Vs W212 E-class vs. F10 5 series (vs. Audi A6)

[SKY]

Yesterday I was driving behind a dark blue 545i with the M Pack and I looked fantastic. But I have to say I much prefer how the old E39 M looks, even today, it is perfect for me, and eons better than the W210 E-Class and the contemporary A6.

And after having seen like 20 or 25 F10 (without the M pack) and they look 10 times better than the E60 and of course than the W212, which look worse every day, even with the new linear fogs.

 

[Tarek]

Yesterday I was driving behind a dark blue 545i with the M Pack and I looked fantastic. But I have to say I much prefer how the old E39 M looks, even today, it is perfect for me, and eons better than the W210 E-Class and the contemporary A6.

And after having seen like 20 or 25 F10 (without the M pack) and they look 10 times better than the E60 and of course than the W212, which look worse every day, even with the new linear fogs.

Any car with the sport kit will look gorgeous..the W211 or even W210 with AMG pack looks fantastic.

Funny how tastes may differ..to me the F10 is becoming very boring and bland already with it's seriously familiar design while the W212 never fails to capture ur attention regardless which version is it..and i'm not gonna even mention the AMG specked W212!

 

[rollo]

The W212 has grown on me but not even close to the F10 in my opinion from a design point of view. The F10's understated sporty elegance will withstand the test of time, just like the E39 has, can't say the same about the new E.

 

[Tarek]

While i'm a fan of the E39 IMO it looks really old now..when i see it next E60 or F10 it's down right old but in a good way.

The W212 is so trendy and stylish with all of it's lines and bold character,much more presence on the road than the F10 for sure.

 

[K-A]

Styling is subjective, but to say the E60 looks better than a W212 from todays standpoint, is very much an opinion that sways toward the BMW bias side of things. Both cars are trendy for their times, and the W212 is a "new trend", while the E60 is a dated trend.... "Trends" get dated, by definition. I hope the W212 doesn't turn out to be a truly "trendy" design (you can't really tell until it ages a few+ years), because I'd like it to stay timeless.

And believe me, I'm not dogging the E60 only because it's old. I don't mind older, or previous gen cars (I love many and prefer many over the current gen iterations, I judge cars based on the car, not the time). I've always disliked the E60's fairly flawed design, and I've had a lot of seat time in them as well.

I owned and appreciated the W211 far more than the E60, but admitted the E60 was considered a "hotter" car by the masses, and had a higher popping-smoke "curb appeal". The W212 has this over the F10 as well. Like it or not, the W212 seems to have this higher mass "curb appeal", and I've heard several stories of people (in the U.S) saying they went to the BMW official 5-er intro days (at Dealers), with the (Base) W212's used as comparison points, where most customers were still checking out the E's. As well, when I took my W212 to a Bimmer Dealership, and parked it next to an F10, several people (employees included) were more drawn to the W212.

This is all anecdotal, but it isn't hard to realize this will be the case. W212 = more outward, "trend following", so it will have more popping-smoke. F10 = more understated elegance, so it will have more of a subtle appreciation, and less love/hate reactions.

Keep in mind, in the U.S, about all W212's are equipped with the AMG Package, which gives the car a remarkably more dramatic appearance over what you guys see in the EU as standard. It's no secret that M-B's need the AMG Pack to keep up with BMW's more standard sporty look, but with the W212 having such availability of the AMG Pack, and the F10 having such a subdued and understated design, and such an expensive M-Pack option, the average W212's presence on our roads is severely higher than the average F10's. That said, I'd rather M-B kept our AMG Packs exclusive still. I do enjoy seeing the eye candy of the AMG W212 Packs over the more "boring" Luxo packs though, so I guess it's a win win.

 

[K-A]

To be fair, nobody on the "W212 side" brought the W212 up, until someone used it as a tool when lambasting my opinion of the E60's design.

