2013 Sports Sedan Comparison: BMW 335 Vs Audi S4 Vs Mercedes C350 Vs Cadillac ATS Vs Volvo S60

The compact luxury sedan market is an interesting place. When designing a new entry, manufacturers are constantly trying to find the perfect balance between sport and luxury. Although most cars end up skewed one way than the other, these vehicles typically offer a plethora of trims and options that allow potential customers to tailor their rides with as much sport or luxury as they want.

Given a choice, we’d select maximum sport. We’d rather evaluate a car’s ability to clip an apex than by how coddled our mothers-in-law feel in the passenger seat. What better way to do this than collect a group of the latest and greatest offerings and see which one is the best? Now, we aren’t talking about the ultimate in sport luxury sedans like a C63, M3 or IS-F as they can get quite pricey. Instead, we have grabbed a more affordable group of contenders playing around the $50,000 mark.

First we sent an invite out to Cadillac. The all-new ATS seriously impressed us since coming out last year; it was a car of the year finalist after all. Next, we brought along the BMW 3 Series. If we are going to be testing luxury sport sedans, how could we not bring the vehicle that has defined the class for decades? While on the topic of German sedans, we also had to include a Mercedes-Benz and an Audi. Finally, to complete our quintuplet of test vehicles, there’s an oddball, the Volvo S60. Now, before you cry foul that the S60 is not a sports sedan, take a look at what we grabbed; the 325 hp S60 T6 R-Design.

There are a few notable vehicles missing from this comparison test. Lexus didn’t have an all new IS ready for us, nor did Infiniti the all-new Q50 or Lincoln the MKZ. Finally, the Acura TL was left out because, although a great car, it is too large for this class of vehicle (a foot longer than most of the competitors here).

With the cars collected, pencils sharpened and score sheets firmly attached to clipboards, it was time to put these cars through their paces and see which is best.

Wait, the only vehicle that is a pure-bred, rear-wheel drive car comes dead last? Blasphemy! Recount! Well, that just happened. Try as it may, the C-Class does not have many sporting bones in its body, until stepping up the awesome C63.

It starts under the hood. The 302 hp 3.5 L V6 engine is a good motor, but here it is up against some truly great engines. Same goes for the transmission. In isolation the 7-speed automatic is a decent unit that always provides smooth shifts. But push things, and the transmission becomes lazy. It takes a dramatic pause between upshifts and downshifts; as one tester put it, the Sistine Chapel may have been painted in less time than it takes the C 350 to change gears.

See Also: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C 350 Review

We know this isn’t a sports car, but when stepping up to the more performance-orientated trims with higher powered engines, we were expecting a little more haste and response. When it comes to sport luxury, the C350 remains a good car within a field that features a few great ones.

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Who saw this coming? A loud, sporty Volvo? Getting over the notion that Volvo produces a performance sedan in the first place is hard enough, but the fact it beat the Mercedes-Benz may blow some people’s minds. What’s more, after adjusting the scores for price, the S60 almost beat the Cadillac ATS. So, just what makes this car so special? Well, two things; its presence and that engine.

Unlike the prim and proper square Volvos from the past, the new S60 is as sleek as it is safe. Painted in rebel blue, the Volvo has the looks to back up its performance. Although we quite like this paint job, it may put off some potential customers. Thankfully, the T6 AWD R-Design is available in other colours for those a little more introverted.

Under the hood resides a real monster. All R-Design S60s now receive the Polestar tune which means the 3.0L inline-6 produces 325 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. That is the most torque in this group. There is noticeable initial turbo lag with this engine, but once it spools up the S60 pulls like a cheetah on redbull; it is the second fastest feeling vehicle in a straight line after the Audi. Like the ATS, the S60 makes do with a 6-speed automatic transmission that may be down a gear or two to the competition, but is still more responsive than the C350’s 7-speed automatic.

See Also: 2013 Volvo S60 T6 R-Design Review – Video

The interior is finished with nice materials, but feels dated. The same can be said of the archaic telematics system, which looks like an early prototype of MyFord Touch that’s even harder to use thanks to strange control knobs, odd functionality and plenty of tiny, tiny buttons on the dash.

The S60 truly is a great effort from Volvo that may just be a generation away from becoming a serious challenger in this market segment.

