The Lemon Index
Head to head
Each car's headline trim of its newest generation. Green check = the better of the two on that line (more power, quicker, lighter, cheaper, fewer recalls).
BMW M3
G80 M3 Competition · 2021–2025
G80 M3 Competition · 2021–2025
Mercedes-AMG C63
W206 C63 S E Performance · 2024–
W206 C63 S E Performance · 2024–
Horsepower
503
671
Torque
lb-ft
lb-ft
479
752
0–60 mph
seconds; magazine test, else maker
seconds; magazine test, else maker
3.5
3.0
Top speed
155 mph
155 mph
Weight
3,890 lb
4,817 lb
Price new
base, when new
base, when new
$72,800
$83,900
Engine
BMW S58
3.0-liter inline-6, twin-turbo
3.0-liter inline-6, twin-turbo
Mercedes-AMG M139l
2.0-liter inline-4, electric turbo, plug-in hybrid
2.0-liter inline-4, electric turbo, plug-in hybrid
YouTube owner tone
out of 100, these years
out of 100, these years
60
54
Owner complaints
NHTSA, raw count, these years
NHTSA, raw count, these years
7
0
Recalls
these years
these years
4
0
Owner complaints are raw counts from NHTSA, not per car sold: performance cars sell too few for a fair per-car score, and the busier seller usually draws more. YouTube owner tone = how positively the most-watched videos about those model years talk about the car (100 = all praise).
Pick other generations or add a car
Every generation
BMW M3
| Generation | Trim | hp | 0–60 | Engine | YouTube tone | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G80 · 2021–2025 | M3 Competition | 503 | 3.5 | BMW S58 | 60 | 7 | 4 |
| F80 · 2015–2018 | M3 | 425 | 3.8 | BMW S55 | 55 | 21 | 4 |
| E9x · 2008–2013 | M3 | 414 | 4.3 | BMW S65 | 53 | 202 | 5 |
| E46 · 2001–2006 | M3 | 333 | 4.5 | BMW S54 | 53 | 165 | 9 |
Mercedes-AMG C63
| Generation | Trim | hp | 0–60 | Engine | YouTube tone | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W206 · 2024– | C63 S E Performance | 671 | 3.0 | Mercedes-AMG M139l | 54 | 0 | 0 |
| W205 · 2015–2022 | C63 Sedan | 469 | 4.0 | Mercedes-AMG M177 | 60 | 21 | 22 |
| W204 · 2008–2015 | C63 AMG | 451 | 3.9 | Mercedes-AMG M156 | 49 | 18 | 0 |
Everything on the BMW M3 · Everything on the Mercedes-AMG C63 · Specs and their sources are on each car's page.