Are you in two minds about your next lease car? Sometimes there are so many excellent options and deals available that the choice can be a difficult one. The Mercedes C Class & BMW 3 Series are two of our best-selling vehicles but what separates these two fantastic vehicles? Can you split them? We've done our best below.EXTERIOR
With two titans of the industry such as BMW & Mercedes, the 3 Series & C Class are unlikely to give much away with their respective exterior designs. These two have been around for years, almost 50 to be exact, and you can be certain that with such reputed brands behind the vehicle they've truly perfected their styling over the years.
The C Class may just about shade design though, with a powerful & executive appearance, it certainly commands a more powerful yet smart presence on the road & it might not be completely unfair to say the 3 Series' design has become almost too familiar to the modern motorist.
WINNER: MERCEDES C CLASS
INTERIOR
There aren't many BMW or Mercedes vehicles that can't claim to have a fairly luxurious, prestigious interior and these two cars remain no different. The competition for quality interiors in these vehciles has become fierce, with Audi's A4 & the Jaguar XE widely credited with some truly faultless cabins. That only means better and better for BMW & Mercedes drivers to enjoy and the 3 Series looks to be the frontrunner in this field. The iDrive system is well documented as a great in-car function and a large MMI infotainment system complements a clean, neat dashboard layout. That doesn't mean Mercedes' interior is weaker, though, there's plenty to benefit from with the C Class including the all-new COMAND system, Bluetooth functionality & infotainment screen that can be used for various functions including GARMIN Sat-Nav.
We draw a blank with boot spaces - both the C Class & 3 Series have exactly the same room of 480-litres.
WINNER: BMW 3 SERIES
ENGINES
Its reasonable to expect a fair bit of quality in this department for both the BMW & Mercedes, after all both manufacturers have built their respective reputations largely on this point alone. There are plenty of engines available for C Class Saloon drivers - with the options at both ends of the performance/economy scale. The C220d is the mid-range option, with 0-62mph possible in 7.7 seconds its no slouch and will still do 70.6mpg fuel economy. There's even now a C350e plug-in hybrid option, a great indication of what we can now legitimately expect from luxury saloons.
The 3 Series is of equal quality here and the 320d is an impressive candidate for speed with 0-62mph achievable in a minimum of 7.3 seconds if you go for the right spec. The 2.0-litre diesel isn't half bad either for economy - it'll emit just 99g/km of CO2 and return 74.3mpg.
WINNER: MERCEDES C CLASS
SAFETY
With the excellent all-round quality of both vehicles you could reasonably expect a decent amount of safety kit available. With the C Class you'll get Attention Assist, Prevention Assist, Cruise Control, Reversing Camera and a bit more all rolled in as standard.
Both vehicles also got a 5-star EuroNCAP rating & there's adaptive LED Headlamaps, blind spot monitoring and a good variation of safety packages available for the 3 Series as well, depending on the spec you choose.
WINNER: MERCEDES C CLASS
The C Class may come out slightly on top, but these age-old rivals still run a very close contest & you will struggle to go wrong with either thanks to the maby years of improvements & refinement that each car has enjoyed. Take a look at our latest BMW 3 Series Leasing Deals & Mercedes C Class Leasing Deals to find out more about each vehicle & get behind the wheel of one of these excellent cars.
