Vs Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sport

Billed as a sports sedan comparison test for $38,000.

1st Place:
BMW 328i - 227 points

Highs:
Better to drive than most sports cars, hushed refinement of a luxury car, relative light weight, best fuel economy.

Lows:
Smallish back seat, radio display disappears with polarized shades

Verdict:
BMW still makes the best sports sedan for $38,000.

Price as test: $38,825
6-Speed Manual Transmission
0-60 mph - 6.1 seconds
0-100 mph - 16.4 seconds
1/4 Mile - 14.8 @ 95 mph
5-60 mph - 6.7 seconds
30-50 mph top gear - 10.5 seconds
50-70 mph top gear - 10.2 seconds
EPA City - 18 miles per gallon
EPA Highway - 28 miles per gallon
C&D observed - 16 miles per gallon
Braking 70-0 - 161 feet
Skidpad - .90
Lane Change - 62.9

2nd Place:
Infiniti G35 Sport - 212 points

Highs:
Rocket-sled acceleration, lots of features for the price, thinks it is a Nissan 350Z.

Lows:
Gritty shifter, the coarse hum of the big V-6, lacks the finesse of the Bavarian.

Verdict:
It's all good, but the BMW is all great.

Price as test: $38,865
6-Speed Manual Transmission
0-60 mph - 5.5 seconds
0-100 mph - 13.6 seconds
1/4 Mile - 14.1 @ 102 mph
5-60 mph - 6.1 seconds
30-50 mph top gear - 9.1 seconds
50-70 mph top gear - 8.4 seconds
EPA City - 17 miles per gallon
EPA Highway - 25 miles per gallon
C&D observed - 14 miles per gallon
Braking 70-0 - 157 feet
Skidpad - .89
Lane Change - 61.8

3rd Place:
Cadillac CTS DI - 199 points

Highs:
Impeccable chassis tuning, Cadillac style inside and out, the interior GM refused for so long to build, a relatively big back seat, requires only 87 octane.

Lows:
Loutish shifter, odd clutch feel, engine groans, leaden feel, excessive weight.

Verdict:
America's sport sedan is let down by an uncouth transmission and a slight weight problem.

Price as test: $36,970
6-Speed Manual Transmission
0-60 mph - 6.1 seconds
0-100 mph - 16.5 seconds
1/4 Mile - 14.7 @ 95 mph
5-60 mph - 6.9 seconds
30-50 mph top gear - 14.0 seconds
50-70 mph top gear - 14.5 seconds
EPA City - 16 miles per gallon
EPA Highway - 25 miles per gallon
C&D observed - 13 miles per gallon
Braking 70-0 - 155 feet
Skidpad - .87
Lane Change - 64.2

4th Place:
Mercedes C300 Sport - 189 points

Highs:
Supple ride, subdued mechanicals, superb navigation and stereo systems.

Lows:
Low-grip tires, light and fast steering, intrusive stability control, floppy shifter, flat seats, unimpressive interior materials.

Verdict:
A convincing sports sedan at a sedate pace, but pushing hard reveals a luxury car impersonating a sports sedan.

Price as test: $37,410
6-Speed Manual Transmission
0-60 mph - 6.5 seconds
0-100 mph - 16.8 seconds
1/4 Mile - 14.9 @ 95 mph
5-60 mph - 7.1 seconds
30-50 mph top gear - 12.8 seconds
50-70 mph top gear - 10.7 seconds
EPA City - 18 miles per gallon
EPA Highway - 26 miles per gallon
C&D observed - 15 miles per gallon
Braking 70-0 - 174 feet
Skidpad - .83
Lane Change - 59.9

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

The C-class at the bottom of a list once again because of an underpowered engine.

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

Luwalira said:

The C-class at the bottom of a list once again because of an underpowered engine.

Click to expand...

is the engine alone doing such a big impact on the result in this test? I havent read the test so Im just wondering but when I look at the acceleration data. The times for the C300 is just as fast as 328i.

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

Just_me said:

is the engine alone doing such a big impact on the result in this test? I havent read the test so Im just wondering but when I look at the acceleration data. The times for the C300 is just as fast as 328i.

Click to expand...

You read the lows and verdict for the Mercedes and no where in there is the acceleration times mentioned.

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

Just_me said:

is the engine alone doing such a big impact on the result in this test? I havent read the test so Im just wondering but when I look at the acceleration data. The times for the C300 is just as fast as 328i.

Click to expand...

Naah, the comfort orientated suspension most likely contributed a whole lot too. They seem to hate the interior Wankers!

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

Sorry if this is a stuid question guys... but why are the 5-60mph times SLOWER than the 0-60mph times? .. wouldn't a slight rolling start actually be a little quicker rather than slower?

As for that Infiniti.. look at the 0-100mph time.. absolutely blows the other 3 to shreds! The G35 Sports is a rocket for its class!!

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

Here's a breakdown of how the cars arrived at their point totals.

