Mercedes vs BMW?

[JBB]

An honest question: I've had zero experience with Mercedes, just curious what you folks might have to say ...

[Dinanstu]

...seem's there no experience with BMW's either...

...kind of funny (and vague) question in a bmw forum?

[AZ_E36]

I dealt with that question plenty when I worked for Benz lol too much to say about BMW being better.

[JBB]

Thanks for the replies.
True, the question was vague.
Been driving BMW (e83) for the last 7 years and very happy. Only complaint is city driving mileage, but apart from that see no reason to switch.
I have a friend who swears by Mercedes, so was just looking for info/anecdotes to counter his claims, thx.

[jasonbaek]

every car's different..you can't argue which brand is better than the other brand. You gotta refine the argument and the specific models from both brand to compare.

[JBB]

Very true, thx jasonbaek.

[JBB]

I guess I was wondering if there were any valid generalizations that could be made in comparing the brands.

[EMPOWERD]

The new 2011+ Benz lineup has gotten very competitive for BMW... older ones, not really a concern. AMG-specific ones are fantastic. Now that BMW seems to be going to DTC/auto route, it's more of a comparison.

[JBB]

Thx for the feedback EMPOWERD.

[AZ_E36]

Ok. So Benz, they have a TERRIBLE transmission. as soon as you release the gas pedal, it pulls the car slower redcing the ability to "coast" on the highway. and they decelerate FAST. I drove all the Benz' (except the G class) from 2008-2012 and they ALL do it. Only one I didnt feel it in as much was a 2009 E class. The GL is an american made chunk of poop, and all Benz get mediocre gas mileage for an "advanced" auto manufacturer. The parts are way more expensive, they are more prone to rusting, they make it as hard as they possibly can. The Bi-turbo S class V12 has 2 spark plugs per cylinder, so thats 24 spark plugs the dealer charges you between $8 and $25 PER PLUG!. They dont produce as much power as they can. A SRT8 6.4L hemi has more power than a C63 AMG and it costs less, and has a lot less of the computer crap that takes up space and weight.

And paint.... oh god the paint.... Go LOOK at a black benz, and you just scratched it. the wind blows and they scratch. and there isnt a SINGLE new Benz on ANY showroom that doesnt have little clear coat bubbles from the manufacturer. they look like little tiny white spots. Most visible on black cars, grey cars, blue cars, maroon cars, and any medium/dark color they have.

Detailing a black Benz not only costs more, but it takes more time. 2 hours for a black Benz, 1.5 hours for other Benz colors, and 4 hours for Sprinters.

[JBB]

Thanks for the detailed reply AZ_E36 !!

Originally Posted by AZ_E36

...Go LOOK at a black benz, and you just scratched it.

LOL!

[Quack]

Originally Posted by AZ_E36

Ok. So Benz, they have a TERRIBLE transmission. as soon as you release the gas pedal, it pulls the car slower redcing the ability to "coast" on the highway. and they decelerate FAST. I drove all the Benz' (except the G class) from 2008-2012 and they ALL do it. Only one I didnt feel it in as much was a 2009 E class. The GL is an american made chunk of poop, and all Benz get mediocre gas mileage for an "advanced" auto manufacturer. The parts are way more expensive, they are more prone to rusting, they make it as hard as they possibly can. The Bi-turbo S class V12 has 2 spark plugs per cylinder, so thats 24 spark plugs the dealer charges you between $8 and $25 PER PLUG!. They dont produce as much power as they can. A SRT8 6.4L hemi has more power than a C63 AMG and it costs less, and has a lot less of the computer crap that takes up space and weight.

And paint.... oh god the paint.... Go LOOK at a black benz, and you just scratched it. the wind blows and they scratch. and there isnt a SINGLE new Benz on ANY showroom that doesnt have little clear coat bubbles from the manufacturer. they look like little tiny white spots. Most visible on black cars, grey cars, blue cars, maroon cars, and any medium/dark color they have.

Detailing a black Benz not only costs more, but it takes more time. 2 hours for a black Benz, 1.5 hours for other Benz colors, and 4 hours for Sprinters.

you have no idea what you are talking about

[AZ_E36]

Originally Posted by Quack

you have no idea what you are talking about

Ive driven more Benz's than youve seen on the road. I worked for them. So im glad your nephew or whatever owning ONE mercedes makes you an expert.

The seats are hard and uncomfortable (except for the S500 seats which I actually liked). The steering is weak, not like a BMW which is responsive and tight. The only one that has A/C that gots cold enough to make it nice to drive in AZ when its 124 degrees outside is the GLK in light colors, because the dark colored ones take longer to get colder.

I drove a C300 from Phoenix to California to deliver a car, and the AUX input hardly works with the P1 package (had a salesman following in an E class diesel that he couldnt get the AUX to work with his iPod and we traded cars so he can do it in the C300 and it didnt work again so I got stuck back in the C300).

The GL or the R class diesel are spacious, but the R-Class sucks down gas and is REALLY slow. The gas V8 one is MUCH worse. so the diesel R-class is preferred. The GL is sloppy and has a bit of body roll when you turn. But their "ergonomics" are uncomfortable. Like on the E class with the pnuematic bolsters when you turn, all they do is jab you in the ribs and hurt.

I drove the S63, C63, E55, and the GL55. The best one was the S63, only because it had a lot of options. They have an air-ride suspension where you can lift the car up and lower it with the push of a button. Which is a CRAP option on the C63 because it doesnt raise the car enough to even drive up or down a rolled curb (like for drveway entrances) because we had to take one out of the showroom, and the big boss raised up the car, and when he was backing it down to show it to a customer, it scraped the curb and cost A LOT of money for the body shop to fix, when it was just a high center scrape on the rocker panels.


Older mercedes convertibles have TERRIBLE door sensors. Where you can hold the key fob to the handle and drop the top by pointing it at the sensor. Which only works about 1 out of 100 times even with new sensors.

they are cheaply made, and priced expensive. The door handles get sloppy, the cargo covers and cheap, its just an inferior car.


You can get mad about what I say about Benz all you want, but its all true. Go tet drive one. Go look at one on the showroom and I bet you if its black, it will have scratches and swirls, and any other color will have clear coat bubbles. The only reason to get mad about hearing the truth about benz is because you wasted your money on one.

[SickFinga]

Originally Posted by AZ_E36

Ive driven more Benz's than youve seen on the road. I worked for them. So im glad your nephew or whatever owning ONE mercedes makes you an expert.

This is about to get hilarious.

[T.Dot_E30]

Originally Posted by AZ_E36

Ive driven more Benz's than youve seen on the road. I worked for them. So im glad your nephew or whatever owning ONE mercedes makes you an expert.

lol, if you only knew who you are talking to...