bzlvr

Can anyone tell me the reason why you have choosed MB E class over BMW 5 series? Both look nice, and both are safe cars.

I am looking at 2003 E320 wagon and 2003 525iT wagon now...

lexrex

Both are safe cars, but IMO, one looks like a Honda (except without Honda reliability).

On most of the W210s I looked at, the interiors looked brand new even at 100k miles. The interiors of the E39s I saw with less mileage looked worn out.

zam2000

Both are good car. I used to have a 528 (E39) prior to my W210 E320.

The E39 had lot of problem w/ electrical & small stuff (replaced cup holder about 5 billion times !!). But it's a blast to drive. Look & material quality is awesome.

I have to spend lot of money so that my W210 would drive & handle like the E39, my W210 have been quite reliable & good cruiser.

Still, I think the E39 is the best sport sedan ever made.

Richard / E320

When I was in high school I always wanted a Mercedes-Benz, the show 'Dallas' was popular at the time and I always loved that S-Class and SL that was used in the show.

For 25 years I wanted to own a Mercedes... as nice as a BMW is, and I sure thought the 2002ti and 320i were great looking automobiles back then, it was always a Mercedes that I wanted in my garage. As far as I'm concerned, the 5-series could be better in every category than my E-Class but the 5-series would never have one thing: that M-B star I love seeing looking over the hood.

patrick_y

Richard, you hardly drive your Mercedes! Drive it more to enjoy it more!

Honestly, the BMW E39 and the E320 are completely different cars. We're comparing apples to oranges here. Although we may think they are in the same class of vehicles, they actually aren't. This is due to BMW's sneaky marketing procedures.

I've driven two BMW 530i vehicles with the sport package and a 525i. All were 2002 model years. They're undoubtly fabulous vehicles. Excellent build quality, love the styling, and extremely powerful and safe at the same time.

But, let's first look at the facts on paper. The BMW 530i vs the E320. The 530i has a smaller engine but is actually in a higher insurance category. It also drinks about 10% more gasoline and has a much smaller gas tank (smaller by nearly three gallons). Also, the E39 5 series is deemed as a "Compact" car by the EPA when the W210 E Class is defined as a "Mid-size" car by the EPA. The interior space is noticeably different, for example the BMW's rear seats have much less legroom.

The Drive; is totally different between the two cars. The E39 is by far much better handling and easier to drive than the already excellent W210 (not saying that the W210 is difficult to drive in any way). The BMW also feels more confident at higher speeds (over 100 mph).

However, the BMW E39 lacked one thing, it was not very luxurious for a car in its price range. I thought it had excellent leather, beautiful wood, excellent attention to detail, great fit and finish. Yet, they missed a few things (that they have augmented for the new E60 5 series, the current one). For one thing, the Mercedes W210 featured lit footwells and door handles. The BMW E39 never got those.

Both cars are great. If I were to choose between one or the other, I'd be in a tough pickle. I really love both of them. Some will interpret the E39 5 series as a great car and some will interpret the W210 E Class as a good car. However, worldwide, there are more than twice as many E classes on the road than 5 series. But in my opinion, both cars are great.

The one thing that I wished the W210 E Class paid more attention to was the steering. The Steering is not as precise as it could be. The suspension is excellent in terms of ride quality and sporty handling except that there is a bit too much body roll. They should've put in larger stabilizer bars.

patrick_y

One more thing, did anybody notice how difficult to use the E39's radio was? The one thing I love about Mercedes is that you really don't have to read the owner's manual to drive the car and operate its features. However, the BMW's radio is a nightmare to use.

The BMW trip computer is also a nightmare. The Mercedes Trip Computer is much more user friendly. The BMW's restarts everything every time you start the car. The Mercedes one has two, one that you reset, one that resets by itself.

