BMW 330i M Sport vs Mercedes-Benz C300 AMG Line: Which German sports sedan should you choose?

The battle between the two German sports sedans - BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class continues to run for several years. Both are finely designed models, packed with tons of creature comforts and powerful drivetrains delivering satisfying driving experiences to the customers. But when it comes to choosing one out of these, things get tricky. In today’s story, we put the BMW 330i M Sport and Mercedes-Benz C300 AMG Line against each other to help you decide which car makes more sense to you.

Price

The BMW 330i M Sport price in Malaysia starts at RM 284,332 (on-the-road, with SST exemption, without insurance), while Mercedes-Benz retails the sporty C300 with AMG Line package at a slightly higher price of RM 291,800.

Performance

Under the hood, the BMW 330i M Sport is fitted with a 2.0-litre TwinPower Turbo petrol engine churning out a maximum power of 258 hp and a peak torque of 400 Nm from 1,550 to 4,400 rpm. For transmitting power to the wheels, the mechanical setup has an 8-speed Steptronic Sport transmission. On the performance front, the sedan can run from zero to 100 kmph in 5.8 seconds with a top speed of 250 kmph. 

Mercedes-Benz C300 AMG Line, on the other hand, takes its energy from a 2.0-litre 4 cylinder twin-scroll turbocharged petrol engine that is good enough to deliver the same power and torque numbers as the BMW 330i. Although Merc gets a 9G-TRONIC 9-speed automatic transmission for sending power to the ground. And when it comes to century sprint time, it takes one second extra in comparison to Beemar. The top speed remains the same at 250 kmph.

Drive experience

Both models can manage daily commutes and highway drives with ease. But when it comes to the fun-to-drive experience, the 330i offers a sportier drive with M sport suspension and M Aerodynamics package. BMW is on top of the suspension game while Mercedes is trying to reposition its sportiness image in the minds of young ones by replacing the Airmatic suspension with a new Sports suspension unit.

Sporty package

When we see the exterior designs of the two sedans, both look finely honed in their sporty outfits. The M Sport pack gives the BMW 330i a sportier touch with several cosmetic enhancements inside and out. The standard kit includes adaptive LED headlights, welcome light carpet, 18-inch M light-alloy wheels Double-spoke style 790 M Bicolour Orbit Grey with mixed tyres and BMW Individual high-gloss shadow line. Inside, the M-specific inclusions are M Sport leather steering wheel, sports seats, M-specific shift paddles, M door sills, BMW Individual headliner Anthracite, and Vernasca leather upholstery.

The Mercedes C300 AMG Line exterior boasts 19-inch five twin-spoke AMG wheels shod with 225/40 front and 255/35 profile tyres, and adaptive LED headlights with high-beam assist. Inside, the kit includes an AMG sports steering wheel, Nappa leather upholstery, open-pore black ash wood trim, and other AMG-specific trimmings.

Interior features

On this front, no sedan will be going to disappoint you, however, the Mercedes C300 is a bit pricer, one can expect to get more equipment for the price premium. Let’s see.

Specifications	BMW 330i M Sport	Mercedes-Benz C300 AMG Line
Instrument cluster	BMW Live Cockpit Professional with a fully digital 12.3-inch display	12.3-inch All-Digital display
Infotainment unit	10.25-inch	10.25-inch
Connectivity	BMW ConnectedDrive services including Intelligent Emergency Call, Teleservices, Intelligent Personal Assistant Apple CarPlay	Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Mercedes me,  Emergency call system, Live Traffic information
Start/Stop	BMW Digital Key, Start/Stop button	Remote engine start
Navigation	BMW Navigation system Professional	SD card-based Navigation
Wireless charging	Yes	Yes
Air conditioning	3-zone automatic climate control	THERMOTRONIC luxurious automatic climate control
Sound system	HiFi loudspeaker system (205W, 10 speakers)	Burmester® surround sound system (590W, 13 speakers)
Ambient lighting	Yes	Yes
Sunroof	No	Panoramic sliding sunroof
Electrically adjustable seats	With memory function	With memory function and 4-way lumbar support
Heat protection and sun protection glazing	Yes	Yes

The list shows that both sedans promise uncompromised luxury and comfort to the occupants, although a few bits are missing on the 3 Series, that is what we expected as per the prices.

Safety/ADAS

BMW offers the 3 Series with 6 airbags and a slew of advanced driver assistance systems, including attentiveness assistant, cruise control with braking function, parking Assistant with reversing assist, and driving assistant. The latter includes lane departure warning, lane change warning and front collision warning with brake intervention, rear crossing traffic warning, and rear collision prevention. 

At the same time, Mercedes-Benz C300 AMG Line gets 7 airbags, surround-view camera, active lane-keeping assist, blind spot assist, Parktronic parking assist, active brake assist, interior motion sensor, cruise control, KEYLESS-GO, and a PRE-SAFE® system.

In the end, we conclude the BMW 330i M Sport or Mercedes-Benz C300 AMG Line, neither option will be going to disappoint you. So, just pick the one that fits your style.

Also read: BMW X1 sDrive20i M Sport Interior: In pics