“I have a budget of Rs.40 lakh, and want to go in for a BMW. But how does the equivalent Audi or Mercedes get along?”, was the question put in front of me by a very keen uncle. Let’s be honest, most people looking to buy a car in that price range tend to ask this very question. Well, ED is happy to help!
To be honest, I would personally go for the Skoda Superb V6 instead of the entry-level versions of the germans, which gives you quite a lot of ‘bang for your buck’. 260 BHP, all the gizmos you can think of, and enough savings to buy you petrol for the next decade as compared to the germans, why wouldn’t you?
But, it doesn’t quite provide the presence that you look for when you pay that much.
So, the cars in question:
From Munich, the BMW 320d, costing Rs 37 lakh.
From Ingolstadt, the Audi A4 1.8TFSI, costing Rs.41 lakh.
And finally, from Stuttgart, the Mercedes-Benz C200 Avantgarde, costing Rs 39 lakh. By cost alone, the BMW emerges as the clear winner. Let’s look at some other parameters.
POWER
The BMW, being diesel, produces 184 BHP and 380 Nm of torque. The Audi produces 168 BHP and 320 Nm of torque. The Merc produces 185 BHP and 285 Nm of torque.
The BMW is the clear winner here by numbers, and also emerges victorious on the track. It does 0-100 km/h in 7.5 seconds, as compared to the 8.5 seconds taken by the other two. Flat out, it will do 235 km/h. This is partly due to the driving dynamics and the 8-speed gearbox attached to the car, but is majorly because of the 2.0 L 4-cylinder Turbo-Charged engine ,which when petrol is applied to, goes like hell.
Also, if you are paying for the fuel cost and not your company, then the 320d is a better option. It runs on diesel, and will give an average of 14 km/l. You can monitor that constantly with the instant fuel consumption read-out.
INTERIORS
Well the Mercedes-Benz is the winner here. It uses gadgets found on an S-Class to make the driver safe, such as attention assist, park-assist, intelligent light system (which varies the LED headlamps to ensure you are not blinding the pedestrians, while ensuring visibility), amongst others. Mercedes-Benz as usual have gone beserk with the C-Class and include a panoramic sunroof in the base variant.
The Verdict
The BMW is just more complete, so it does emerge as the winner. The Mercedes-Benz is quite good, but is larger, which makes it slower. And for a true driving enthusiast, the BMW’s 2.0L Turbo-Charged engine is a lot of fun. However, if you are buying this car to be driven around in, the Mercedes-Benz is a better car.
The situation does change if you increase your budget, with the Audi 3.0L TDI being the more complete vehicle. It costs Rs 46 lakh, but has a sweet engine producing 241 BHP, and 500 Nm of torque. It also comes loaded with plenty of gizmos to keep you entertained, some of them being borrowed from its elder sibling, the A6.
