2019 BMW 3 Series vs Mercedes-Benz C-Class

What's the difference?

Over 44 years BMW has produced more than 15 million examples of the 3 Series. That's roughly one every minute and a half... for over four decades.

And the latest, seventh-generation version of what the famous German maker defines as the "heart and soul" of its brand has landed in Australia.

The new '3' is longer and wider. It's also claimed to be slicker aerodynamically, up to 55 kilos lighter, more fuel efficient, and faster.

And it'll need every advantage it can muster to take a chunk out of its arch rival, the all-conquering Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

As Mercedes-Benz Australia’s passenger car line-up steadily spreads across a never-ending range of market niches the evergreen C-Class remains the backbone of the brand’s local offering and sales.

It’s the template for a high-quality, well-specified and contemporary compact sedan (also available as a coupe, cabrio and wagon), comfortably outselling its German ‘big three’ competitors, the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series.

The current fourth generation (W205) model arrived in 2014, so it’s kind of getting on. But this mild-hybrid C 200 entry version was inserted into the play as part of a comprehensive update in late 2018.

So, does it do enough to keep the three-pointed star’s most popular choice at the top of the heap? Read on to find out.