Merc or Beamer are better cars?

[peppernick]

Coming from a long line of BMWs before my CLK, I can say when it comes to driver's involvement, chassis communication, BMW has always, and will always have the edge over a Mercedes. That's how BMW sell themselves. No matter how hard Mercedes hit back, BMW will sharpen their sharpest tool and make the Mercs feel blunt again.

However, I believe there is more to a car than just the all out driving experience. 'BMW enthusiasts' have kept saying that if you're a true car enthusiast, then all that ever matter as to how good a car is, is how well it drives. I keep telling them that going out with a girl, they don't have to just use her for sex. There's more it. But, the majority of them, brimming with testosterone, seem not to agree .......

The CLK is my second Mercedes after my 2001 W203 C240, which unfortunately fell to pieces 6 months after I bought it new. Countless trips back to the dealer, coupled with poor service, I part ex. it for an E46 325ci Sport, which I think is one BMW that will age very well, similar to the E30 3 series and E38 7 series. Newer BMW designs are cutting edge, especially the exterior, you either love it or hate it. Interior is drab and dull, but very functional. Every button is built with a purpose in mind, to complement the enthusiastic driver. Just sitting in the car, it urges you to 'go for it'.

A Mercedes cabin is a much nicer place to be in. Spacious, stylish and relaxing. I must say the earlier plastic buttons used in the W203 and W209 before the facelift were cheap and flimsy for a car of Mercedes' prestige, but the facelift upgrade changes it. It is also one of the reasons that brought me back to Mercedes. Driving a Benz, you want a bit of style and panache, surrounded by quality trims and plush leather. A quality bestowed upon older Mercedes like the R129 and W208. True the steering feel is not as communicative as the BMW, the suspension is not as sharp and the engine not as highly strung; but drive a Mercedes to it's unique quality, a stylish, comfortable cruiser with enough performance to keep most people grinning, and you'll see the magic of the 3-pointed star.

And that's before you take a bit more interest in the marque and explore the history of Mercedes Benz, the origin of the term 'Silver Arrow', victories in Le Man, the origin of the first diesel passenger car, the innovation and application of the Roots supercharger on road cars ..........

With BMW, all that is ever talked about is the M1, the original M3 in it's DTM heydays and the Nurburgring ......

Speaking of Nurburgring, I'm driving my Benz on it next weekend. So even with a Mercedes, you can still talk about the Nurburgring

 

[TonyVianoAmbiente]

I do recall reading once in a magazine that the W201's were the most "over-engineered" cars mercedes ever made, doubt they would go through so much bother for something to be "entry-level". I believe entry-level to be the bottom of the range in terms of engine + toys... just my opinion tho

The W201 was superbly engineered. Over-engineered? Compared to BMWs and lesser brands of the era, perhaps.

The multi-link rear suspension was an outstanding design, and was very expensive to make. BMWs and the Ford Sierra, released around the same time as the W201, had semi-trailing arms.

I recall reading at the time (probably in CAR magazine) that the W201 rear suspension added over £700 to the cost of making the car compared to semi-trailing arms. This was a large proportion of the price of the car at the time, and probably (more than any other feature) led to the description of the W201 as "over-engineered".

Of course the £600 million said to have been spent developing the W201 was a good investment, because many of the features (including that wonderful rear suspension) made their way into the W124 E Class, probably the most successful Mercedes model ever. Yes, I am biased.

The W201/W124 suspension is great because at any point in negotiating a bend, you can accelerate or lift off the power and the car does not deviate from its line. Just try that in a 1982 Ford Sierra or a 1982 BMW 3 Series - if in the latter, do make sure that it has a roll cage and that you are wearing a full 4-point harness!!

Of course the value of the superb suspension really became apparent with the 190E 2.3 and 2.5 Cosworth models and, to a lesser extent, the 260 version. There can be very few high performance versions of cooking saloons that needed so little modification to the suspension.

I drive my E300 fast on challenging country roads, and because it's a diesel I need to keep speed up as high as possible around bends, otherwise it can take what seems an age to get back up to cruising speed. I sometimes have to brake hard for bends (the ones that get tighter!) and the handling of the car is superbly predictable whether braking hard, or under power, or keeping a constant speed.

For a design that was introduced in 1985, I think it has truly outstanding characteristics - safety, stability and predictability of a very high order and all with superb ride comfort. I have driven many 3- and 5-Series BMWs over the years and they do not share all these characteristics.

To me, that is what separates BMW and Mercedes. I have owned several BMW motorbikes (the Mercedes of motorbikes?) but their cars have very little appeal to me.

 

[television]

Wasn't the Isetta the original BMW entry level machine......

It was, and they had another baby car the guy next door had one .but the name escapes me