Mercedes vs. BMW: Which is better? The car community and the general public have asked this question for decades. Both companies produce high-end German day cars, sports cars, and GT cars. One of the more notable differences between the two is that Mercedes has always had an emphasis on luxury, whereas BMW has had a greater emphasis on raw power and performance. Don’t be fooled, though, as Mercedes has dabbled and been incredibly successful in producing cars that have the signature luxury touch, but also an angry twin-turbo V8 with upwards of 600 HP (Mercedes AMG E63s). BMW’s signature performance car, the BMW M5 Competition, also contains a twin-turbo V8 with upwards of 600 HP, but lacks the luxurious aspect of Mercedes. Now, people around the world have different preferences when it comes to the cars they want to buy, especially when the car is pushing upwards of $100,000.
Some like the raw performance aspects of BMW, and others desire the comfort and performance Mercedes has to offer. The question lies with personal preference. I can comfortably say, though, that when it comes to which company has more aspects than the other, Mercedes wins by far. Mercedes has a very wide range of vehicles, from their G class (The luxurious Box-like off-roading SUV) to their very own, limited hypercar, the AMG One. BMW’s range of vehicles is rather limited when it comes to the wide array Mercedes has to offer. BMW has no Hypercar, and has a decent-looking, larger SUV that still does not compare to the popular G-class models. Mercedes has an AMG (High Performance) variant for every single model they offer, the same chassis and design, but with more aggressive touch-ups, louder exhausts, and larger engines. The luxury of their standard models mixed with their high-performance options allows for the best of both worlds.
BMW really can’t compare. Their standard models are cheap and plasticy, have unreliable and leaky engines, and are debatably not very visually pleasing. Their high-end models are pretty impressive, though, but they really can’t directly compare to Mercedes. Mind you, I get all this information from people who own BMWs and Mercedes cars, and hear what they have to say and complain about for each. I have also done extensive research on each company’s cars and understand their great aspects and not-so-great aspects. I can say, though, that the early 2000s Mercedes models look horrible. They are round and unflashy. Overall, this debate will continue in the years ahead and is completely opinion-based.
