Hi, I am in the market for a new vehicle. Current driving a 2019 Grand Cherokee..just bought a house & just one car garage, so wanting something with power folding mirrors (my excuse for getting a new car..lol). Before the Jeep I had a 2017 530i xDrive & loved it. I tend to go back & forth between BMW & Mercedes, mostly due to boredom.

Just curious as to if anyone has first hand experience with spending a decent amount of time in a 2017+ 5 Series & 2017+ E class & what your thoughts are.

I loved the technology in my 5 series as well as the overall driving/balance between comfort & sportiness. From looking at pictures, I thought the interior of the E class with analog dash looked very bland/dated (& it has been hard to find one with digital cluster)..however I finally went & drove one today & thought it looked much better in person, & I can get over not having the digital instrument cluster.

I am very familiar with the brand..we have a 2019 C300, 2013 ML350 (my old car), & 2015 Ml63 in the family currently. However, I go back & forth between Mercedes & BMW.

Again, any thoughts or firsthand experience with the two would be much appreciated!

 

The digital dash is an option, which I have and I love it.

For me the interior of the BMW is dated. IMO, the present styling of the E is more like the C than the S, but others may differ. You may want to wait for the 2021 with the "re-freshed" exterior.

I have owned both 5 series (6 cylinder) and E class (presently 2019 E450 6 cylinders). I was sold on the interior of the E class interior.

I lease and comparably equipped model, the BMW at 10,000 miles per year, 3 years leased for about $100 per month less than my E450 and the BMW had leather seats vs. MB Tex in my E450.

I thought the E450 was worth the extra $100 a month but after having been inside my friends 2019 BMW 540i, I am not so sure.

As to ride and handling, in the E class there is comfort, sport and sport+ so any advantage that BMW once had in handling is again, imo, negligible.

Either car is great car with similar features: the BMW does give you the option of a spare tire, which I consider very important - something that the E class does not offer.

Suggest you drive both: one will hit you and speak to you.

If not, then get the one that is cheaper!

Good Luck

 

I was torn between an E450 and 540i myself, both all wheel drive 6 cylinders. I thought I'd prefer the touch screen on the 5-Series, but have actually adapted to the steering wheel controls on the E450 and think I prefer it. My E450 is a 2020 model, which all have the digital instrument cluster, so I much prefer the looks of the E-Class dash over the 5; the dash operation and graphics just impress me every time I sit in it, while the center nav screen looks pasted on in the 5. When in sport mode, the 5 seemed more "violent" (less smooth) than the E, even though the E has slightly more horsepower, but either is capable of producing more power than I need. The 4 cylinder versions of each seemed pretty equivalent. I think the Nappa seats in the 5 were better looking (fancier, with extra quilting), but my wife actually did not like them at all. The 5 has more trunk space than the E (depending on what specs and reviews you use), but in the end I got the E-Class Wagon, so have far more room than either of the sedans. They've made the 5 in a wagon, but silly BMW changes what they have available in Gran Tourismos and Wagons almost every year, and they never seemed to have the one I wanted at the time. Outside styling is sportier, to me, on the 5 (while still dated), while the E is classier, I think. I ended up with the Luxury version, having the older style grill, more similar to the S-Class; I actually prefer the Sport or AMG model's locks, but got the Luxury for other reasons. Driving either is a dream, IHMO. While I haven't used it yet in my month old car, I wanted Android Auto, and BMW doesn't offer it. I think there was very slightly more room in the 5 than the E (surprisingly, I can still fit in the C-Class, but no way can get in a 3- or 4-series BMW), but not enough to make a difference. I think you'll find the E will cost a bit more, equipped the same, but to me it was worth it.

Hope this helps. I think either car will please you. ;-)

 

I evaluated the '18 540i before buying my '18 E300. The two things that eliminated the 540i was no Android support and from my arms out (Italian) driving position I could not reach the touch screen without leaning forward and to the right. The bottom line is that I kept my older 5 series for the highway and use the under powered E300 for city driving.

 

Did you test drive the 5 series? The last time i drove like a year ago, it had test terrible artificial steering wheel that pulsated. The sales person told me people complained that the steering was too numb so they made it that way. Please let me know if you feel the samething!

 

I had a 2017 BMW 530i xDrive for 8-10 months/put 12k miles on it. So I am very familiar with the 5 & have spent a lot of time in one. Just was looking to see if anyone that has spent significant time in both had any insight.

 

I had a 48 hour test period. I did not like the interior including the steering wheel.

 

I was looking at the 5 series and E class when I purchased mine. If you're like me and look at cars from the interior and ride comfort first... Mercedes E class can be hard to beat.

 

Of course a difference in opinion is what makes markets, but I get 5 Series sedans from Hertz when I rent and I really must say they are not as impressive as the E450. The only thing that I liked was that I find them relatively easy to learn. But they come across as dated to me.

 

Drive both and see which you like better.

What I hate about BMW - Engineers designed the engines to run hot hot hot (230F - 240F) in order to extract the maximum fuel efficiency and gain tax credits from all the governmental regulatory agencies. This is at the expense of long term durability and the headache of frequently replacing failing rubber gaskets everywhere. This is an issue with all BMW's. In my opinion, 2 miles per gallon improvement is NOT worth the extra headache and cost of maintenance of running an uber-hot engine (240-250 F on a hot day). This is so bad that aficionados run Redline 5W30 oil which does drop the temps by about 10 to 15 degrees as it is superior to all other oils in bringing the temp down (even though it is not BMW LL approved despite it being superior in every way to the LL approved oils). This is NOT an issue if you lease for 3 years and turn in your car. It only applies to long term ownership.

What I hate about the E-class - Front seats are damn uncomfortable on my shoulders and neck.

 

+1 Especially the rubber gaskets. All of the gaskets on my 535i were replaced twice under warranty. By all I mean the engine gaskets as well as the body opening gaskets. It wasn't just the heat making them fail. The door gaskets were stretched too tight making the seams split.

 

I looked at BMW in 2015 and couldn’t wait to get back to the dealership from the test drive. I wouldn’t drive one if it was free. Had one as a rental for a couple days last year and that reminded me how much I disliked them

 

I don’t like the styling of the 5 series. I liked the 2013 5 series with the v8 twin turbo. People said those were really fast. If those were still around I might have considered, purely based on speed and the V8. I love the performance of my E300. The other day I was at a stoplight, and had to pass the person next to me. I gunned it and the car took off. The acceleration is great for a 4cyl. The car finds ways to make me happy hahah. The transmission is great btw.