Photo: auto motor und sport
Since the BMW F10 5 Series recently received a facelift, as part of BMW's carefully thought strategy of giving its cars a mid-life do-over, and its main rival, the E-Class underwent the same treatment, it was only natural to see them in a comparison test, to see which is best.
The 5 Series received only minor updates, especially in the design department, unlike its rival, whose face lift was a lot more profound, Mercedes investing around a billion euros in it.
The two cars both have diesel engines, the 5er developing 184 HP and 380 Nm of torque out of a 2-liter engine, whilst the E220 benefits from 170 HP and 400 Nm out of a 2.1-liter engine.
Even though the Merc benefits from pneumatic suspension (that costs €2,023), BMW's own variable dampers (also an optional feature, that costs €1,300) seemed more comfortable in the auto motor und sport test.
The 7-Speed G-Tronic gearbox of the Benz was also behind BMW's 8-Speed ZF automatic in both comfort and response. This ultimately showed in the fuel consumption, where the Bimmer won again with 5.7 l/100 km (41.2 mpg) against the Merc's 5.9 l/100 km (39.8 mpg).
In fact, the Mercedes only won in dynamics, on the test track, where its win might've been due to the wider tires (245s against 225s). On the inside the 520d is, once again, superior.
At 160 km/h (100 mph), the BMW is quieter by a small amount. Furthermore, the sound insulation for engine is better (and the engine sounds better overall) whilst the iDrive system is more intuitive, now that it was upgraded.
Overall, the BMW (even though it received a slight facelift) is better than the Mercedes-Benz but only by a slight margin, both being great cars. However, when the differences between two cars are so small, the little things start to matter, and that's where the 520d pulls ahead.
Full story at: auto motor und sport
The two cars both have diesel engines, the 5er developing 184 HP and 380 Nm of torque out of a 2-liter engine, whilst the E220 benefits from 170 HP and 400 Nm out of a 2.1-liter engine.
Even though the Merc benefits from pneumatic suspension (that costs €2,023), BMW's own variable dampers (also an optional feature, that costs €1,300) seemed more comfortable in the auto motor und sport test.
The 7-Speed G-Tronic gearbox of the Benz was also behind BMW's 8-Speed ZF automatic in both comfort and response. This ultimately showed in the fuel consumption, where the Bimmer won again with 5.7 l/100 km (41.2 mpg) against the Merc's 5.9 l/100 km (39.8 mpg).
In fact, the Mercedes only won in dynamics, on the test track, where its win might've been due to the wider tires (245s against 225s). On the inside the 520d is, once again, superior.
At 160 km/h (100 mph), the BMW is quieter by a small amount. Furthermore, the sound insulation for engine is better (and the engine sounds better overall) whilst the iDrive system is more intuitive, now that it was upgraded.
Overall, the BMW (even though it received a slight facelift) is better than the Mercedes-Benz but only by a slight margin, both being great cars. However, when the differences between two cars are so small, the little things start to matter, and that's where the 520d pulls ahead.
Full story at: auto motor und sport
Google News