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      12-12-2011, 04:28 AM   #101
gthal
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ateam View Post
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...=1#post2864774

Again I will post this. Swamp weighed his m3 and WITHOUT a driver it came in at 3600 or so. (his is weighed with a driver and notes he is about 180 pounds so subtract that from the weight.

Same scales same day show the c63 at 4000 pounds without the driver. It had a full tank of gas however and the m3 had a quarter tank so for comparison lets make c63 about 3950 since half tank of gas is about 50 pounds.

So 3600 v. 3950? That is 350. No way to argue that.

Then if you look on the merc website, they list BOTH the c63 coupe and sedan weighing nearly identical at 3930's so you cannot say the coupe weighs so much less than sedan like some says. So its probably a good 300 pounds difference.

http://www.mercedes-amg.com/?lang=usa#/c63-coupe-specs
My point was that the difference is not as large based on BMW's own specs which show a higher weight. Anyway, I don't want to debate this because it doesn't really matter as the results are the results but wanted to point out the discrepancy.

From experience, the C63 does not feel notably heavier... maybe slightly heavier... than the M3. On the street, the difference would be very, very slight. I drove my M3 to the airport last Monday, drove a C63 on the track the next day (and have many track days in my M3) and could not perceive a meaningful weight difference. Maybe if I drove them back to back on the track I could have. What this tells me is that for 95% of us arm chair race experts, the difference in "perceived" weight, especially on the street, would not be a huge factor.

But it really comes down to preference. A lighter M3 that has a handling advantage on the track (but less than pre-2012 cars) or the C63 with lots of power and still very strong handling. Looks are subjective. The character of the cars are closer than many who have not driven both would realize... there are clear differences, no doubt, but they are very comparable cars performance wise. Which someone chooses will be less based on performance (as you can see from the review, they are similar overall but each has its strengths) and more based on preference.

I have said it already and I believe it to be true based on my actual seat time... if you track often, the M3 is still the better car. If you don't track often (<10 days a year) or not at all, the C63 is the better choice for the street as the performance is easier to extract and the immediate torque would a ton of fun. Beyond that, emotion, preference, fanboyism (on both sides) and perceived image will determine what someone chooses. You really can't go wrong with either car.

Last edited by gthal; 12-12-2011 at 04:52 AM..
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