August 2015 Car and Driver. M3 vs. ATS-V vs. C63

[tunjik]

Not much to say but just read the issue and the M3 came in first place.

[Vectors2final]

[Vectors2final]

Great, now I need to buy one.

[Ghetto2315]

Originally Posted by Vectors2final

Great, now I need to buy one.

An M3 or the issue of C&D?

EDIT: Vectors, don't you have an F80 already? I can't see because I'm on the app.

[Vectors2final]

Originally Posted by Ghetto2315

An M3 or the issue of C&D?

I already own one.

EDIT: Sure, do.

I leave Korea in about three days. I think getting ahold of one and walking up to my car at the airport would feel mighty nice.

[Ghetto2315]

YESSSS! You're the man.

[Ghetto2315]

I also believe MotorTrend's August issue will also have a M3/C63-S/ATS-V comparo. I remember Jonny Lieberman of MotorTrend posting a pic of the trio.

[Vectors2final]

The files zoom well.

[dkhm3]

awesome, thanks for posting. will read it more and study it before commenting.

[ASAP]

Man something about those 1/4 mile times and speeds doesnt add up at all...

[M4TW]

Great scanning job, though I couldn't wait and had already downloaded a copy.

Too bad for the Caddy. It's like it had the ball at first and epic win on the one yard line and then called for a pass with its finishing team who promptly threw a bone-headed interception. What is heart-wrenching about it is that it seemed to have nailed all the difficult important engineering parts before tossing the keys to the Chevy Lumina boys saying, "you guys can take it from here." Sorry, but someone should be fired over this.

I think the Benz was almost a bigger disappointment, however. It has a winning interior and great engine and all, but ends up in a tie in the 1/4 mile with the M3? Isn't straight line acceleration supposed to be its thing? Throw a column shifter, bland exterior, poorer gas mileage, and duller handling in the mix and I think its a fail. I loved the description of it though as being a bouncer in a tuxedo.

I don't know what gives with the brakes in the M3 they tested. Seems like they had air in the lines as speculated. The standard brakes would have performed better, which shouldn't be the case. Anyway it was a win for all the right reasons. While I drive an M4, I think I'm going to do a burnout today to celebrate the proxy win. Because I can.

[Warranty P]

Originally Posted by tunjik

Not much to say but just read the issue and the M3 came in first place.

This isn't a surprise. Just looking at the weight of competing cars, BMW stands out as the only manufacturer to concentrate on reducing mass...the rest just sorts itself out.

[Warranty P]

Also as nice and not so significant in terms of design the Benz is...it's interior dimensions are tight and it just doesn't compete well in those terms Sure the engine is a masterpiece but the rest of the car is just a heavy RC-F.

[nonagon]

Thanks for posting, OP. I was concerned about this comparo as C&D was hinting to a Caddy win in the days leading up to the article. Three great cars but the M3 wins because it is the most well rounded, doing the most things best, M Division getting the job done once again. Odd they had problems with the brakes. Also a bit odd they insisted on calling the DCT an automatic. I was surprised to learn the Benz was something like 4 inches longer than the M, because for some reason it looks smaller. The wait is going to be agony for my 2016 M3, MG/SO, manual.

[Andrew115]

That 0-100 time looks good for the ats

[M3_WC]

Come on Motor Trend, we want some lap times.

[hellrotm]

That might be on of closet C&D comparo I have seen. Those point totals all very close.

The Caddy got a lot of 10's in chassis category.

[gearboxtrouble]

Thanks for the scans Vectors2final.

No surprise. The M3 has always been the best all round package. Mercedes usually has it beat on the engine, Audi usually has it beat on interior and it looks like Cadillac has it beat on chassis this time. Its not the best at any one thing (maybe looks, at least until the Guilia Cloverleaf hits) but does well at everything.

[gthal]

Nice read... I think the ATS was well done by GM. Kudos to them!

What this also says is that the three are so damn close that there is no real winner. I think this is as expected and speaks to the quality of the segment these days. I'm happy the M came out on top though

[irablumberg]

Great review for the M3.

The acceleration times do seem a bit odd. Every other video and test we have seen shows the C63S pulling away from the M3/4 in straight line contests. We have even seen this in a video with a tuned M.

Perhaps the fact that C&D insisted on inflating the rear tires to 46 PSI compromised traction to the point that the C63S simply lacked sufficient traction to use the full extent of its engine power.

We will have to wait and see when some individual owners get to the track and optimize their settings.

Even the M3 time seemed a bit off. C&D previously reported a 12.0 @ 119 for the M with DCT. Seems odd that they were .2 seconds and 2 MPH low this time. I believe in the fine print C&D states that they normalize their reported acceleration times to compensate for temperature and barometric pressure, so this would have to be some other variation like sample variation among cars, or perhaps C&D used a test facility with less than normal traction.

The Caddy is definitely the surprise of the bunch for the 1/4 mile. Relatively speaking, it is 4 to 5 MPH faster at the end of the 1/4 than the M or the C63S. Given its power to weight ratio (and GM SAE certifies its engines, so we know the 464 HP figure is accurate), the Caddy must get amazing traction once it starts rolling. Even here though, it is odd to see such a high trap speed without breaking into the 11s.

In any case, I look forward to other tests and comparisons as I find this one odd.

[gearboxtrouble]

I wonder if where the test was held negatively impacted the C63 S's straight line performance. They say it was in California City which is inland Socal. Its been brutally hot there at the moment and we know that BMW have gone to extreme lengths to ensure the S55 produces its power in even the hottest conditions. It is possible that Mercedes didn't do the same. The slightly slower than expected times for the M3 and ATS-V might suggest the same.

[nicknaz]

Impressive stats for the ATS-V and sounds like the reviewers loved the feel. Great job by the GM guys.

Still a big ? for me on whether the car has the heat capacity for the power level given where the C7Z is shaking out in the hands of owners.

No surprise to me the M3 one because it was the best all-arounder. That's been the M3 story for a while now