Last week, BMW Malaysia introduced the first-ever locally assembled M Performance car - the G20 BMW M340i xDrive. It is priced at RM 402,354 (without SST), valid until 31 December 2020.

The BMW M340i goes head to head against the Mercedes-AMG C43, which is also locally assembled, priced at RM 401,114 (without SST). Since we’ve yet to get our hands on the BMW M340i, we’ll just take a side by side look at the spec sheets.

Powertrain - Mercedes-AMG C43 has more power, but slower from 0-100 km/h

Powering the BMW M340i is the B58 3.0-litre turbocharged (single twin-scroll turbo) in-line 6 engine that makes 387 PS and 500 Nm of torque. Being an xDrive model, power is sent to all four wheels through an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission.

0-100 km/h is dispatched in 4.4 seconds and top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h.

Under the bonnet of the Mercedes-AMG C43 lies a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine that puts out 390 PS/520 Nm, spinning all donuts via a 9-speed automatic transmission.

Century sprint is achieved in 4.7 seconds and top speed is also limited to 250 km/h.

Exterior - BMW M340i is a tad larger

The BMW M340i is ever so slightly larger than the Mercedes-AMG C43 in every dimension. Heavier as well.

The M340i gets the full-fat BMW Laserlight headlamps, which should provide stadium-like lighting in dark areas. The C43 gets Multibeam LED headlights. Both wear 19-inch wheels wrapped with 225/40 profile tyres at the front and 255/35 at the rear.

Both cars have adaptive suspension. The C43 has the AMG Ride Control suspension while the M340i gets Adaptive M suspension.

Interior - Mercedes-AMG C43 still classier

Inside the BMW M340i, it’s typical BMW affair. Every button and switch are exactly where you’d expect them to be.

It looks largely identical to the lower M Sport variants, save for M340i lettering here and there, with silver speaker grille for the Harmon Kardon sound system.

In the C43, it’s a familiar sight of the W205 C-Class interior. It still looks good after all these years.

The facelift saw an introduction of digital instrument cluster and larger infotainment screen to keep the interior up to date. It gets both Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity, with audio handled by the Burmester sound system.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems - Fairly equal

The driver assistance features in the Mercedes-AMG C43 includes Active Lane Keeping Assist, Blind Spot Assist, Active Parking Assist, Active Brake Assist, and Pre-Safe.

In the BMW M340i, the Driving Assistant package includes Lane Departure Warning, Lane Change Warning, Front Collision Warning with Brake Intervention (AEB), Rear Crossing Traffic Warning and Rear Collision Prevention.

There’s also the Parking Assistant with Reversing Assist that remembers your steering input for the last 50 metres.

So there we have it, a quick overview of these two rivals. Which would be your pick?