A 500kW four cylinder hybrid, a 470kW V6 hybrid and the last pure six. We compare the C63, M3 and new RS5 on Australian price, pace, practicality and resale.
By Varun Punyamurtula ·
The BMW M3 is still the best driver's car and the most practical. The new Audi RS5 is the best value and the only real everyday plug in hybrid here. The C63 is brutally fast, but with its four cylinder engine being dropped, only buy one at a big discount.
Audi RS5 from $179,900, BMW M3 Competition xDrive about $187,000, Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance about $193,000, all plus on road costs.
The German super sedan fight has never been this strange. Mercedes swapped the C63's V8 for a four cylinder plug in hybrid and buyers walked away. Audi's new RS5 has become a 470kW plug in hybrid. And the BMW M3 is the only one that still does it the old way, with a big six and no battery.
All three cost between about $180,000 and $195,000 before on road costs, and all three hit 100km/h in well under four seconds. So which one should you actually buy?
Quick answer: The BMW M3 is the best driver's car and the easiest to live with. The Audi RS5 is the best value and the best everyday hybrid. The C63 is ferociously fast, but Mercedes is already dropping its four cylinder engine, so only buy one with a big discount.
Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance
BMW M3 Competition xDrive
Audi RS5 Sedan
Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance: launched at $187,900 plus on road costs in 2024 and is listed at about $193,000 for 2026. It's sedan only here. An F1 Edition was sold at $202,800.
BMW M3: the Competition xDrive sedan is about $187,000 plus on road costs and the Touring wagon about $189,400. BMW still sells a rear drive six speed manual M3 at $169,600, and the hardcore M3 CS was $249,900 in limited numbers.
Audi RS5: the all new RS5 Sedan is $179,900 and the RS5 Avant wagon $182,900, plus on road costs. It's about $10,000 more than the old RS5 but the cheapest car here, and it's arriving in Australia from the second half of 2026.
Winner: RS5. It's the cheapest of the three and the most powerful for the money alongside the C63.
The M3 is the one people argue about. The huge vertical grille still divides opinion, but the flared arches and quad pipes look properly purposeful in person.
The C63 is wide and low, with AMG's vertical slat grille and big wheels. It looks fast and expensive, without shouting.
The new RS5 is the most modern looking, with sharp matrix LED headlights, digital OLED tail lights and a fastback roofline. The sedan is actually a liftback, which helps when loading the boot.
Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance
BMW M3 Competition xDrive
Audi RS5 Sedan
Winner: RS5 for most people. M3 if you love the aggression.
On paper the C63 wins. Its turbo four makes 350kW on its own, and a 150kW electric motor on the rear axle lifts that to 500kW and 1020Nm. It hits 100km/h in 3.4 seconds and has a Drift Mode.
The RS5 pairs a 375kW V6 with a 130kW electric motor for 470kW and 825Nm, and runs 0 to 100km/h in 3.6 seconds. Its clever trick is a torque vectoring rear differential that actively pushes more power to the outside rear wheel in corners.
The M3 has the least power at 390kW and 650Nm, yet it hits 100km/h in 3.5 seconds because it is about 400 to 600kg lighter than the hybrids.
The sound matters at this price too. Testers keep coming back to the same point about the C63: it's devastatingly quick, but a four cylinder simply doesn't sound like the old V8. The M3's six and the RS5's V6 both sound like what they are.
Winner: C63 for the numbers. M3 for the feel.
Weight is the big story. At 1,780kg the M3 is the lightest by a long way, and it remains the benchmark for steering feel and balance in this class. Its all wheel drive system can even send all the power to the rear wheels.
The C63 hides its weight well with rear wheel steering and its rear mounted battery, which gives a near 50:50 balance. Early drives of the RS5 overseas describe a car that's far more playful than the old one, thanks to the torque vectoring diff, but it is still the heaviest here at 2,355kg.
Winner: M3, clearly.