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Cadillac set out to build a vehicle to rival the very best from around the world. Stop us if you heard this song and dance before. But, unlike some lukewarm attempts in the past, this time it appears Cadillac was serious. The all-new ATS doesn’t just match the Germans in chassis dynamics, it actually beats them. Plus, it has plenty of unique style.

The gorgeous ATS features Cadillac’s physics-defying magnetic ride control suspension and trails only the S4 for chassis feel. It takes a horribly maintained road, or complete lack of judgement to upset the Cadillac’s suspension. Being adjustable, the ATS’s ‘comfort mode’ may not be able to rival the C350 or 335i for smoothness, but the ‘sport mode’ out does them both handily.

The 3.6L V6 engine lacks the torque of the boosted engines in this group, but is far more responsive than the Mercedes or Volvo motors. In fact, the 321 hp engine rivals the BMW’s boosted motor for second best overall in terms of flexibility, sound and throttle response. With the V6, there is only a 6-speed automatic which, like the Volvo, is down a gear or two to all others. Downshifts and upshifts are a bit more delayed than they should be in a performance sedan and this transmission was voted the second least responsive after the Mercedes-Benz.

Other issues with the ATS include steering that feels too loose around town, a tiny trunk,

See Also: 2013 Cadillac ATS Review – Video

The ATS is an exceptional vehicle in need of a polish. The good news for Cadillac is that most of the issues we found with the ATS can easily be addressed in a mid-cycle refresh. BMW and Audi better keep a wary eye on the Cadillac ATS; it’s coming for you.

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A shoddy sportscaster calling game seven of the World Series might have a hard time spewing out more clichés than automotive websites do when the subject matter is the BMW 3 Series. ‘Class defining’, ‘industry standard’, ‘the car every other manufacturer strives to beat’, so on and so on. Yeah, we all get it; the BMW 3 Series has long been the car that best combines sports and luxury.

But BMW redesign the 3 Series last year and, much to horror of current owners, headed in a slightly different direction. The focus on driving dynamics was dialed back while more of an emphasis was put on passenger comfort and luxury. Did BMW ruin the secret formula that has worked for so long?

Well, judging from the 335i’s second place finish, we would have to say no. It may be a little less crisp than 3ers of the past, but it is still a great vehicle. Most notably is the engine. The 300 hp turbocharged inline-6 was voted second best in this group and offers tons of power, instant thrust and nearly no lag. The 8-speed automatic is a great transmission and is easily the best conventional automatic transmission here. It cracks off quick downshifts and is nearly flawless in operation. This is the closest thing to a dual-clutch transmission.

See Also: 2012 BMW 328i Review – Video

The exterior of the new 3 Series is still a point of controversy as many find it a bit plain or awkward looking. The two-tone interior though gets out nod, however, for its fresh, inviting and modern look. The controls are easy to use and the front seat is comfortable. The back seat is even more so with plenty of extra space compared to past generations.

Improved comfort and refinement is a reoccurring theme of the new 3. Yes it has traded in a bit of driver engagement for this comfort, but the 3 Series remains a great car; good enough to finish second in our comparison.

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The S4 ran away with this comparison test. As great as the other cars are, the Audi is even better. So good in fact, it was even able to overcome a ridiculously high price tag: $13,000 more than the cheapest-in-test Mercedes-Benz and $6,000 more than the second priciest vehicle, the 335i.

The S4 truly does put the sport in sports sedan; everything about this car screams performance.

The 3.0L supercharged V6 is downright amazing. It blows the rest away in terms of power, response and flexibility. The 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission scored highest. No other transmission can match it in responsiveness, delivering quick upshifts when on throttle. But, like Harvey Dent, there is a second personality to this gearbox; switch to comfort mode and the 7-speed acts like a conventional automatic.

Like Garfunkel to Simon, the S4’s chassis is a perfect complement to the supercharged engine. Set the adjustable suspension to dynamic mode and the S4 becomes the most confidence inspiring, sportiest car of the comparison. Most of this can be attributed to the sport differential. It may be an expensive option, but it completely transforms this car. Toss the S4 into a corner and let the diff do the work. Too fast or too slow, the S4 transform a blown corner into a properly carved bend every time.

See Also: 2010 Audi S4 First Drive

The S4 is also quite the looker. Once again it received top marks in exterior style and Audi seems to have perfected the styling theme dating back to the Jefferson administration. It really puts the cherry on a sporty flavored sundae that is the Audi S4. Trust us when we say it is worth the extra money if you can afford it.

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