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Motor Trend goes head-to-head-to-head in Cadillac ATS 3.6, BMW 335i and Mercedes C350 Sport

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Videos, BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

The latest episode of "Head 2 Head" from Motor Trend is a battle of the little luxury sixes, looking to see which of these $50,000 sport sedans, all equipped with automatic transmissions, can lay the largest claim to your money: the 321-horsepower, six-speed Cadillac ATS 3.6, the 302-horsepower, seven-speed Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport or the 300-horsepower, eight-speed BMW 335i.

Host Jonny Lieberman doesn't just look at dynamics. He starts off with an assessment of each car's interior and its infotainment interface: CUE on the Cadillac, COMAND on the Mercedes and iDrive on the BMW. A bit of a spoiler, CUE doesn't fare any better here than it did with Consumer Reports, for essentially the same reasons. Thankfully, the ATS has tricks beyond its touchscreen.

The victor and the overall ranking might surprise you. One of the contestants "goes around corners better than it goes in a straight line," one of them would have won the comparo if it were held a year ago, and one earns more mention of the word "rubbery" than you'll hear outside of a Kumho factory. Enjoy the episode in the video below.

Continue reading Motor Trend goes head-to-head-to-head in Cadillac ATS 3.6, BMW 335i and Mercedes C350 Sport

Motor Trend goes head-to-head-to-head in Cadillac ATS 3.6, BMW 335i and Mercedes C350 Sport originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Nov 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz C-Class AMG Sports Package teased on Facebook

Zach Bowman — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Mercedes-Benz, Design/Style, Luxury

Mercedes-Benz has given the world a peek at the upcoming C-Class AMG Sports Package, thanks to a few quick photos on the company's USA Facebook page. Buyers who opt for the kit will get to enjoy seven-spoke, eighteen-inch alloy wheels outside, while the cabin comes decked in all sort of niceties. Red seat belts pair with MB sport seats hemmed in red contrast stitching, and a flat-bottom steering wheel replaces the standard tiller. Otherwise, details are scarce about when we can expect to see the package show up on order sheets or how much it will cost buyers when it does arrive.

The 2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class starts at $35,350, plus a $905 destination fee. You can find out more by heading over to the Mercedes-Benz USA consumer site or checking out the company's Facebook page.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class AMG Sports Package teased on Facebook originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic to get detuned 3.5L V6

Steven J. Ewing — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Mercedes-Benz

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class range just received a substantial update for the 2012 model year, but some new changes are already in the works for 2013. The all-wheel-drive C300 4Matic is slated to get a new 3.5-liter direct-injected engine, according to Car and Driver.

Currently, the C300 4Matic is powered by a sluggish 3.0-liter V6, only putting out 228 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. That, combined with a 3,737-pound curb weight, is why the current model takes 7.1 seconds to get to 60 miles per hour and only returns fuel economy ratings of 18 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg highway. (For reference, a 2012 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro with Tiptronic returns 21/29 mpg.)

This new engine, a detuned version of the 3.5-liter V6 found in the C350 sedan, produces 248 hp and 251 lb-ft - gains of 20 and 30, respectively. The 2013 C300 4Matic comes equipped with fuel-saving features like an eco mode and automatic start/stop, and while official fuel economy numbers haven't been announced as of this writing, we can only assume that a modest improvement is in order.

2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic to get detuned 3.5L V6 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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