The BMW's interior lighting, although it is short on a few door handle and footwell ambient lights, it does feature rear reading lights that can be controlled by the people in the rear (that's one thing the Mercedes missed, the rear light is controlled by the driver in front). However, the Mercedes missed a big one that BMW also perfected; the lighting on the console, instrument cluster, radio, and air conditioner in the BMW is all amber orange. The Mercedes lighting is a bit different. For the instrument cluster, it's amber with a tint of green, the radio is amber, and the air conditioning is amber with a hint of green. It's inconsistent. The BMW has much more consistent lighting.

This is all detail oriented stuff. Small potatoes. But I notice everything.

Also, the BMW didn't have an center armrest with storage capability!

E55Cent

I used to have E39 BMW540i and I loved it. I had almost every mod on it. The 540 handled 100% better than my E55. My E55 is much faster than the my 540i, even before the supercharger.

E55 KEV

No way these two cars which are direct competitors and the same category can be considered "apples & oranges". Wrong comparison cliche! If anything they are both apples or both oranges - one a granny smith and the other a McIntosh or whatever. Or both Colas - one being Coke and the other Pepsi.

It really depends on which you like. I like the E39, however, the only complaint I have with it is the interior is small. Much smaller than the W210. The E39's volume capacity is officially measured as a Compact and not a Mid-Size like the W210. The E39 is a Mid-size body with a Compact size interior. Check the official volumes. Also, don't compare that 2.5 liter BMW to a 3.2 liter MBZ. You should be comparing the BMW 530i with a E320.

lexrex

Sometimes you have to stop dreaming and start buying. I bought this car my junior year of high school. (If I recall, I began saving my money for a car around age 12.)

j944

I had a 528 some years ago and loved the handling and feel at higher speeds as mentioned prior. Now that I am older and my younger crazy days have ca ught up w/ me I like the big sofa feel.

patrick_y

Are you talking to me or someone else? I meant to compare the 530i to the E320, not the 525i to anything else. I apologize if I made such a clumsy error.

E55 KEV

Everything is Cool! I just wanted to point out the when comparing cars such as the E-Class, 5-Series, Lexus GS, Infiniti M, Jaquar S-Type and the Audi A6, they are all pretty much in the same Class or all Apples.

patrick_y

Alright, yea, they're marketed to be in the same class.

The Jaguar S-Type is a terrible car. Handles like a giant flobbery thing.

Lexus GS, the trunk is tiny. The current one has a very uncomfortable rear back seat in my opinion. Very straight up and not a lot of headroom.

So far, my favorite W210 E Class would be a 2001 or 2002 E55 AMG. Black or silver. Very few cars are up to spin their rear tires in third gear any time you want.

Still, overall, between a BMW 530i and a E320, I'm not sure but it could go either way on those cars, if I were to choose between them. However, if it were between an M5 and an E55, I'd go for the E55 any day. Don't want to drive stick every single day in traffic.

540i vs E430, that's a tough one. Possibly 540i, the sport package on the 540i in the 2003 model is very attractive.

Today, even with the new 5 series and the new E Class, I'd probably take the E Class, except for when it comes to the M5 and the E55, having driven the M5 before and witnessing first hand its gear box's uncomfortable shifts when driving in the city (the shifting makes your head go forward, then it goes back a little bit very slowly, then goes back very quickly), that's a point lossed to the E55, but with the new E63 that has less torque than the current E55, I might be inclined to just go with the torque light M5 anyways.

Also depends on insurance, as a younger gentleman, the insurance premium on a BMW is noticeably higher than on a Mercedes even on similiar cars. This gap is less noticeable both percentage wise and $$ wise as one gets older.

Richard / E320

Part of the reason I loved Mercedes-Benz automobiles is that I lived with a family during high school that owned a 280SE sedan. It had 110k miles on it and I got to drive it when I got my license. I remember 'going home' to visit them one day a few years later, and to show off my first brand-new car, a Toyota Corolla Deluxe. I also remember driving those rual roads home how poorly that new Toyota rode, and the squeeks and rattles, compared to that high mileage 280SE! M-B really knew how to build impressive, long-lasting automobiles, and I never forgot...

patrick_y

Richard, make sure you drive over that same bit of road in your new Mercedes. Nostalgic memories are sometimes the best ones.