 

[Zafiro]

Styling is subjective, but to say the E60 looks better than a W212 from todays standpoint, is very much an opinion that sways toward the BMW bias side of things. Both cars are trendy for their times, and the W212 is a "new trend", while the E60 is a dated trend.... "Trends" get dated, by definition. I hope the W212 doesn't turn out to be a truly "trendy" design (you can't really tell until it ages a few+ years), because I'd like it to stay timeless.

Both standard E60 and E212 looks okey but thats about it. Add AMG kit or M-package it improves the look a lot.
Standard F10 vs E212, F10 totally owns the W212. There is not a single angle that looks strange on the F10 while I dont like the rear, 3/4 rear view and profile on the W212.

People reacting to W212 has more to do that the car isnt what E-class use to look like. Back when E60 came to the market it took more attention from W211 because the design was more avantgard just like W212 is. W212 is doing the same thing E60 did a few years back.
People still look at my babybimmer because the car is eye-catching with M-package. Just because people look more at a certain car doesnt mean they do it becuase its a good looking car. Some cars just has more apperance than others but it doesnt mean its a better looking car..

 

[GTA45E]

BMW have lost it's key competitive advantage -- their models no longer carry a unique identity.

I agree!

With the exception of the front there is some Infiniti essence about the new 5er IMO. This design work might make it more appealing to the Asian
market.

------------

I believe the 7er has more BMW essence than the new 5er.


The E-Class is a little guilty as well. It has a little Acura-Cadillac essence
to it`s design IMO. Remember, these are the bread and butter cars which will make the most profit. Thay have to fill a wider world market. This might be the reason some of the originally has been lost in the design work.

Anyway my vote went for the E-Class.

I like the interior a little better to. It`s center stack is not as bulky and cluttered as the 5er.

 

[klier]

LOL ^^^^

 

[K-A]

Both standard E60 and E212 looks okey but thats about it. Add AMG kit or M-package it improves the look a lot.
Standard F10 vs E212, F10 totally owns the W212. There is not a single angle that looks strange on the F10 while I dont like the rear, 3/4 rear view and profile on the W212.

People reacting to W212 has more to do that the car isnt what E-class use to look like. Back when E60 came to the market it took more attention from W211 because the design was more avantgard just like W212 is. W212 is doing the same thing E60 did a few years back.
People still look at my babybimmer because the car is eye-catching with M-package. Just because people look more at a certain car doesnt mean they do it becuase its a good looking car. Some cars just has more apperance than others but it doesnt mean its a better looking car..

Of course, but of course, many people will indeed look at the W212 because they think it's a stunning looking car as well. Give it a few years, and I'm sure the W212 will still have more "curb appeal" than the F10, and at that point it won't be an alien car, it's just the design calls for that type of reaction more-so than the F10.

BMW designed the F10 to have a certain character, as did M-B with the W212.

The F10 indeed has less "strange" areas, as the 212 is a more progressive, and pronounced/chancy design (hence my "love/hate" comment). However, with the 212, I've been on both sides of the fence, being that I didn't get the design, and hated it at first, then when I lowered my guard (and politics, re: owning an older model at the time), I now see the design as perfect, and I get the complexities for the most part, and like that they are subtly mixed in with what is still a Benz-worthy classically designed, understated, and elegant design, in its own right.

I do think the F10 has a "weak" point though, and it's the front end. It isn't sharp, or aggressive, or even all so elegant relative to the rest of the car (which is the alternative to an egressive approach). It's too flat-nosed, bloated, and doesn't fit in with the rest of the design IMO, much like the standard W212's "off" rear.

I love both cars, so I'm not trying to dog the F10 just to make the W212 look better, or vice versa, etc. But it's fun to compare these two nice cars, so for the sake of discussion....

Here is a pic from when I had my W212 at the Dealer next to the F10, which I posted in a Thread before. Judging by the front end, the W212 is in a whole different (upper) league IMO: