2009 BMW 3 Series Sedan User Reviews

Pros

Great interior, excellent iDrive with Nav etc.

Cons

This car is not for everyday driving. Its not really a "luxury".

Purchased As Not Purchased

I have been wanting to buy the best entry level luxury car. Have been doing a lot of research and test driving cars. I narrowed down my final two choices to the 328i and the Mercedes C300. I drove both of these cars extensively (rented both).

All online reviews about the 328i will tell you that it is "more fun to drive" and has better performance etc. After I drove the 328i, I kind of understand what they mean. But I feel that for the average buyer looking for a luxury car, the 328i is not what you are looking for. The Mercedes C300 is truly a luxurious drive. It drives so smoothly and the 7-speed transmission shifts so softly that you can hit the gas pedal as hard as you want and it will shift very smoothly. The 328i on the other hand has a very jerky shift. Sure it may do 0-60 faster than the C300, but it will be a lot more jerky too. The suspension in the C300 is orders of magnitude superior to the 328i. The engine noise in the 328i is terrible compared to the very quiet C300.

The steering wheel of the 328i is terribly stiff. The purists will tell you that that is typical of BMW and sports cars. But for the average driver like me looking for a great luxury car, the steering is too stiff in the 328i. The C300 on the other hand has a steering that is so smooth that I could turn 90 degrees using one finger at great speeds. Sure the BMW may be slightly better if u are driving atop winding hills at 90 mph, but that is not average driving unless u live in Montana.

The brakes are another thing that the C300 beats the 328i by a long shot. The C300 brakes from 60-70 mph to 0 absolutely smoothly with a very good feel on the brake pedal. The 328i on the other hand will brake, but u can tell the car is struggling to do it, the vehicle shakes a bit and the pedal vibrates quite a bit.

Also try doing a very fast U-turn on the 328i versus C300. You will instantly see the superior performance of the C300. The BMW on the other hand struggles to get back in a straight line and swerves.

Bottom line is this friends. If you are looking for a truly luxury car, then at a minimum you HAVE TO test drive the Mercedes C300. Don't just trust the online reviews and BLINDLY buy the 328i. What you are looking for may be very different than what the reviewers were paying attention to.

Don't buy the BMW without at least test driving the C300. And if possible rent both cars for at least a few hours of driving rather than the courtesy 10 minute test drive. Most dealers, if you insist will let you loan a car for a couple of hours.

And don't just make your decision based on the jazzy interior of the BMW, look at the driving performance of the C300. You dont want to make a decision of this magnitude based on a fancier dash etc.