may 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 71there’s a smart metal finish to the control interfaces, and the infotainment
is extremely good, though our car’s 12.3-inch instrument cluster and
Comand Online are bundled with the £2795 Premium pack.
The C-Class gets 15mm-lower sports suspension, so even on modest
18-inch Bridgestone Potenzas it rides like it’s got the hiccups, with vertical
movements prematurely stifled. This ‘sportiness’ doesn’t lead to any great
payback on a twisty road. At least you can delete the stiffer chassis. Perfor-
mance is perfectly adequate, if a little unwilling – I wouldn’t have guessed
at 6.9sec to 62mph and 149mph – and shifts are delivered with a lazy fuzz.
Everything the C220d does – bar its ride quality – it does to an acceptable
level. But when you’re talking a £40k premium saloon up against this com-
petition, it just can’t cut it.
The Audi is better. It’s a 40 TDI S-line S-tronic, which Google Translate
says is a 2.0 TDI in the sportiest trim with a dual-clutch gearbox. It costs
a reasonable-in-this-company £36,445, topped to £42,105 mainly with the
£1395 Technology pack, electric memory and nappa leather for the S-line
sports seats, topping off an interior that’s minimal but not austere. Tight
shutlines, richly textured leather, alcantara and brushed metal, crisp
graphics – it’s like twisting a camera’s focus ring to make everything pin-
sharp. It scores highly for usability too, with mostly intuitive infotainment
and comfortable seats, plus ample space for rear-seat passengers and a
useful 480-litre boot.
With only its front wheels driven, the A4 is the second lightest car here
at 1480kg (behind the 1429kg Alfa), and fields an on-point 187bhp/295lb ft,
50-ish mpg and 120g/km. It pulls strongly from 1800rpm, and always feels
flexible, partly thanks to a seven-speed dual-clutch auto with quick shifts
and ratios that keep up your momentum.
The A4 also drives very well. Corners are strung together with more
finesse than the Mercedes, thanks to crisp turn-in, responsive handling
and steering that has a natural feel and accuracy, with a more leisurely
ratio than rivals. Shame, then, that road noise from its 19-inch Contis and a
choppy ride on fixed dampers knock its score; Audi offers adaptive dampers
for £600, or no-cost Comfort suspension on S-lines.
With a cushier ride, the Audi’s interior build, infotainment and spacious
rear quarters might displace the Alfa for those who put such things high on
the list (and many will), but the 320d is still the most complete car of these
traditional premium saloons. Over the page, we’ll see how the BMW fares
against a new generation of rivals. ⊲3-series vs the worldUnless you live on
a glacier you don’t
need all-wheel
drive on a 320d.
But it’s neatly doneAudi happier in
corners than the
Merc, but neither
are as much fun as
the Alfa and BMW