Comparison Test: 2009 Audi A4 vs. 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350

"I wanna take my clothes off!"

We're en route to our photo shoot of the 2009 Audi A4 and 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport and this loon is standing by the traffic signal, flapping his arms. We tune him out. How many times have we heard that refrain in one week?

He won't be ignored that easily. Grinning, he tries again, motioning toward our two, shiny German sedans idling at the light, each an eye-popping shade of crimson. "I see you drivin' sports car, ain't hittin' the throttle!" he exclaims.

Blank stares. He gives it one last effort. "It's getting hot in here?"

Ah, now his proclamation of impending nakedness clicks. He's butchering an old Nelly song. And based on his furious nodding, apparently proud of it, too.

What this loon doesn't realize is that his assessment of these cars is not far from the mark.

Reshuffling the Deck
With the overhauled 2009 Audi A4, the temperature is rising in the compact quasi-luxury sedan class. We recently tested the all-new A4 for the first time and came away impressed. Increases in length, wheelbase and interior space make it a close match to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Although the Mercedes-Benz C350 trailed the BMW 335i in our last comparison test, the C-Class in its current guise represents an exclamation point of goodness in this market segment. Besting the C350 requires a car with enough talents to achieve critical mass.

And so it came to be that we tested a 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 equipped with the Multimedia and Premium II Packages, TeleAid and slick-looking 18-inch AMG wheels with summer tires, a pricey $45,275 package that nevertheless fairly represents the fullest expression of C-Class goodness.

The 2009 Audi A4 with which we were provided by the manufacturer for this test turned out to be a German-specification car, which apparently means very little since U.S.-spec cars will differ only in the deletion of the front parking sensors and power-folding mirrors found on our test car, plus minor rejiggering of the options groups. Our A4 was equipped with 18-inch wheels and all-season tires.

Pricing of the new A4 has not yet been released, though Audi representatives have told us not to expect significant changes from today's A4. Based on this assurance — plus consultations with the magic bones and some scrutinizing of groundhog shadows — we estimate that this 2009 A4 3.2 Quattro test car will sticker very close to $45,000.

Both the Audi and the Benz come only with automatic transmissions in the trim levels we tested.

2nd Place: 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport
Cars of the three-pointed star built many moons ago are known for their hewn-from-steel character. It's been said that those days are gone, and that the modern Benz isn't built like it used to be.

We'd like to respectfully disagree. The automaker has fortified the current-generation C-Class with some of that Old World substance. From behind the wheel, the C350 feels reassuringly solid, from the thunk of the doors as they shut close to the chunky action of the shift lever on the center console. Yet this feel of mechanical gravitas doesn't come at the price of sheer weight, as the 3,621-pound Benz is 250 pounds lighter than the Audi A4.

This works to the Benz's advantage in straight-line acceleration, where the baby Benz just plain thrashes the A4. The 60-mph mark comes up in 6.3 seconds (6.0 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip), fully 0.6 second quicker than the A4. Similarly, the Benz sails through the quarter-mile in 14.5 seconds at 96.5 mph, a half-second quicker than the Audi.

It's mostly down to the weight difference, because the C350's 3.5-liter V6 puts out 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, just shading the Audi's 3.2-liter V6 by 3 hp and 15 lb-ft.

Another key factor in the C350's eager performance and refined disposition is its seven-speed automatic, which neatly covers a wider spread of gearing than the Audi's six-speed and also changes cogs with eel-in-Crisco slickness. Shifts are nearly imperceptible, and when you floor the throttle, the car gathers velocity as seamlessly as if it were powered by an electric motor.

It might be that Mercedes has gone a little too far with the sense of substance in its character, however, because this car always feels a little inert compared to the A4. At casual speeds, the C350's tautly damped wheel action hints at a dynamic treat that doesn't fully materialize once you pick up the pace.

When the roads go all noodly, the Benz is Julie Andrews — it demonstrates impeccably good manners but just doesn't quicken your pulse. So it was no surprise when the C350 posted 65.8 mph in the slalom, trailing the A4's performance by more than 4 mph. The Benz's suspension damping is firm and well-controlled, while ultimate grip of 0.84g on our skid pad is just a tad less than the Audi's result.

Functionally, the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 doesn't miss a beat, particularly in the utility of its intuitive multimedia interface, which is the polar opposite of the clunky interface found in previous-generation Benzes. At the same time, the interior of the C-Class is slightly design-y yet cold and unfriendly, as if Sister Mary Margaret were lecturing you about ergonomics.

None of the C's shortcomings are terminal. On the contrary, we reckon the inclusion of the European-market sport package and some of the Euro interior features would do a lot to wake up the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350.

1st Place: 2009 Audi A4 3.2 Quattro
Let's get this part out of the way — despite the additional traction provided by its all-wheel-drive system, the 3,870-pound Audi A4 is just too portly to keep pace with the C350 in the stoplight grand prix. Acceleration to 60 mph consumes 6.9 seconds (6.6 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip), and the A4 clicks the quarter-mile in 15 seconds flat at 94.7 mph. Audi's 3.2-liter direct-injected V6 is smooth and emits a pleasantly distinctive warble, but it will take more than its 265 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque to out-drag the leaner C350.

Aside from that, the new 2009 Audi A4 is a serious contender. Like the automotive equivalent of actor Jack Black, the A4 executes its dynamic moves with a grace that is at odds with what the scales suggest should be possible. Much of this can be attributed to the talents of its structurally rigid new chassis rather than what's under the hood.

Thanks to multiple personalities, the A4 also gains an edge in our scoring system. Audi Drive Select is similar in concept to BMW's M Drive in that it provides different calibrations — called Dynamic and Comfort modes — for throttle response, damper action, shift speed and both steering ratio and level of assist. (Fans of Mr. Potato Head will appreciate the ability of Individual mode to mix and match all these parameters.)

Click Dynamic mode and the whole car instantly snaps to attention, providing the A4 with a selection of direct, quick responses that the C350 can't deliver. There's a lot of body control in this mode, plus the new A4's improved weight distribution keeps the outside front tire from being abused as much as before.

On the road, the Audi's tires give up long before the chassis loses its poise, so driving at the limit of adhesion is ridiculously easy. Oversteer remains off the menu, though this new A4's handling balance is more neutral than ever before, so you can toss it into the corners — a dynamic that contributes to its solid 70 mph in the slalom.

Braking also proves more effective in the A4 than in the Benz. The subtleties of pedal effort and modulation are similar between the two cars, yet the A4 simply stops better, requiring just 107 feet to stop from 60 mph. This result is 11 feet shorter than the Benz's best effort.

Nitpicks? The A4's steering offers precision that the languid steering ratio in the C350 can't match, but the weighting and feel of the Audi's variable-ratio rack is more artificial than we'd prefer. And downshifts from the six-speed transmission are occasionally on the lurchy side.

The A4's interior has a much richer appearance than the C350's functionally sound but visually ascetic surroundings. And the Audi offers way more equipment, which is crucial in our scoring. In addition to the aforementioned multimode dampers and all-wheel drive, the A4 offers a back-up camera and parking proximity sensors, shift paddles on the steering wheel, adaptive cruise control and a lane departure warning system. None of these features are offered on the Benz.

Before you get all red-faced and fire up your text editor to inform us that we're basing the 2009 Audi A4's value for money based on a bogus price tag, consider the Audi's lead in our scoring over the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350. The gap to 2nd place is large enough to absorb several thousand dollars more than our $45,000 guesstimate...er, divination from the stars.

The manufacturers provided Edmunds these vehicles for the purposes of evaluation.