Albert Shaw

I live in Singapore. I am a family man and will be using car mainly to/fro work, fetching 3-4 passengers. I drive mainly in urban area, doing 15,000 km per year.

E240 costs about US$113,000, BMW 523i costs about US$105,000, Volvo S80 Executive costs US$109,000 and Toyota Camry 2.4 litre costs about US$57,000.

I am a businessman and can well afford any of them. Any advice which would be a good car - value for money wise, quality of build and components, reliability, safety, vehicle handling and drive comfort to both driver and passengers, and durability.

DWP

Is the 2.4 Toyota Camry a four or a six? If it's a four, Is the six-cylinder Toyota Camry available in Singapore? If it is, your should compare that one against the others.

The Mercedes and the BMW you cite aren't available in those displacements in the USA, so USA readers can't make an exact comparison for you. If you aren't driving very long distances or open roads, though, a six-cylinder Camry would probably meet your needs (and I emphasize, "needs") about as well as the other cars, at a substantial savings. Even the new Toyota Avalon, if it's available in Singapore (possibly under a different name) would probably cost less than the other cars, and the reviews I've seen say that it's a truly excellent car, though not particularly sporting.

Dvinn

Safety, durability, quality goes to MB,
Handling, safety goes to BMW,
reliablilty, durability, value goes to Toyota.

I would go with E Class personally, unless you like falling asleep due to boringness then Camry would do the job.

Albert Shaw

Hi DWP,

Thanks for your input.

The Toyota Camry 2.4 comes with an in-line 4-cylinders DOHC engine. No V6 version.

Toyota Royal Crown comes with a V6 engine, 2995 cc (3 litre engine). 170 kW and 300 Nm. Max speed of 180 Km/h. They are being used as cab/taxi in Singapore.

CE750

Man, I still can't get over the prices for cars out there! I paid about as much for a 320CDI with options as you'll pay for a 4-cyl Toyota!!

Anyway... here's my take..

The MB and BMW are roughly comparable, and both significantly superior to the Camry in every way except mechanical reliability. The S80 probably somewhere in the middle of the two, but closer to the MB and BMW.... If money is no object (which based on the userous prices you guys are paying, it seems to be) I would get the MB...

CE750

btw... may I ask what a typical civil engineer, accountant, or mid level executive makes in Singapore? And what a house costs? Do you mortgage your cars?

ruykava

Albert: my personal opinion is, go for the E240 (of course this is the MB forum so what did you expect! ) the interior quality is good, doesn't cost much more than the BMW, it's reliable mechanically, pretty much unstealable unless someone gets your key as well, very safe (5 star NCAP rating compared with BMW's 4 stars), handles better than all the rest except BMW, and very comfortable.

BMW 523i has a hard ride and relatively lousier interior quality. but it's got good handling. it's slower than the E240, though. won't talk about the looks since that's pretty much personal.

S80 is outdated inside, and handling can't match the other two.

Camry is the most yawn-inducing car i've ever seen, although the interior quality (not the design, though) is good and i'm sure it's very reliable and all that -- although do note the Singaporean Camry's are made in Thailand.

as for durability, all are fine, well-developed cars and i'm sure they'd work tirelessly for the next decade or two given regular maintenance.

Albert Shaw

Which is a better car: E240 (W211), BMW 523i, Volvo S80 Executive, Toyota Camry 2.4

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Which is a better car: E240 (W211), C240, BMW 523i, Volvo S80 Executive, Toyota Camry 2.4

I live in Singapore. I am a family man and will be using car mainly to/fro work, fetching 3-4 passengers. I drive mainly in urban area, doing 15,000 km per year.

E240 costs about US$113,000, BMW 523i costs about US$105,000, Volvo S80 Executive costs US$109,000 and Toyota Camry 2.4 litre costs about US$57,000.

I am a businessman and can well afford any of them. Any advice which would be a good car - value for money wise, quality of build and components, reliability, safety, vehicle handling and drive comfort to both driver and passengers, and durability.

Albert Shaw

Thanks for letting me know about the double posting. I have deleted it.

mike82y

I have just tested a friends new 545i with full options (30,000 on the options). Althought im a Mercedes lover but i have to say that i was totally in love with that car.

These are some facts that i like it over the W211s.

-Head-Up display
-M Package
-The Seats are better
-Sound System is better
-Navigation reacts faster (zoom in/out)
-I actually quite like I-Drive as i dont have to always look for the keys.

I didnt really get to test the performance but that you should just test yourself

Mike

W0n6_3d4n

I own E240 and i can tell that it is a very nice car, plush and comfy ride, very big boot and not too bad on the performance side but i reckon BMW will murder it, the thing i love in BMW is handling and engine. Styling is subjective, E class is more handsome compare to BMW, it takes time to get used to the styling of the new 5 series, but i really like those 5 series now. Since you doesn't drive that long distance i reckon BMW is a better choice, you can have fun in those thing. Camry is out of the league my friend, and i dunno about volvo, styling alone doesn't really move me.

skahung

"Toyota Camry???" Well, my Granny drives one... hope that helps

Saprissa

i thought this thread was moved ?

r3v1ls

How the hell is a Toyota Camry in that list???