MDMercedesGuy

Just got my December 2013 Car and Driver today and took a quick thumb through it this evening. The main comparison test in the issue this month are mid-size luxury sedans - The A6, 535i, E350 and new CTS.

Well, the E350 came in 3rd of 4. Their main complaints were that the sport suspension isn't sporty enough, and the V6 sounds gritty at high RPM. They called the E350 the most gratifying car to drive, called the visibility excellent, the instrument panel straightforward and that it implies solidity, quality and durability. They also said that the quality and finish of the materials are impeccable. Additionally, they called the infotainment controls sensibly designed.

Interestingly enough, the 535i got 4th place. They called it large and ponderous, the steering distant and slow witted, the handling neither fun or confidence inspiring and the ride heavy footed and "clomping loudly over broken pavement" . It also got beat out by all of the other cars in the slalom. The saving grace was the near perfection of the powertrain.

Interesting to read, considering how often the exact opposite gets claimed around here...

FWIW, the CTS got 2nd and the A6 first place.

BenzE350

Thanks for the heads-up. For better or worse - I always enjoy these articles. Sometimes it's important to see what specific model / options / tires they tested. It can make a difference.

BMW has been getting beat up pretty bad lately - and Audi seems to win almost every comparo.

Newzchspy

I read that article as well, BUT it always irks me when they refuse to talk about Audi's reliability issues that are well known!!

canudigit

We test drove both the A6 and the E350 Sport. I don't care for the Audi ride and felt the back seat was small and uncomfortable compared to the E350.

It's just a matter of preference, and to my wife and I the MB was the clear winner.

MDMercedesGuy

I want to like Audis, but there is something about every one I have been in that puts me in a physically uncomfortable position. I don't know what it is - but they make me have to hold my arms at an uncomfortable angle to have my elbows clear everything but grip the wheel properly. I'm 6'2, but long in the torso and about 240 lbs - linebacker built with extremely broad shoulders - I think my upper body width may come into play here.

michael61

I shopped the Audi before buying my E250. The A6 was nice to drive (and I really like the Google maps based Nav system), but I'm 6' 6" (as is my son) and there is simply less room in the Audi, so it really wasn't an option for us.

BenzE350

The size differences between the E350, A6 and 535i are very small.

Front Leg Room:
E350 = 41.3
A6 = 41.3
535i = 41.4

Front Head Room:
E350 = 37.9
A6 = 37.2
535i = 39.1

Front Shoulder Room:
E350 = 57.8
A6 = 57.5
535i 58.3

Rear Leg Room:
E350 = 35.8
A6 = 37.4
BMW = 36.1

Rear Head Room:
E350 = 38.2
A6 = 37.8
535i = 38.0

alsyli

If C&D ranked it low, I'm sure I'll love it. I think my automotive priorities are a complete 180 from theirs, and I've generally liked the MBs they've ranked low (and felt the opposite about the ones they ranked more highly). ::shrug::

thenew3

I would take all these #'s with a grain of salt. Each mfg measures these differently so it's not really an apples to apples comparison. Plus the way the cabin is designed, a cabin with more leg room may actually FEEL smaller than one with less room.

The 3 vehicles are very similarly sized. and are all very nice vehicles. It's really personal preference which one is best suited for each person's situation.

Dema

A6 will cost you $300 more a month for same priced MB. I liked only leather at A6, so I was happy that dealer ended me $850 monthly pay, so I could leave the dealership without a regret. New sport suspension of E is a bit firmer than previous, I tried some tricky ramp today and stability control system wasn't alerted as for pre face lift sport, so certainly here are some improvements. Somehow I missed CTS testing, I did testing CTS a couple years before, actually CTS-V. I liked only seats, and nothing more. Perhaps Cadillac did some improvements so I need to get CTS back in my shopping list.
I do not care about reliability since lease, so I compare cars only. I would miss some cool features as hold, power trunk, disstronic at A6. I do not care about Google maps, I never liked them and generally navigation is okay in Benz for me. I liked MB navigation even in W210, at least instructions were much clear for my taste.

K-A has interesting article from some German magazine comparing E350 and 535i. Accordingly all tested parameters E350 is slightly better however reviewers still give MB second place. I like that E350 is underrated since it keeps price lower for the wonderful car.

K-A

Precisely. I never agreed with C&D's polling's. I didn't even like BMW's until C&D started hating them and bashing them in every article. M-B's have always gotten last place at C&D. These are one-track minded "journalists" who just care about how raw and connected a car feels. Usually flip their scoring around (i.e last place = 1st place) and you'll find the most livable and real-world superior cars.

Clearly someone cut their C&D advertising bills and Audi must be keeping the entire magazine afloat. Most of the "scorings" in these tests are based off of who's feeding the magazine the most $$$$. Audi's are good cars but if you read C&D you'd think everything else is junk. Sorry but the A6 lacks in many areas to the 5 Series and E Class.

C&D also had the nerve to use the granniest setup you can ever find on a 535i. They used a 4WD with an extra 100-200 lbs over the RWD, NON M suspension (a MUST and a night and day difference from the floaty base suspension), NO DHP, NO Sport Auto Trans and on horrible Winter tires. BMW would have been better off not even supplying them a car, especially considering how much they have it out for BMW these days.

