Mercedes-Benz E-Class vs BMW 530i vs Audi A6 vs Lexus ES vs Volvo S90

The E-Class is one of the best examples of a luxury sedan under Rs 1 crore, however, it is costlier than all its direct competitors, including the BMW 5-Series LWB.

BHPian Ripcord09 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

What you'll like:

• One of the best examples of a luxury sedan <1-crore rupees. Comes from a solid decades-long legacy
• High-quality interiors, very comfortable seats and spacious cabin. Owners will appreciate the limousine-like rear seat experience
• Wide range of engines – E200 for sedate drivers, E220d for diesel fans and the E450 4Matic for enthusiastic owners looking for speed
• 9G-Tronic torque converter automatic transmission offers a smooth driving experience. It’s also fairly quick shifting
• Soft, comfortable suspension tune
• Loaded with tech like the 4D Burmester sound system, selfie (!!!) & video camera, 12.3-inch passenger display, digital air-vent control, latest gen MBUX, 4-zone climate control, soft close doors, power adjustment for rear seats, and more
• 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating. Equipped with 8 airbags (including a central airbag), active brake assist, active blind spot assist, Mercedes Pre-Safe system, etc.

What you won't:

• More expensive than all direct competitors, including the 5-Series LWB (IMHO, the E-Class is still reasonably priced for what’s on offer)
• Not really a driver’s car that you will enjoy carving corners with. Best for cruising and sedate driving
• Starting engines offer just about adequate power on tap (E200 has 201 BHP, while E220d has 195 BHP)
• Extra-long wheelbase means that you have to be careful over large speed breakers
• Designed for 4 adults, not 5
• Boot doesn’t feel very spacious; the spare tyre too chews away useable cargo room
• Missing features such as cooled seats, head-up display, Level 2 ADAS, full-size spare tyre (E-Class has a space saver tyre which will restrict your cruising speed to 80 km/h) etc.

Review Link

BMW 530i

A Close Look Report

Ownership Review

Audi A6

Ownership Review

Lexus ES

Purchase Discussion

Volvo S90

Ownership Review

Here's what GTO replied:

Mercedes E-Class. Clearly the best luxury car here. Best comfort levels, has the option of a powerful petrol, well-kitted, reasonably priced warranty & service packages. Gets my vote.

BMW 5-Series LWB: A most confused car. Not fun to drive as the suspension is too soft, and while the focus is on the backseat, it loses a lot many essentials at the rear. I would have voted for an evolution of the G30, but this car has taken a completely different direction. Tries to compete with Mercedes, but doesn't match it in luxury. Better, BMW should have just focused on owner-drivers like the G30 which was such a fun-to-drive car.

Audi A6: Love the styling and very neutral nature. But currently only sold with the 2.0L engine & FWD. Will need a more powerful motor & AWD to get my vote. When I'm paying big bucks, I want RWD or AWD.

Lexus ES: Would buy the Camry instead and save money.

Volvo: A neither-here-nor-there car. Going forward, Volvo is going to focus on SUVs only and I agree with that decision.

Here's what BHPian soarersc300 replied:

Audi A6 received a refresh in 2024. It is now producing 265 BHP and not 241 BHP.

CarWoW a few months ago did a comparison between the A6, 530 (regular wheelbase), and the E (regular wheelbase) and the A6 was the fastest to the ton at 5.8 seconds (against claim of 6.2 secs). In fact even 5 and E also bettered their claims to the ton by half a second.

It's unfortunate that we don't get the Quattro in India else it would be a no-brainer for which among the three is a driver's car. For chauffeur-driven it's the E LWB. 5 is not here or there and I suspect 330 to find more takers for self-driving enthusiasts and E for chauffeur-driven buyers. A6 is a fine balance of all, even without the Quattro.

Here's what BHPian mgastor2022grey replied:

Voted for the Mercedes E-Class. I would probably pick either the 220d or the 450.

Definitely not voting for the 530Li as it looks pretty bad and does not drive like a proper BMW. It has lost its soul and has become a chauffer-car, more not so as the E-Class still trumps it.

Would have chose the A6 right away, provided it had the Quattro and Adaptive dampers. When I'm spending close to 80 lakhs, I definitely would have expected these. But, apart from the that, its a S-E-X-Y car with a great interior. Would definitely age well.

Lexus ES - Not my cup of tea with that boring Engine-Gearbox combinations.

S90 - Another good car, but it lacks dynamics and does not have ambient lighting, which is a paramount for me in luxury cars (silly, I know!)

Cheers!

Here's what BHPian ajmat replied:

The 5 series is hideous, the front looks like an SUV. The Lexus is not so bad but I would buy used. The Merc is good but not for me.

By process of elimination, the Audi pops us as the best contender. It always seems to happen!

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