Addiction. Getting into premium with Audi A4 and Mercedes C-Class

And where is a person at a crossroads to go? In old Russian fairy tales, everything is simple: go left — you'll lose your horse, go right — you'll perish yourself, go straight — you'll find nothing at all. We've already lost our horse: we never found a proper test sedan BMW 330xi. They offered the 'three-twenty', but we have an Audi with a V-6 of 3.2 liters and all-wheel drive! The Mercedes is also all-wheel drive and six-cylinder — the C280 4Matic. True, its engine is weaker — 231 horsepower. And the gearbox is an 'automatic', while the Audi is equipped with a 'manual'. But the cars are so different in essence that the difference in transmissions no longer matters. So we choose: straight or right? Audi A4 was simply unlucky — we've already seen the A5 coupe. Walter de Silva wasn't being disingenuous when he called the A5 his best work — things went downhill after that. But the massive exterior can be considered a plus: many find such a look more solid. Especially since the Mercedes doesn't shine in design either. Still, in our opinion, if there's a car in this pair that can make you fall in love at first sight, it's the C-class. But if you come across a quick-witted Audi salesman, he won't let you recall the outlines of the 'C'. He'll simply open the door of the 'four', invite you inside — and snap the trap shut. Audi's interiors are crafted by true fanatics. They shamelessly squeeze money from management for the design of everything. Every little detail here is a whole event. Take the light control unit: what line refinement, with what juicy click the buttons operate, what effort on the knob! But why does this whole unit of smooth plastic dangle under your hand? Mercedes doesn't allow itself such things. Yes, after the A4, its cabin seems indecently modest. And it's not just about the trim level. In the Audi, every detail announces itself, but here, cover the emblem with your hand, and you won't immediately realize it's a Mercedes. Straightforward design, rough materials — where's the feeling of an expensive car to come from? But it somehow appears on its own. After a couple of minutes, you realize: the seating is more comfortable, and the effort on all buttons — whether window lifts or steering wheel keys — is calibrated no worse than in the Audi. The multimedia system is simpler to use... Metal remains metal, and the plastic trim of the instruments doesn't cut the eye as much as in the 'four'. And imperceptibly, the Mercedes shifts the conversation to another track — you want to start the engine. A racer behind the wheel of the Mercedes would be bored to death before the end of the first lap: the Mercedes does everything too correctly, too predictably, and ESP, again, doesn't fully disengage. But how often do you see Mercedes in controlled drifts? I'm not talking about TV. In real life, you need something from a car beyond zero body roll and instant reactions. And that 'something' the Mercedes has. Among the engineers tuning cars from Stuttgart, there must be a couple of wizards. Otherwise, how to explain that the car works miracles? Behind the wheel of the C-class, traffic jams, time pressure, and idiots on the road stop annoying you. Even the Mercedes' own drawbacks are smoothed out: crampedness, boring engine, lazy 'automatic'... Believe it or not, but you press the gas only out of 'official necessity' — you don't want to yourself. And the methods of influencing my psyche are the simplest: soft responses to the gas pedal, a steering wheel that gives only the necessary information, excellent sound insulation — and, of course, the signature ride smoothness. It's precisely in how the car doesn't care about road potholes that the 'Mercedes feeling' is born. Resisting it is as futile as arguing with Audi's superiority in dynamics. The nominal difference between the engines is only 34 horsepower. But the Audi's acceleration is a completely different emotional universe. The Mercedes' V6 engine is hard to discern, while the Audi both growls as it should and rushes. Gears engage with ease (except third with worn synchronizers) — and you don't even want to think that a normal person wouldn't buy a sedan for 92 thousand dollars with a 'manual'! When the light turns green, the main thing is that the Audi always outpaces the Mercedes-Benz. But medals aren't given for dynamics alone. The settings of the previous 'four' I didn't particularly like. The suspension was elastic but allowed too much vertical pitching. I recall that even the creators of the new C-class in conversation called it overly soft. But back then, Mercedes and BMW were different too, and now sport is in fashion. The Audi has changed its weight distribution, the all-wheel drive has become asymmetric, the shock absorbers are electronically controlled, and an additional gear has appeared in the steering mechanism — the 'four' now steers itself, like a BMW. The Audi's handling, though sharper, still seems familiar, but the ride smoothness is unrecognizable. Potholes are felt much more strongly, and the front wheels are interested in ruts and irregularities. No, the steering wheel doesn't jerk like crazy, but it gives information in excess. A decent compromise, and yet, by and large, the Audi doesn't surpass the Mercedes in handling, and in comfort it significantly yields to it. So what awaits me at the end of the path leading straight to the 'four rings'? Nothing — as promised. Nothing new. Just the Audi A4. Stiffer, sportier, in some ways more attractive, more modern — and more expensive. It's a win-win, sensible choice. The Audi both feels and, importantly, looks expensive, and the build quality is unsurpassed. Additionally, the 'four' is more practical: more space in the back, and a larger trunk. But I turn right. And I surrender to the Mercedes, which doesn't care about me. In its cold interior — not a single bright detail. In its manners — the deepest personal indifference to me. But that's precisely why the Mercedes seems more alive to me than the Audi. It won't make me smile, but like no other, it will guard my peace. And I won't even remember its shortcomings. I am Mercedes-dependent.