The RS5 is the only one of the three that works as a genuine plug in hybrid. Its 25.9kWh battery gives 78km of electric range on the WLTP cycle, enough for most Australians' daily commute without burning fuel. It charges in about 2.5 hours on an 11kW wallbox.
The C63's small 6.1kWh battery is built for performance, not commuting, and gives only about 13km of electric driving. The M3 has no battery, and BMW quotes about 10.2L/100km on premium unleaded.
Winner: RS5, by a mile.
Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance
BMW M3 Competition xDrive
Audi RS5 Sedan
All three are loaded. The C63 gets an 11.9 inch portrait touchscreen, 12.3 inch digital dash, head up display and Burmester audio. The M3 gets BMW's curved display with iDrive 8.5, a 16 speaker Harman Kardon stereo and M sport seats, with optional carbon buckets. The RS5 gets an 11.9 inch virtual cockpit, a 14.5 inch touchscreen, a passenger screen option, Bang and Olufsen 3D sound, a switchable panoramic roof and front seats that are heated, ventilated and massage you.
Winner: RS5 for features, M3 for ease of use, thanks to its rotary controller.
The M3 has the biggest boot at 480 litres, and the M3 Touring adds 500 litres with a long, flat floor. The hybrids lose space to their batteries: 324 litres in the C63 and 331 litres in the RS5 Sedan, or 361 litres in the RS5 Avant.
If you need a fast wagon, you can have an M3 Touring or RS5 Avant. The C63 is sold only as a sedan in Australia.
Winner: M3.
Want one? Tell us what you're after and we'll use our network to find the best deal anywhere in Australia, on a new, demo, near new or used C63, M3 or RS5. Get the best deal. Got a car to move on first? We can help you sell your car too.
None of the three has a current ANCAP rating of its own. ANCAP's C-Class rating specifically excludes the C63. The 3 Series rating never covered the M3 and has now expired. The new A5 range has a five star rating from 2024, but it hasn't been confirmed that this applies to the RS5 plug in hybrid.
All three have AEB, adaptive cruise and lane keeping as standard.
Winner: Draw.
All three come with a five year, unlimited kilometre warranty. Audi adds an eight year battery warranty, while the C63's battery is covered for six years or 100,000km.
Resale is where the C63 worries us. Mercedes has confirmed the four cylinder plug in hybrid is being dropped, and the C-Class will get a non hybrid six cylinder C53 instead. Cars with an engine the market didn't warm to, and a replacement already announced, usually lose value faster. The M3, as the purist's choice, should hold its value best.
Winner: M3.
Still the benchmark. It's the one we'd choose for the drive, and the Touring makes it a brilliant all rounder.
The surprise of the group. It's the cheapest, the most practical hybrid and the best equipped. If its handling lives up to the early overseas reports on Australian roads, it could be the smartest buy of the three.
It's an engineering marvel and brutally quick, but buyers have rejected the four cylinder and Mercedes is moving on. Only buy one with a big discount, and expect steeper depreciation.
Our pick: the BMW M3 for drivers, the Audi RS5 for everyone else.
No. The current C63 S E Performance uses a 2.0 litre turbo four cylinder with a plug in hybrid system, making 500kW. Mercedes has confirmed this engine is being dropped, with a six cylinder C53 to follow.
The 2026 Audi RS5 Sedan is $179,900 and the RS5 Avant is $182,900, plus on road costs.
The C63 is quickest to 100km/h at 3.4 seconds, but the M3 (3.5 seconds) and RS5 (3.6 seconds) are almost identical.
Yes. BMW Australia still sells a rear wheel drive M3 with a six speed manual for $169,600 plus on road costs.
Up to 78km on the WLTP cycle for the sedan, and 76km for the Avant.
Australian prices exclude on road costs and were checked on 7 October 2026. C63 and M3 list prices changed during 2026, so confirm the exact figure with a dealer. Weight, boot space and fuel figures are manufacturer claims where published. Images: Mercedes-Benz AG, BMW Group and Audi AG (manufacturer media); European models shown.
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Sell your carTags: BMW, Comparisons, Performance, Sedans, Hybrid
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