Comparison tests BMW 640d Gran Coupe vs rivals

[fortuner]

Reading about the CLS interior i am sorry i cant agree...I sat in many CLS and the quality is great...The air vent dials are round yes but their is nothing wrong in its quality i also have the same ones in my ML and i have no quality complains...Yup maybe they like the E Styled switches which i like also but i must say the rotary knob does a perfect job and faster i must say...no quality issues totally disagree...

 

[K-A]

IMO the CLS's interior is very similar to the E, just a little softer and more fancified. The actual air vent materials are superior to the E's silver plastic, but I actually like the E's big, bold, "evil grin" vents better in design, not to mention they seem to be of better functionality.

What is a HUGE upset to the CLS interior is what I have to agree is a cheap HVAC control unit (a CLS owner referred to it as "Dodge HVAC unit", while the E seemingly got a one-off, extremely elegant and high quality digital unit (why not put it in the CLS? The CLS has what was introduced in or before the pre-facelift W204 C, which has an interior of pieces which should be shared with no other M-B due to how crude it was). Also, in the U.S specifically, CLS's have a HIDEOUS "cup holder cut out" in the wooden middle console. You can't even cover them up, like you can in the E-Class, which gives it a smooth and elegant look, not to mention HIDES THE CUPHOLDERS! No prestigious car should have cupholders smack dab in the open for everyone to see..... shame on MBUSA for giving into "BIG GULP" obsessed Americans on that.

 

[Human]

lol, I just think it's a bit too pricey vs the competition, given its performance

Interesting how both the A7 (^ see Chassis+ride) and the 6er has better ride quality on steel springs and adaptive dampers than the CLS on Air Springs.

And despite our car’s £1,500 optional air-suspension, the ride wasn’t quite as supple as the smooth BMW’s.

 

[Deckhook]

^ And that's with the Audi running 20" rims with lower profile tyres as opposed to 19" for the Merc. Oh and btw I think the Audi isn't adaptive dampers because like Merc they offer air suspension as an option.

 

[K-A]

Oh c'mon, the A7 gets a 10/10 in interior/exterior styling? I can understand the distaste for some CLS elements, though the A7 for all its clean sheetmetal-ness, surely has some architectural quirks that could be its own "version" of the CLS's detailing quirks. Not to mention, I think most would agree the CLS has a richer interior, yet even if someone didn't, a mere 8 VS a 10, implying the A7's interior is quite a ways nicer? Respect to Audi for making some great machines these days, but sometimes I can't tell if these Mags are liking Audi's so heavily because it's the cool thing to do, especially for those who want to convey a "thinking against the herd" mentality (which is now become a "thinking as the herd" in turn), or because the products have earned it.

 

[Guibo]

Interesting how both the A7 (^ see Chassis+ride) and the 6er has better ride quality on steel springs and adaptive dampers than the CLS on Air Springs.

And I think the 6er is even on runflat tires too.

 

[Beemer B773ER]

A Mercedes winning a comparison against a BMW because it was a better bargain/value-for-money.

When did the world turn upside-down ????

 

[Human]

Reading about the CLS interior i am sorry i cant agree...I sat in many CLS and the quality is great...The air vent dials are round yes but their is nothing wrong in its quality i also have the same ones in my ML and i have no quality complains...Yup maybe they like the E Styled switches which i like also but i must say the rotary knob does a perfect job and faster i must say...no quality issues totally disagree...

Me too @ JIMS and it was faultless in perceived quality and tactile quality feel + looks
Actually rivals the current S-class and Cl.

 

[K-A]

It's utterly RIDICULOUS that this "Magazine" would give an A7 the higher interior quality and/or interior design rating than the CLS.... not to mention by a staggering whole 2 points.

 

[Deckhook]

^I actually agree, the CLS looks much more special than the A7 which is still a beautiful interior but is only a carbon copy of the A6 after all.

 

[deity]

Not to mention how the CLS got a 0 for cargo while the A7 got a 5. LOL

 

[K-A]

LOL. I missed that. It's ridiculous. I'm sorry, Audi makes some good products, but these guys are clearly on their nuts because it's fashionable or something. I'm not disregarding Audi or saying that the CLS should have won, but it's just apparent they have a love jones for Audi's, and I can't decipher whether it's a deserved love or love for the sake of love.

 

[SKY]

Basically BMW is second because of the price, as the car seems to be the segment leader, according to various comments of differents magazines. MB still has to realize the their rotatory heat controls are fugly and look cheap. They have a very nice heat controls, the ones on the E-Class and S-Class, which seem to be on the next S and C, but you still see the rotatory ones on plenty of models.

And they have less heat options than ANY or their competitors. You just have ONE auto button, ONE power control, and 3 zones. On my W211 Thermotronic, I have much more options, each driver can select the air direction, and have two auto buttons, one for each zone. And not only that, it has FOUR zones. So MB, while charging the same price, has gone for a cheaper heat controls than the ones on previous generations.

 

[klier]

A Mercedes winning a comparison against a BMW because it was a better bargain/value-for-money.

When did the world turn upside-down ????

Seriously, who would have thought? Maybe BMW is feeling too strong for it's own good.

Oh c'mon, the A7 gets a 10/10 in interior/exterior styling?

Sickening isn't it? The A7 is, at best, a bland for of VAG engineering.

 

[Deckhook]

^I much prefer the A6/7 dash and interior to either the E-class or 5 series but against either the CLS or 6GC it looks to plain.

 

[SKY]

^I much prefer the A6/7 dash and interior to either the E-class or 5 series but against either the CLS or 6GC it looks to plain.

The A6/A7 has hardly any orginal idea. I see a lot of them borrowed from MB and BMW interiors. The door panels look exactly like the rear door ones of my W211 E-Class, the the driver oriented dash, the alu/wood inserts... Everything is just a mix of other german cars interiors.

 

[Deckhook]

^Interesting opinion though I don't see anything being shared with those brands. If anything the dash is similar with the Jaguar XJ which is a good thing, it's the classiest interior in its category.

 

[K-A]

I do agree about the CLS's HVAC controls. They're entry-level-Dodge cheap (debuted on the cheap interior of the W204 pre-facelift, after all). I don't know why they didn't give it the extremely high quality unit in the E-Class of which it's based off of (and costs more than). Still, other than that, I feel the CLS's interior is a step or two above the A7's.

 

[Wolfgang]

Looks like 2 different climate systems are available?


Thermatic 2 zone climate -- code 580 -- standard on CLS 250 CDI, CLS 350 CDI, CLS 350 CDI 4Matic


Thermotronic 4 zone climate -- code 581 -- standard on CLS 500, CLS 500 4Matic, CLS 63 AMG, optional on the others

Info and picture source: http://www.mercedes-benz.de

 

[K-A]

Both are the same cheap unit with flimsy controls though, unless one is an upgraded version? Still, I don't know why they'd keep that same design if so.