Matty, there’s more to the story than power, what about the A4′s superior build quality, interior trim, better ride & more attractive looks? In any case, when you are paying circa $54,500 for a BMW 320i you have a right to expect that it will have more get up & go than a Corolla. And you must be joking about the 320i being the best drivers car compared to the C Class, A4 & IS250, or perhaps you just enjoy being bounced all over the place by it’s unforgiving suspension & run flat tyres while at the same time you are wielding significantly less power than the competition for the same price.

Chucky, I hope you enjoy paying approx $60,000 for your new C200K Elegance & sweating it out on the vinyl seats!

So the only real thing that changes/improves as you make your way through the IS 250 range is the interior but as you make your way through the 3 Series not only do the interior features improve but so to do the engines thereby making a greater differentiation between the models as well as justifying the price differences etc.
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The changes in engine and specs in the 3 series do not come anywhere near justifing the increases in price. The 323i costs $8,700 more than the 320i, yet apart from getting an engine which is comparable to the cheapest C Class, you get a couple of insignificant features that wouldn’t be worth much and which should have been standard in the first place.

I think I’ll pass on that and get a C200 Elegance instead.

Sorry, I don’t base cars on road tests, I test drive them myself. I’d take a 115kW 200Nm RWD 320i ahead of the 118kW 250Nm FWD Audi any day. BTW the BMW is also 3 years older tha the Audi and stacks up well specifications / options wise.

Trump Says:
December 10th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
“the only desirable model here is the 335….pity each of its turbos add about $15k, hardly good value”

Not entirely true – you do have to pay a premium for the great engine however you do get higher spec options in a 335i over a 325i.

Unlike the BMW 3 series which is available in both [international award winning] 4 and 6 cylinders and would therefore; make the 3 series more attrractive to a wider market. Because whilst there would be car enthusiasts out there after a luxury “sports” sedan.. there would also be people out there who are after a normal luxury sedan but don’t necessarily want the performance oriented 6.

However; when you get to the BMW 6 Cylinder it is a more powerful engine and as I said the power to weight ratio of the two cars only increase BMWs advantage in terms of performance.

So the only real thing that changes/improves as you make your way through the IS 250 range is the interior but as you make your way through the 3 Series not only do the interior features improve but so to do the engines thereby making a greater differentiation between the models as well as justifying the price differences etc.

Mark you stated classes,would you put a 4 cylinder Camry in the same class as a 6 cyl Falcon……….No of course not you would put the Aurion in,and as far as Lexus supplies the only standard six you were wrong there too.So lets move on !

When a company has 3 years to develop a car against something currently on the market, it should seem better. If all you want is power, well then go buy a XR6 Turbo or SS Commodore. But having driven the C Class, A4, IS250 and 3 Series back to back, the 3 Series is still the best Drivers car of the lot. And lets face it, none of them are shabby as far as appoitments go.