BMW 328i

Vehicle
Driving Comfort - 10/10
Ergonomics - 9/10
Rear-Seat Comfort - 3/5
Rear-Seat Space - 4/5
Trunk Space - 4/5
Features/Amenities - 9/10
Fit and Finish - 9/10
Interior Styling - 9/10
Exterior Styling - 8/10
Rebates/Extras - 1/10
As-Tested Price - 19/20
Vehicle Subtotal - 85/100

Powertrain
1/4 Mile Acceleration - 17/20
Flexibility - 4/5
Fuel Economy - 5/5
Engine NVH - 10/10
Transmission - 10/10
Powertrain Subtotal - 46/50

Chassis
Performance - 19/20
Steering Feel - 5/5
Brake Feel - 5/5
Handling - 10/10
Ride - 9/10
Chassis Subtotal - 48/50

Gotta Have It Factor - 23/25
Fun To Drive - 25/25

Total - 227/250

Infiniti G35 Sport

Vehicle
Driving Comfort - 8/10
Ergonomics - 8/10
Rear-Seat Comfort - 4/5
Rear-Seat Space - 4/5
Trunk Space - 5/5
Features/Amenities - 10/10
Fit and Finish - 8/10
Interior Styling - 8/10
Exterior Styling - 8/10
Rebates/Extras - 0/10
As-Tested Price - 19/20
Vehicle Subtotal - 82/100

Powertrain
1/4 Mile Acceleration - 20/20
Flexibility - 4/5
Fuel Economy - 4/5
Engine NVH - 7/10
Transmission - 8/10
Powertrain Subtotal - 43/50

Chassis
Performance - 19/20
Steering Feel - 5/5
Brake Feel - 4/5
Handling - 9/10
Ride - 7/10
Chassis Subtotal - 44/50

Gotta Have It Factor - 20/25
Fun To Drive - 23/25

Total - 212/250

Cadillac CTS DI

Vehicle
Driving Comfort - 8/10
Ergonomics - 8/10
Rear-Seat Comfort - 5/5
Rear-Seat Space - 5/5
Trunk Space - 5/5
Features/Amenities - 7/10
Fit and Finish - 8/10
Interior Styling - 8/10
Exterior Styling - 9/10
Rebates/Extras - 0/10
As-Tested Price - 20/20
Vehicle Subtotal - 83/100

Powertrain
1/4 Mile Acceleration - 17/20
Flexibility - 3/5
Fuel Economy - 4/5
Engine NVH - 6/10
Transmission - 5/10
Powertrain Subtotal - 35/50

Chassis
Performance - 19/20
Steering Feel - 4/5
Brake Feel - 3/5
Handling - 8/10
Ride - 7/10
Chassis Subtotal - 41/50

Gotta Have It Factor - 21/25
Fun To Drive - 19/25

Total - 199/250

Mercedes C300 Sport

Vehicle
Driving Comfort - 7/10
Ergonomics - 8/10
Rear-Seat Comfort - 2/5
Rear-Seat Space - 3/5
Trunk Space - 4/5
Features/Amenities - 9/10
Fit and Finish - 7/10
Interior Styling - 7/10
Exterior Styling - 8/10
Rebates/Extras - 0/10
As-Tested Price - 20/20
Vehicle Subtotal - 75/100

Powertrain
1/4 Mile Acceleration - 16/20
Flexibility - 4/5
Fuel Economy - 5/5
Engine NVH - 9/10
Transmission - 7/10
Powertrain Subtotal - 41/50

Chassis
Performance - 15/20
Steering Feel - 3/5
Brake Feel - 4/5
Handling - 7/10
Ride - 9/10
Chassis Subtotal - 38/50

Gotta Have It Factor - 18/25
Fun To Drive - 17/25

Total - 189/250

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

Beemer B773ER said:

Sorry if this is a stuid question guys... but why are the 5-60mph times SLOWER than the 0-60mph times? .. wouldn't a slight rolling start actually be a little quicker rather than slower?

Click to expand...

When magazines perform 0-60 tests, they rev the engine to the best spot (before they release the clutch) to get the fastest acceleration . When you are rolling at 5mph the engine rpm is very low.

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

Thanks for that bmwrules... I thought that might be the case.. but was unsure whether they revved the engine or just started the clock from zero revs.

Also, thank you for the breakdown of points. Some very insightful ratings there!

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

Funny that the least sporty and most comfort orientated car in the test was found to offer the worst driving comfort.

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

Ha ha funny that luw...this test reads like a whole load of BS to me

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

It sounds to me that the criteria for this test was "the sportiest car" thats why the bimmer won. Too bad we dont have Infiniti in Sweden, would love to test drive one.

BTW C300 Sport , does that mean the Benz has the sportchassi?

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

When I saw the C300 in the header I knew the result. I just hate the C-Class has come to U.S. market with the previous engines and without the sportiest suspention setup. I love reading Car and Driver and have since 1986, but then they draw a line at a certain price amount like 38K they really show their stupidity. This same type of BS is what led them to put a 300SL against all V8 and V12 competitors back in the day when they knew darn well a 500SL would have murdered the competition.

A 300hp Cadillac is hardly any faster than 228hp Benz. I wonder why they didn't include the IS250 Sport with a manual. Guess I'll have to find out when my issue arrives.

M

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

Just_me said:

BTW C300 Sport , does that mean the Benz has the sportchassi?

Click to expand...

Not till 08.

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

You mean the 09' model year in the U.S.

M

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

Merc1 said:

You mean the 09' model year in the U.S.

M

Click to expand...

Yeah, so I guess around October next year.

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

so whats the difference between C300 Sport and without Sport?
Adding the word Sport has no meaning?

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

No, the Sport version has a stiffer suspension, bigger wheels/tires compared to the regular C300 which is called the Luxury model here in the U.S. What we don't have is the Advanced Agility Package that Mercedes said upon introduction would make the C-Class a true sports sedan. That is what we're supposed to be getting for the 2009 model year. All we have now is Agility Control which is standard on all C-Class models.

I'm thinking that when the serious suspension setup arrives next model year they'll have the sense to put it with the proper tires also.

M

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

What the hell is a C300 ????

Re: Car and Driver: Cadillac CTS DI vs Merc C300 Sport vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G35 Sp

DeDe said:

What the hell is a C300 ????

Click to expand...

It's the same engine that was used in the W203 C 280. In Europe it remains to be called C 280.