The prestige Sulu was referring to comes from over 125 years of innovation, motorsport success, many world's firsts, global appeal and a reputation for safety, quality and engineering excellence (and the resulting classic cars add to this prestige).

Go visit the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart one day and experience all this history and heritage. There are many great museums in Germany that showcase the history of various European brands. I spent an entire day in the vehicle museum of the Deutsches Museum in Munich a few months ago and there were a lot of Mercedes' cars from various decades there that weren't even mentioned or displayed in the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart.

The point? This company is oozing with history and that's where the prestige comes from.





As for the original debate, I prefer Mercedes' for the sole reason that I prefer a more comfortable ride coupled to good handling. Although I am enjoying my BMW 118d, which is really sporty, but the comfort is nothing to write home about (seat and suspension wise). I do like BMW. The new 5er and 7er are really nice cars and I even have a soft spot for the 5er GT.

 

BMW all the way for me. I owned 2 of them and will more than likely own another one day.

 

I wasn't debating MB's history or heritage...as an E63 owner, it's pretty obvious I hold MB in high esteem.

No doubt many MB models such as the S, CL and SL exude prestige. But I stand by my original comment. Although there are certainly feelings I would be experiencing driving a hatchback C230 (none of them good), thoughts of MB prestige would not be one. Feel free to disagree.

 

MBs are better built than BMW. BMWs are not as reliable and is better to lease them and not own them. MB have better resale value.

 

you can't be serious at all. want to look at the prices of same year mb e63 and m5 and see which one is cheaper? same with a lot of other comparable models. mb always has very bad resale and in most cases worse than bmw.

 

So when's the last time you have owned either?

 

Somebody had to ask, thank you.

Too often on threads like these we get so much hearsay, common knowledge, sweeping generalizations, tired stereotypes and the infinite worldly wisdom from those that rarely travel or own the premium cars being discussed. What the heck, it's the internet.

But I do appreciate the quality feedback from many seasoned and long-term owners that are on Car Chat.

 

I like them both equally actually.

If I had to choose between the two, I guess I would go with Mercedes.

 

I fortunately (by the grace of God) am able to have both. I have experience in an E & S and a 5 & X5 series. I think the MBs are more luxury oriented while the BMW has a "colder" interior but has great handling. I can't say this enough but the 5 and X5 handle great. I have yet to try a Porsche but I've never been attracted to them.

Surprisingly the car with the most squeaking of interior parts (dash and seat) is the S550. I didn't expect it but there is a service bulletin so next time I bring it in I will have them fix it. The E, 5, and X5 do not have squeaks but everything does jolt and rattle around when I hit bumps (as expected) because they are all performance oriented packages that I have/had (the S has the AMG package Plus 2 and it absorbs bumps pretty well).

They are both good brands and it really comes down to personal preference, i.e. performance or luxury.

Unfortunately the only Lexus I considered was the 2nd gen GS which had the perfect blend of performance and luxury, I loved that car

 

In terms of automotive technology, there isn't really a company that can compare to Daimler/M-Benz. Daimler and/or the English guy practically invented the self-propelling car. There is no other brand with this much history.

Over the decades, Mercedes-Benz has consistently been at the cutting edge of automotive research and consistently been a major participator in motor sports.

The MB portfolio is also one of the auto industry's most diverse, and each product type is held in high esteem by its respective user. Its private cars are [supposedly] very sturdy and, in many cases, also very luxurious. Its commercial tractors are seen on cargo trucks worldwide. Mercedes-Benz buses are used in countless major cities by millions of commuters.

That said, BMW is arguably better at making cars oriented to the driver. Although maintenance and reliability of German cars can be headaches, I do have a good impression of most BMW products as examples of engineering for driving performance.

 

THANK YOU

 

I was just looking more into this as i have driven both a newer x5 and newer ml350. To those of you who have driven german made bmw's or mercede, whats your opinion to the mercedes made in Alabama and BMW in south Carolina?

 

Well I actually currently have both and I'm not sure what was wrong with suislide's comment. In my experience, his comment is accurate.

 

I like and hate them both equally

 

That's why some of us are looking to actual CL owners giving feedback on specific brands/model years/models as you (and and I and others) have done in past.

Technically nothing was wrong with his generalized comment, but given the resources here (diversity of premium car owners) some of us seek more depth.