Kain

Could someone please tell me the pros and cons of each car?

Thanks

jyg e500 maybe

I would think BMw would have the handling edge, looks go to MB.

bmw2mb

i was looking at the bmw 5 but the new body style direction is unbelievable. the only thing i don't like about the e's body style is the rear (except for the e55). e320 and e500 bumper is boring and looks a little like the old accords but much much better than the new 5's rear.

bmw 5
+ i'm sure, an outstanding drive
+ heads up display
+ rear heated seats
+ sport transmission is superior to mb
+ ambiance lighting is better
+ better wipers
+ my bmw was just a better over all built solid car (not to say mb doesn't have a solid car, i think mb just cheaps on some things for the money they want you to pay)
+ i'm sure there are more, we just don't know yet
- body style
- interior style
- ability to adjust ride, if sport model...drive great, but you get very very hard ride all the time

mb E500
+ handles great too, not just like a bmw
+ body style
+ vented front seats
+ control locations are better for seat adjustments
+ nice interior ++
+ classy exterior
+ cruise control indicator, very cool
+ ability to adjust ride, very very nice
+ quiet ride
+ better ext/int color selections, esp in black
+ more control settings on steering wheel
- cheap truck open design, get auto-trunk closer
- cheap feel on side body panels (the one that runs under the doors from front to back)
- lack of full spare tire with matching wheel (US models)

sf49ers79

I definitely agree with what everything bmw2mb wrote

akmal31

a few things to note:

if u opt for 17inch alloys on the 5er then you also dont get the spare wheel!
in quite a few reviews and perosnal comments by ppl, the bmw is said to look cheap or cheaper than the new e class! mercedes has really improved on the finshing and quality on the new e class!

bmms8

they have improved a lot, but still.....MB needs to do better, and lower thier prices, look at the JD thing. i know its based on the 2000 MB, but on most MY03 w211's there were a lot of problems, i had over 5 problems, and i still have more, memory doesnt always work, seats dont always move...brakes are to grabby, we are getting our nav car, so im not really worried about it, but they need to become the company that they were 20 years ago.

jim256

It jogged my memory when I read bmms8's post about "20 years ago" that I, indeed, bought my first MB 20 years ago. It was a new 240D, automatic. No emissions, no electronics to handle the emissions, regular power hydraulic brakes, no power seat (let alone memory), no adjustable steering wheel, easy-to-clean hubcaps so the brake dust was easy to clean off, no power left mirror--just a right one powered since you couldn't reach that one, and an electric antenna that was the complaint du jour (it would not always retract), leather was not an option. Interestingly, many of these items also were the standard fare on the S as well. At 30,000 miles but just outside of time warranty, the tranny would no longer shift out of second and I was advised they would have to rebuild the transmission. They ended up covering it via warranty. It had 67 hp as I recall, but you could get the 300D with 83 hp! The '83 240D cost $23,000, no discounts. If I did my math correctly, if I inflate that at 5% a year, that's $61,000. Kind of steep for the equipment it had. They can't be compared in any realistic manner because times have changed so much, but both that one and my current one were satisfying for their own attributes. Back to the proximity of the topic: I have had only one minor problem with my E, I never had a BMW but test drove them a few times and always chose something else.

bmms8

k...dont you think that the build quality was much better 20 years ago. thats my point. i mean, supposedly the best car maker can't come out with a simple navigation. its not new stuff, but they still couldn't do it. my memory for my seat doesnt even work. you might of gotten a bad car, but i'm sure cars back then made by MB were much better build quality, and had less problems. dont you think 5% is kind of steep.....price really isnt the point, but if they are going to charge over $5,000 more than competitors, then the car should be trouble free...not cars with a mismatched paint door, or cars where the damn radio doesnt work, or where your sos light comes on..

jim256

I just haven't had many problems with any of the MB's I've had. My memory seat works just fine, no pull, no ticks, etc., etc. Maybe the 320 is less prone to troubles. I just don't have the problems. The '83 was fine, it was what I was after, but in those days simply having panels that fit on a car and paint that had depth was noteworthy versus the US competition. Complexity was much reduced then. MB had nice "fit and finish" which is no longer even mentioned--it's just assumed on most cars. I'll bet the "winner" of a J D Power survey back then might have 300 problems per 100 cars. I can't really say the build quality is different, but it's more complex. What I "see" looks the same. The bar is raised but also the cost has been reduced relative to inflation by productivity and automation. This is my 37th car over 37 years, FWIW, and there have been peaks and valleys but all the MB's have been near the peak.

I doubt the pressures on BMW are any different, getting back to topic. After all, these are mid-level cars in their home country, produced in a range from taxi to luxury family car, optioned up to the higher level for US import.