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" Snail. It&amp;#039;s slang for turbocharger, the name derived from the spiral-shaped housings of the turbine and compressor that harness an engine&amp;#039;s exhaust energy and subsequently squeeze the intake charge into welcoming cylinders. More air (with an appropriate extra dose of fuel) equals more power, enabling a &amp;quot;snail&amp;quot; car\u2014in a most ironic twist\u2014to far out-accelerate even the speediest slime-trailing gastropod.   Video window may take a few moments to load...            The great thing about turbos is that when not asked to make additional power, they loaf along rather innocuously, exacting little to no penalty in fuel economy. So in these times of ever-tightening CAFE and emissions standards, automakers are starting to embrace smaller-displacement turbocharged engines that rival the power of their brawnier non-turbo forebears, yet sip fuel instead of making rude slurping sounds at the pump.         2012 BMW 328i Sedan vs. 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 Sport     Two such examples of the trend are the all-new BMW 328i, a slightly larger yet slightly lighter 3 Series with a 2.0-liter four making 240 bhp; and the Mercedes-Benz C250 Sport, cosmetically refreshed for 2012 and fitted with a 1.8-liter powerplant rated at 201 bhp. As for transmissions, the Mercedes-built 7-speed 7G-tronic Plus automatic is the C250 Sport&amp;#039;s sole gearbox, making the BMW&amp;#039;s new ZF 8HP45 8-speed automatic a natural fit for comparison purposes, though a 6-speed manual is standard. We actually welcomed these 2-pedal sports sedans, as many times a turbocharged engine paired with an automatic is like a mustard-slathered corn dog at the county fair...it just seems right. The torque converters tend to mask tip-in turbo lag, and the automatic&amp;#039;s no-lift shifts minimize turbo rpm drop-off for a virtually uninterrupted flow of power through the gears.         2012 BMW 328i Sedan vs. 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 Sport     This all sounds good on paper, but how about in real-world execution? To find out, we drove to the quaint gold rush town of Julian, California, a place that offers Zagat-worthy apple pie and small-town charm as well as close proximity to great driving roads. For two days, we cornered, braked, transitioned, accelerated; we pondered the cars&amp;#039; subtleties, argued their merits and scrutinized their weaknesses. Finally, we subjected them to our usual battery of instrumented tests. Here&amp;#039;s what we found.         2012 BMW 328i Sedan vs. 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 Sport    "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-comparison-tests/reviews/a18145/squeeze-play-2012-bmw-328i-sedan-vs-2012-mercedes-benz-c250-sport/>