jkjjpc

OK, I know I may get flamed for posting this on a MB site, but I'm looking for some feedback on the comparison between these two cars. We have a bit of a family dispute, I prefer the xi, SO prefers the E. We drove both today, and I have to admit the E is a very nice car. It has a much nicer interior feel than the xi, though the dash is a sea of small buttons. That said, we both agree that the xi was a bit more fun to drive, though again the E was no slouch. I consider myself more of a "BMW" person and I will be the primary driver, but I need to hear the pros and cons for these two cars. It appears that the E is more price competitive at this point given $3000 additional cash if you finance with MB credit and steep discounts off MSRP, but no Bluetooth, older 5 speed automatic, no free maintenance and "much worse than average" reliability rating with Consumer Reports. I plan to post the same query on a BMW site as well.

Thanks

John

leloz

John,
I was in your position in June. I drove the 530xi, E320 4 matic, M35x, GS330 AWD, and Acura RL AWD. I ended up with the RL and am pretty happy with my decision. At the end, it was between the 530xi and the RL and the RL won because it had the most options for the money.

Best of luck!

BudC

If you can stand the mess Chris Bangle made of the 5'er, you are ahead of the game.

The E350 engine has better low end torque and better drivability under normal circumstances. BMW are going to turbo charge that six next year because they can't increase the size of the engine.

Forget about those CU ratings. They don't apply to the E350. I suspect that the current E350 is more reliable than the 5-Series.

Controls on the E-Class are easy to use and straight forward. You can program options on the E-Class that requires you to take the BMW to a dealer. The dealer will program the options one time for free but will generally charge you after that.

I've had BMW's and still think they were great driver's cars. Nevertheless, the current E-Class is a great highway cruiser and has very precise steering. It's the best handling non-AMG Mercedes I've driven and probably the best overall handling car I've owned (Porsche excepted).

If you like BMW's, why not look at the 330I. It's not as ugly as the 5'er and has better performance.

Anyway, you can't take our word for it. It's your money so make your own decision. If you ask 100 people you will get 100 opinions.

Kev04C320

My take on this:

Looks like you can stand the Bangled 5er butt, so that's not a problem for you.

Do you have any regular back seat passengers (read: kids)?

If you do, go get the 350 coz your kids would be much happier.

If you don't, go get the 5er coz you don't really care about the ride quality from the rear.

This is from a kid that grew up riding in the back seats of MBs and BMWs. All I can say is, I wouldn't want to be a passenger in any 3er or 5er anymore.

JWS3

then it comes down to driving, etc. I cannot get past BMW's train wreck design theme (the interior is perhaps the cheapest and ugliest I've ever seen in a modern car), so here I am. Had 4 BMWs in the last few years, but left for MB once I saw just how damed ugly they'd become. But I digress...
The 5 will likely be a sportier and arguably slightly better handling car, but at the cost of ride quality, etc. If you are not a canyon carver then the MB is a better choice.
The 5 is also proving rather UN-reliable. Constant glitches and many complaints per an acquaintance who is a BMW tech. MB had their early issues, but all seems better. And don't get me started on the stupidity of iDrive.....
Another factor: The 5's construction. The front end is a mix of aluminum and steel bonded with epoxy and rivets. There has been much talk that even modest impact damage totals these cars as few shops have the complex equipment & training to effect repairs. I cannot speak to the truth of this, but its something to check.

mb808

You're in denial.

The current W211 whether it's E320 or E350 has been plagued by electronic or SW glitches, transmission issues (clunk-ing), brakes (SBC), A/C, and on and on. It's posted all over mbworld forums.

The 5-series is nowhere near perfect (or just an Accord or Camry), but still far more reliable than teh W211.

W210

Check out the BMW boards, the 5 series have LOTS of problems from electronics to rubbing window seals which never get resolved 2 years later, good luck.

ruykava

mb808: not quite true. transmission? yes, and it was down to the cars not being broken in yet. they are smooth after that. SBC? has been found to be largely the work of idiotic dealers - though there was one unresolved case involving someone's mum. A/C? has been found to be due to a battery/regulator problem - solved (so it was actually a completely unrelated electronics regulation problem).

the only real issue i think is that some early 350 engines burn lots of engine oil - but that has apparently been resolved as well.

BudC

Thanks ruykava, I was too hot to answer the original poster. The oil burning problem was apparently due to a bad batch of valve seals. It appears the unexplained SBC failures were due to the SBC controller cable coming loose. I've made sure my car has had the fix installed.

mbnj

I rode them both plus new 7. I bought the e500 so you know what my opinion is and for all the resaons mentioned. I'd be shocked if your SO preferred the 5 (assuming you're the guy) because of significant interior difference in quality and space. You are correct about the handling better in 5 but not that big a difference. The new 750 was a totally impressive car and I have no problem with bangle implementation on that vehicle, I think it is NICE looking (5 looks all jammed up).

mjsbenz

My 2002 530 lease was expiring and was committed to go with the 530xi. Finally drove it and was not impressed. In fact, the problem was that I drove the regular rear wheel drive 530 and then the 530xi and the difference was in the steering. The 530xi drove very heavy compared to the rear wheel drive version. The performance handling that I have enjoyed with my 6 other BMWs did not exist. My daughter's 325xi drove better. So we went with the E350 4 MATIC. The Benz is ok but it does not handle like BMWs. They are rock solid and very secure. But the steering is too light and the suspension is a bit too soft. Also, the E350s acceleration is less than what I would expect with 268 ponies. I think 4 wheel drivetrain along with the 5 speed transmission is not helping to maximize the performance.

If I had to do it over again, I would go rear wheel drive with snows for either the 530 or E350. The E350 is better looking and more luxurious. The BMW is for the hard driver in all of us.

Kev04C320

The 750i has the updated looks that changed a lot of the original Bangled butt lines.