2015 BMW M3 Comparison

A Luxury Comparison Test of Leaders  in the Class

The admiration for the BMW M3 has been amazingly high for many years as the M3 has been the leader in the class of high performance midsized luxury sedan models.  There were times that other competitors tried to outclass the M3, there was the Audi B7 RS4 that took over for a short time and of course at Mercedes the AMG models can show up with some versions to take on the M3, but for years the M3 has been the leader and the class of only the midsized performance luxury sedans that show up as the best that is offered.

Now, with all the advances and the huge amount of competition that is being called for there are two possible competitors who are willing to push the M3 off the cliff and take over as the leader in this area.  With this in mind I offer you a comparison between the BMW M3, Cadillac ATS-V Sedan and the Mercedes- AMG C63 S to show you what is the right car for you to drive when you want the top of the line in power and performance to take the lead in this class of vehicles.

Starting the comparison with some performance gives us an immediate difference among the three.  The BMW shows up with a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine that brings you 425 horsepower and 406 lb.-ft. of torque and a weight of only 3,498 pounds.  The Mercedes-AMG model offers you a larger V8 that brings more power with 503 horsepower and 516 lb.-ft. of torque but also offers a heavier weight at 3,936 pounds.  As for the Cadillac model the ATS-V shows up at 3,788 pounds and is powered by a 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that offers 464 horsepower and 445 lb.-ft. of torque.

With these weights and power  numbers the speed to sixty mph shows up at four seconds flat for the two German models and 3.7 seconds for the Cadillac making the leader in acceleration.  As for the quarter mile the M3 shows up at 12.2 seconds with s speed of 119.5 mph while the C63 gives you a time of 12.3 seconds at 118.1 mph.  The ATS-V comes in with a time of 12.1 seconds for the quarter mile at 116.2 mph.  Even though the mph was not the lead of this comparison when it comes to the time these cars could take care of the straight line test, the Cadillac was the clear winner.

Take the three out for some testing of the handling underneath and we see another place where one car beats the other two clearly.  The stopping power of each is compared from sixty mph to zero and we find the AMG can do it in 101 feet, the M3 in 104 feet and the ATS-V completes the task in 99 feet.  Once you start turning the wheel you see another number pop up.  At a figure eight test, the two German models each required 24.1 seconds to complete the loop while the Cadillac did it in 23.7 seconds.  Once again we see a clear performance winner in the ATS-V.

When the cars are taken off the track and tested on the road in a winding and turning course all three give off outstanding performances that make it easy to love each one of them.  None put forth a better effort for the drive of a distance than  the other and all three offered excellent precision controls and easy to enjoy dynamics from the suspension that makes each one stay firmly attached to the road to give you the driving you want from your high performance luxury sedan.

Once the dust settled and the driving on the road is over the choice really comes down to the engine size, six-cylinders or eight seems to be the determining factor.  Overall, the Cadillac ATS-V took the top spot for this comparison, giving the best overall power and performance matched with the drive ability that so many can get to know and love to drive.  With this new leader in the segment the BMW M3 showed up second with dynamics we still love.  The Mercedes-AMG showed itself at the last spot even though it too has some great power and performance, but not when compared to the other two.

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