Photo: BMW
Now that the 2016 BMW 7 Series is finally out, it’s time to take a look at how it stacks up against its main rival, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. We’re talking only about these two because it seems like Audi’s flagship, the A8, is just too old to keep up these days.
Ever since I attended a private viewing of the car a couple of days ago, the main question on everyone’s lips once I told them I saw it in the metal was: how is it compared to the S-Class?
It’s a fair question after all, one that shows the fact that at the moment, the Benz is at the top of the trophic tree and it plans to stay that way. As I said before, in terms of design, the Merc walks it but only when it comes to exterior design. That’s a subjective opinion, of course, but when talking about looks, are they all?
Inside the cabin, the balance tends to favor the BMW in my opinion. That’s because I hate the enormous screens that Mercedes went with for their flagship. To me, they just ruin the car, being close to the only rectangular shapes in the cockpit compared to everything else. They’re also huge and just take up a lot of the experience inside.
In terms of technology and innovation, the 7 Series is one step above the S-Class. That’s a theoretical claim, judging by what the car will be offering. We’ll have to drive it to see for sure how all the tech works but what I had the chance of testing first-hand, showed that there are a couple of things extra the BMW has compared to its rival.
The big question though, the one that troubles most is: how different is the pricing? Well, let’s take a look.
The comparison can start at the S350d version that is priced at €81,753 in Germany while the BMW 730d model will have a starting price of €81,900. There’s a difference of just €147 and that will bring you a more powerful, refined engine on the 7 Series. That’s because the Merc uses a V6 3-liter diesel making 258 PS while the BMW will have a new-generation inline 6-cylinder 3-liter mill making 265 PS.
Go for all-wheel drive on both of them and the Mercedes-Benz becomes more expensive at a starting price of €85,561 compared to the 730d xDrive for €85,300.
Moving into the petrol range of engines, we find that the cheapest version of the S-Class is the S400h model, the direct rival for the new BMW 740e. However, we don’t have the pricing for the 740e available just yet so we can’t compare those.
Going further up we find the S400 4Matic model (yes, it’s only available as an all-wheel drive model) for €90,321. The direct rival for that model would be the BMW 740i xDrive but, unfortunately, the pricing for that model isn’t available just yet. Therefore, we’d have to compare it to the car without all-wheel drive, the 740i. In that case, we’re looking at €87,600 which is €2,721 cheaper than the Benz. That’s quite a difference!
In terms of power and displacement, both cars use 3-liter turbocharged mills but while the three-pointed star brand went with a V6 configuration, BMW stayed true to its core and is using an inline 6-cylinder version. The Mercedes has the upper hand in power with 333 HP vs. 326 for the Bimmer.
Last, but not least, we have the V8s to compare. BMW uses a 4.4-liter twin-turbo mill for its 750i models that is said to have been improved for the new generation of cars. It makes 450 HP and 650 Nm of torque.
The direct rival from Mercedes-Benz would be the S500 with its 4.7-liter twin-turbo mill producing 455 HP and 700 Nm of torque. The power and the price tag of the Merc are higher than for the BMW.
While the 750i will start at €104,100 is rival is asking €106,743 to begin with. For all-wheel drive add €3,400 for the BMW and €3,808 for the Benz.
The other model will be the 750i xDrive with a starting price of $97,400. In this case, the rival will be the Mercedes-Benz S550 (without 4Matic because that’s not available in the US) which has a starting price of $94,400.
As you can see, the BMW will have prices mostly smaller than its direct rival when it comes out. That’s a surprise all in itself as usually, newer cars tend to come out with a higher price tag than their older rivals. That points out to a couple of interesting insecurities BMW might have related to its car.
It’s a fair question after all, one that shows the fact that at the moment, the Benz is at the top of the trophic tree and it plans to stay that way. As I said before, in terms of design, the Merc walks it but only when it comes to exterior design. That’s a subjective opinion, of course, but when talking about looks, are they all?
Inside the cabin, the balance tends to favor the BMW in my opinion. That’s because I hate the enormous screens that Mercedes went with for their flagship. To me, they just ruin the car, being close to the only rectangular shapes in the cockpit compared to everything else. They’re also huge and just take up a lot of the experience inside.
In terms of technology and innovation, the 7 Series is one step above the S-Class. That’s a theoretical claim, judging by what the car will be offering. We’ll have to drive it to see for sure how all the tech works but what I had the chance of testing first-hand, showed that there are a couple of things extra the BMW has compared to its rival.
The big question though, the one that troubles most is: how different is the pricing? Well, let’s take a look.
Germany
We’ll start with Germany, the home ground for both of these models. The cheapest Mercedes-Benz S-Class you can get there is the S 300 h Limousine, with a starting price of €81,753. At the moment, BMW doesn’t have an exact rival for this model.The comparison can start at the S350d version that is priced at €81,753 in Germany while the BMW 730d model will have a starting price of €81,900. There’s a difference of just €147 and that will bring you a more powerful, refined engine on the 7 Series. That’s because the Merc uses a V6 3-liter diesel making 258 PS while the BMW will have a new-generation inline 6-cylinder 3-liter mill making 265 PS.
Go for all-wheel drive on both of them and the Mercedes-Benz becomes more expensive at a starting price of €85,561 compared to the 730d xDrive for €85,300.
Moving into the petrol range of engines, we find that the cheapest version of the S-Class is the S400h model, the direct rival for the new BMW 740e. However, we don’t have the pricing for the 740e available just yet so we can’t compare those.
Going further up we find the S400 4Matic model (yes, it’s only available as an all-wheel drive model) for €90,321. The direct rival for that model would be the BMW 740i xDrive but, unfortunately, the pricing for that model isn’t available just yet. Therefore, we’d have to compare it to the car without all-wheel drive, the 740i. In that case, we’re looking at €87,600 which is €2,721 cheaper than the Benz. That’s quite a difference!
In terms of power and displacement, both cars use 3-liter turbocharged mills but while the three-pointed star brand went with a V6 configuration, BMW stayed true to its core and is using an inline 6-cylinder version. The Mercedes has the upper hand in power with 333 HP vs. 326 for the Bimmer.
Last, but not least, we have the V8s to compare. BMW uses a 4.4-liter twin-turbo mill for its 750i models that is said to have been improved for the new generation of cars. It makes 450 HP and 650 Nm of torque.
The direct rival from Mercedes-Benz would be the S500 with its 4.7-liter twin-turbo mill producing 455 HP and 700 Nm of torque. The power and the price tag of the Merc are higher than for the BMW.
While the 750i will start at €104,100 is rival is asking €106,743 to begin with. For all-wheel drive add €3,400 for the BMW and €3,808 for the Benz.
The US market
In the US, BMW will only bring two models at first. The entry-level car will be the 740i model with a starting price of $81,300. At the moment, the S-Class range doesn’t have a rival for this particular model in the US.The other model will be the 750i xDrive with a starting price of $97,400. In this case, the rival will be the Mercedes-Benz S550 (without 4Matic because that’s not available in the US) which has a starting price of $94,400.
As you can see, the BMW will have prices mostly smaller than its direct rival when it comes out. That’s a surprise all in itself as usually, newer cars tend to come out with a higher price tag than their older rivals. That points out to a couple of interesting insecurities BMW might have related to its car.
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