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      04-08-2013, 11:37 AM   #1
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Thumbs up BMW 328i Rocks ATS, A4, C250, TL, S60 in Cars.com $46,000 Sport Sedan Challenge

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BMW 328i Rocks ATS, A4, C250, TL, S60 in Cars.com $46,000 Sport Sedan Challenge
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The BMW 328i has been selected as the winner of the Cars.Com Sports Sedan Challenge [Full Review/Results]. The 3 Series emerged as the winner in a series of evaluations including race track testing, instrumented measurements, street driving and a long distance trip on different types of roads.

The BMW 3 Series and five competitor cars were judged by a panel of experts from Cars.com, MotorWeek, and USA Today. The cars were also judged by actual car shoppers who were in the market for a sport sedan and were invited to participate.

The final results were:

1st Place: 2013 BMW 328i M Sport sedan (859 points)
2nd Place: 2013 Volvo S60 T5 AWD Premier (793 points)
3rd Place: 2013 Acura TL 3.7 SH-AWD Tech (775 points)
4th Place: 2013 Cadillac ATS 2.0T Performance (762 points)
5th Place: 2013 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro Tiptronic (749 points)
6th Place: 2013 Mercedes-Benz C250 Sport (671 points)

Lots more results/scoring explanation of each model can be found at: Cars.com, Motorweek, USA Today Review Article.

Here's what they had to say about the 3 Series' performance:

Quote:
It wasn't hard for the 2013 BMW 3 Series to win over our critics at our latest Challenge. The sedan was exceptionally well-balanced on the track and around town and was overall a blast to drive. It was when the tests came down to hard numbers, though, that the 3 Series separated itself from the pack.

We put each of the six contenders through an approximately 180-mile mpg route that included surface roads and highway driving across Southern California. We also tested each of the car's zero-to-60 and quarter-mile times as well as braking distance on the drag strip.

The 3 Series kept delivering the best numbers, no matter what the test.

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The BMW hit 60 mph faster than the other five models, beating out the next closest Volvo S60 by a few fractions of a second, but it outperformed the other four significantly.

Distance proved to be no problem for the 3 Series, either, as it completed the quarter-mile run in 15.22 seconds, again just edging out the Volvo S60 and its all-wheel drive.

Braking was a slightly different story. The 3 Series topped the field, but this time the Audi A4 came closest.

Then came the shocker of the entire Challenge. A car can often dominate performance categories, but there's usually a sacrifice to be paid at the pump. Not so with the 3 Series.

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It returned 28.1 mpg on our mileage route, easily outpacing the rest of the field. This time the A4 came in second again. The Volvo that had performed so well getting to speed paid the price at the pump with its last-place finish.

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      04-08-2013, 11:41 AM   #2
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Wow!

BMW rocks and the 328i did a great job!
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      04-08-2013, 12:05 PM   #3
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      04-08-2013, 12:13 PM   #4
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One thing I find incredibly dumb about this comparo is how they ding cars for "no keyless entry" or "not real leather" or "no park assist", while at the same time putting a 45.5k BMW against the 38k Volvo. Obviously the Benz has fake leather and the BMW has real *because you have selected that option*.

It's no secret though that the 328i is definitely the best car in this segment, nice that they went with M-Sport.
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      04-08-2013, 12:13 PM   #5
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Benz- LOL
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      04-08-2013, 12:18 PM   #6
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FTW!
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      04-08-2013, 12:23 PM   #7
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Who was driving these cars? lol those 60 & 1/4 times look a little off?
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      04-08-2013, 12:25 PM   #8
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audi and benz fail
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      04-08-2013, 12:29 PM   #9
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These comparos are useless. They dont tell you how the car truely is or feels.
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      04-08-2013, 12:48 PM   #10
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328i way too badazz
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      04-08-2013, 12:50 PM   #11
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Quote:
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These comparos are useless. They dont tell you how the car truely is or feels.
I have to agree with you ... it's all a bunch of opinion form people driving different cars. I drive my Bimmer for fun and my Benz as a DD and like both. A test drive or kicking the tires is not enough to make a judgement one needs to drive them for extended time periods to make a true judgement.
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      04-08-2013, 12:52 PM   #12
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The F30 is either the best car ever or the worst car ever, depending on whom you talk to. Vive la internet.
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      04-08-2013, 01:01 PM   #13
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the Acura makes 305hp and cant beat a 240hp 328i?!?!?!?!?! thats ridiculous
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      04-08-2013, 01:04 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buildbright View Post
These comparos are useless. They dont tell you how the car truely is or feels.
BMW being placed first is consistent with other test results though, so although its a different approach the result is the same, at least for BMW.
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      04-08-2013, 01:05 PM   #15
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Da hell is up with those 0-60 times? Were they testing in like a monsoon or something?
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      04-08-2013, 01:17 PM   #16
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how they were able to get an m-sport f30 for only 45k is the crazy part. just to get a xdrive m-sport with heated seats and xenons im at 51k... and did they really knock the turn signal for a "springy toggle"?
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      04-08-2013, 01:26 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wdeerfield View Post
how they were able to get an m-sport f30 for only 45k is the crazy part. just to get a xdrive m-sport with heated seats and xenons im at 51k... and did they really knock the turn signal for a "springy toggle"?
I think the only option box they ticked besides the M-Sport EB2 was the premium package. Hence why they dinged the 3er for "no bluetooth audio streaming".
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      04-08-2013, 01:26 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wdeerfield View Post
how they were able to get an m-sport f30 for only 45k is the crazy part. just to get a xdrive m-sport with heated seats and xenons im at 51k... and did they really knock the turn signal for a "springy toggle"?
Who said anything about xDrive? A RWD 328i M Sport starts under $44k.
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      04-08-2013, 01:31 PM   #19
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Gotta say the 0-60 numbers don't seem right. I have an 07 Acura tl-s which has a 3.5 liter engine vs the 3.7 they used in the test. I've dragged it against the f30 and it walks by the f30. So not sure what's going on there
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      04-08-2013, 01:42 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shivj View Post
Gotta say the 0-60 numbers don't seem right. I have an 07 Acura tl-s which has a 3.5 liter engine vs the 3.7 they used in the test. I've dragged it against the f30 and it walks by the f30. So not sure what's going on there
Weight plays a big factor in acceleration. The TL is 300lbs heavier than the 3 series.
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      04-08-2013, 01:47 PM   #21
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another win for the 328i!
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      04-08-2013, 02:06 PM   #22
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Take that Cadillac ATS commercials!
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