With Cadillac releasing coupe and wagon variants of its popular CTS luxury sport sedan, I’ve started to wonder which of BMW’s cars is a better comparison: the 3-Series, which is a bit smaller, but priced similarly, or the 5-Series, which is a bit bigger, but priced about $10,000 higher? Click past the jump for the tale of the tape and the Reader Poll.
In order to get as close a comparison as possible, I went with the CTS Sedan 3.6 Performance, BMW 335i Sedan and BMW 535i Sedan, all with automatic transmissions. The tale of the tape for the three cars is as follows:
| CTS 3.6L Perf.
|
335i Sedan
|
535i Sedan
|
|
| Base Retail Price (MSRP) | $41,565 | $40,600 | $49,600 |
| Base Invoice Price | $39,279 | $37,350 | $45,630 |
| Engine | 3.6L 304 hp V6 | 3.0L 300 hp I6 | 3.0L 300 hp I6 |
| Transmission | 6-Speed Automatic | 6-Speed Automatic | 8-Speed Automatic |
| MPG city/highway | 18/27 | 19/28 | 19/28 |
| Horsepower | 304 @ 6400 RPM |
300 @ 5800 RPM |
300 @ 5800 RPM |
| Standard Seating | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Curb Weight (lb.) | 3858 | 3605 | 4090 |
| Wheelbase (in.) | 113.40 | 108.70 | 116.90 |
| Length (in.) | 191.30 | 178.20 | 193.10 |
| Width (in.) | 72.50 | 71.50 | 73.20 |
| Height (in.) | 58.00 | 55.90 | 57.60 |
| Track Front (in.) | 61.80 | 59.10 | 63.00 |
| Track Rear (in.) | 62.20 | 59.60 | 64.10 |
| Front Headroom (in.) | 38.80 | 38.50 | 40.50 |
| Rear Headroom (in.) | 37.20 | 37.50 | 38.30 |
| Front Shoulder Room (in.) | 56.70 | 55.40 | 58.30 |
| Rear Shoulder Room (in.) | 54.70 | 55.10 | 56.20 |
| Cruise Control | Std. | Std. | Std. |
| Tachometer | Std. | Std. | Std. |
| Tilt Steering | Std. | Std. | Std. |
| Tilt Steering Column | Std. | Std. | Std. |
| Heated Steering Wheel | Opt. | Opt. | Opt. |
| Leather Steering Wheel | Std. | Std. | Std. |
| Steering Wheel Controls | Std. | Std. | Std. |
| Telescoping Steering Column | Std. | Std. | Std. |
| Genuine Wood Trim | Opt. | Std. | Std. |
| Tire Pressure Monitor | Std. | Std. | Std. |
| Trip Computer | Std. | Std. | Std. |
| Radio | Std. | Std. | Std. |
| CD Player | Std. | Std. | Std. |
| CD Changer | Opt. | N/A | Opt. |
| DVD Player | Std. | N/A | Opt. |
| Hands-Free Phone | Std. | N/A | N/A |
| Navigational Aid | Std. | Opt. | Opt. |
| 2nd Row Sound Controls | N/A | N/A | Opt. |
| Subwoofer | Std. | N/A | Std. |
| Telematic Systems | Std. | Opt. | Std. |
| Power Seat (Driver) | Std. | Std. | Std. |
| Front Cooled Seats | Opt. | N/A | Opt. |
| Front Heated Seat | Std. | Opt. | Opt. |
| Lumbar Support | Std. | Opt. | Std. |
| Memory Seat | Std. | Std. | Std. |
| Leather Seat | Std. | Opt. | Opt. |
| Power Seat (Passenger) | Std. | Std. | Std. |
| 2nd Row Folding Seat | Opt. | Opt. | N/A |
| 2nd Row Heated Seat | N/A | N/A | Opt. |
| Standard Features | 22 | 15 | 18 |
| Optional Features | 5 | 7 | 9 |
| Total Features | 27 | 22 | 27 |
From the table above, you can see that while the CTS is closer in size to the 5-Series, its price is far lower, like I mentioned in the opening paragraph. In a lot of other categories, the CTS fits right in between the 3 and 5-Series BMWs, and even offers more standard features than either of them. The 5-Series catches up with optional features, but again at a higher price than the Cadillac.
Here in the U.S., we have the 5-Series Gran Turismo, which is more of a crossover than a wagon, so that doesn’t count, but we do have a 3-Series wagon, as well as the 3-series coupe, so in that regard, the CTS compares better with the 3-Series than the 5-Series.
I know it’s a complicated comparison, but hopefully the explanation and table above help clear things up – and I’d like to know what you think, so go ahead and vote below! I’ll announce the results of the poll in a future article in the first week of November.
by John Suit
Data Source: autos.msn.com