, 2019 mercedes C43 AMG, 2019 mercedes c-class, 2019 mercedes-benz c-class, mercedes C43 AMG, 2019 c-class, 2019 bmw m340i vs 2019 audi s4 vs mercedes c43, s4 vs M340i vs C43, s4 vs 3 series, s4 vs M340i, bmw M340ix-drive, quattro, quattro vs x-drive, xdrive vs quattro vs 4matic, new bmw M340i, g20 3 series, g20, audi vs bmw, audi vs mercedes, bmw vs mercedes

Id: ru2rDHzCfNM

Length: 25min 39sec (1539 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 03 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/apandya277]

C43 would my my pick because we get a Wagon :D

[u/Bamfor07]

Of these three I’d have to take the BMW.

[u/mintz41]

Have driven the C43 and S4, and previous 340i, but I'll just compare the Merc and Audi.

C43 has a laughably bad ride compared to the other two, even my RS3 has a significantly better ride. C43 has a jazzy interior but the quality is worse than the Audi, which is more subdued but more solid.

C43 sounds and feels a bit more exciting than the S4 but as an overall car, I'd take the S4 if I had to drive it every day. What I actually did was spend the same money on an RS3, lose a lot less in depreciation and drive a much faster, sharper car than any of these. An RS3 will gap a C43 easily and keep up with a C63.

[u/[deleted]]

Love the color on the Audi. Looks a lot like Porsche's Miami Blue.

​

I am definitely eyeing an S4 or S5 Sportback down the road.

[u/Novicept]

C43 AMG would have to be my pick of the three as well. Also, great review.

[u/D-Dubya]

I've lived with a C43 for 3 years now. I looked at a few other cars before settling on the C43. The new S4 wasn't available at the time and the, then current, M-sport 3 series interior looked like something out of a VW in comparison to the Merc. The Jag XE wasn't in the same league.

I love everything about the car, but I wouldn't get another one. The ride is just to brittle over broken roads for a daily driver, even in the full comfort setting. If you live in an area with relatively good roads it would be less of an issue, but over potholes it literally knocks your jaw together. Full disclosure: I'm closing in on 40 and my tolerance for a stiff ride on a daily just isn't what it used to be; your mileage may vary.

[u/mumblybee]

Wish we got the M140i... Same B58 engine on a tiny little hatchback. Already after market support from Dinan and other well known tuners. Can safely make 400bhp. Same engine as the new Supra...

[u/madevilfish]

Summery they are all "good" cars.

[u/Atnat14]

Someone save me a click?