What surprised me the most is how well the performance figures were for such a held-back 5 Series. A RWD with M suspension and Sport Auto would have had a drastically different outcome.

I just think it's interesting how little these magazines speak for the people. Clearly the E and 5 outsell the A6 and CTS massively. So who are the crazy ones? Those of us who buy "last place" or the journalists (that's a rhetorical question ).

Actually in that test the 535i got rated higher and beat the E400 (got higher measures notably in handling and design to the reviewers), which was interesting because the E400 is a higher placed and priced car than the 535i, as the 535i is positioned against the E350.


These measurements are such BS. I wish my 5er had over an inch more headroom than my E Class. At 6'4 with long torso, I'll say that the 5er has a liiiiitle bit better headroom than the headroom on my too-cramped-for-me E, but very barely. Unfortunately both are too cramped considering the sizes of the cars. Ironically, a Porsche 991 has massively more headroom than either of the two.

BenzE350

C&D has been very critical (justifiably so) of the F10 5 series. Additionally there has been little love or praise for the once mighty M5. However, C&D is certainly not the only automotive mag to have issues with B&W's direction with the 5 series. Even the devoted enthusiasts on bimmerfest have been vocal on it's shortcomings. This does not make it a "bad" car, but the competition has caught up and surpassed the 5 series in a lot of respects.

In the past, C&D was actually criticized for placing B&W first in most comparos. C&D may not currently be in love with the new 5 series, but the 3 series and X3/X5 continue to win or do very well in comparos. Finally, MB certainly hasn't fallen in last place in most C&D comparos - they usually finish pretty strong.

Overall the A6, CTS, E350 and 535i are all great cars - and most folks will made a decision based on a few deciding factors (looks, price, technology, performance, brand loyalty, reliability, etc.) The C&D rankings are simply one opinion among many.

alsyli

This is more of a criticism of C&D than of your post, but C&D justifiably was criticized for always putting the 3-series in first place. The BMW-centric results were really only applicable to BMWs. Their "fun to drive" or "gotta have it" categories were/are particularly laughable in terms of skewing results.... Just like MT's artificial "Domestic" vs. "Import" COTY split, which I presume existed b/c domestic cars simply weren't competitive until the mid-90s when (surprise!), they consolidated the 2 competitions.

As for MBs consistently placing well, that's simply not true. To see if my my memory was accurate, I actually ran a search on the C&D website for all comparos w/ MB products and then looked at the results for comparos involving more than 3 cars since 2010. There's no consistent pattern at all to where MB products fall (w/ the 2010 E350 and the 2012 or 2013 C250 coming in dead last or second to last)....

Comparos and reviews are fun to read, but YMMV in terms of whether or not you "agree" w/ the results (b/c I definitely agree w/ your point that all cars in the class are so good that it really just becomes a matter of personal taste).

david55838

I cancelled an order for an A6 Prestige since I still had lingering doubts about the ride quality and lifeless steering. No regrets about my subsequent E350 purchase - better in both respects, but the Audi really is a beautiful car. Well, the only regret is perhaps I could've gotten a better deal after reading these 'What'd you pay?' threads?

alsyli

Life is short. Don't think too much about being able to get a better price. You'll have more info for your next purchase.

BenzE350

Well, I'm not gonna defend C&D comparos because I often disagree with them. However, here are a few recent tests involving MB's. The sportier versions certainly place higher (justifiably so).

Luxury sport verts (2nd our of 4)
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

Sporty SUV's (2nd our of 4)
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...on-test-review

Mid Size Sport Sedans from 2013 (2rd our of 3)
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

Mid Size Sport Sedans from 2007 (1st our of 3)
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

Dema

E class is objectively better than A6. However CTS looks really interesting. I didn't realize they have redesign for this year. Exterior is really improved. I can't say that for interior however lot of innovations making it appealing. E class becomes outdates keeping analog gauges. CTS also gets new 450hp engine in 2014 showing amazing 0-60 results. So I agree life is short and we should think to get more benefits of it.

instantfob

Sweet now I have the last two finishers in my garage

Caddy: Making yesterdays BMW that drivers want.
Audi: Tailgaters Union

Jeffy

The CTS sedan is available with a 420hp twin turbo V6 with 430lb-ft at 3500rpm which is to me is much less desirable than the MB bi-turbo V8 with 402hp and 450lb-ft at 1600rpm. And its been shown the MB V8 is underrated. So large advantge for E550 over CTS for me. Plus Cadillac quality and reliabllity is not on par with MB.

david55838

Thanks alsyli. It was a spur of the moment decision while on vacation. Even though I'm a Mercedes Club member, I was only looking at BMW and Audi for this purchase (based on looks - yes I'm shallow).

Went into the dealership and fell in love with the ride and steering - and the deal ($7500 off). At least I had the smarts to look on the forum around extended warranties and got a screaming deal there for the MB ELW.

alsyli

Uh, the reason I left out comparos w/ 3 or fewer cars is b/c 2nd place isn't good when there's only 2-3 cars being compared....

K-A

Well put.