Compare the2024 BMW 7 SeriesVS 2023 Mercedes E-Class Sedan

Both the 7 Series and E-Class Sedan have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The 7 Series has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The E-Class Sedan’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the 7 Series are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The BMW 7 Series has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the 7 Series xDrive’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The 7 Series’ standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the 7 Series has standard Cross Traffic Warning with braking function and automatically engage the brakes. Mercedes charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Alert on the E-Class Sedan.

Both the 7 Series and the E-Class Sedan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The BMW 7 Series weighs 498 to 1854 pounds more than the Mercedes E-Class Sedan. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The 7 Series’ corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the E-Class Sedan’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the 7 Series for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the E-Class Sedan.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the 7 Series’ reliability 21 points higher than the E-Class Sedan.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. With 9 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Mercedes.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in long-term dependability. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW 20 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The 7 Series has more powerful engines than the E-Class Sedan:

As tested in Motor Trend the 760i 4.4 turbo V8 hybrid is faster than the E 450 4MATIC Sedan 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid:

On the EPA test cycle the 7 Series running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the E-Class Sedan:

The 750e can travel with zero emissions for 35 miles. The E-Class Sedan can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The 7 Series’ launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the 7 Series’ brake rotors are larger than those on the E-Class Sedan:

The 7 Series stops much shorter than the E-Class Sedan:

For better traction, the 7 Series has larger tires than the E-Class Sedan (F:255/45R20 & R:285/40R20 vs. 245/45R18).

The 7 Series’ standard 285/40R20 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the E-Class Sedan’s standard 45 series tires. The 7 Series’ optional 285/35R21 rear tires have a lower 35 series profile than the E 350 Sedan’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the 7 Series has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the E-Class Sedan. The 7 Series’ optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the E 350 Sedan.

The 7 Series 760i/750e offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The front and rear suspension of the 7 Series uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the E-Class Sedan, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The 760i/750e offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Mercedes doesn’t offer an active suspension on the E-Class Sedan.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the 7 Series’ wheelbase is 10.9 inches longer than on the E-Class Sedan (126.6 inches vs. 115.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the 7 Series is 2.5 inches wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the E-Class Sedan.

The 760i xDrive handles at .89 G’s, while the E 450 4MATIC Sedan pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The front grille of the 7 Series uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the 760i xDrive is quieter than the E 450 4MATIC Sedan:

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the 7 Series a Large car, while the E-Class Sedan is rated a Mid-size.

The 7 Series has 12 cubic feet more passenger volume than the E-Class Sedan (110 vs. 98).

The 7 Series has 2.5 inches more front headroom, 3.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom and 7.1 inches more rear legroom than the E-Class Sedan.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the 7 Series’ available rear seats recline. The E-Class Sedan’s rear seats don’t recline.

The 7 Series has a larger trunk than the E-Class Sedan (13.7 vs. 13.1 cubic feet).

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that BMW service is better than Mercedes. J.D. Power ranks BMW 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 17% lower rating, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

The 7 Series’ instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The E-Class Sedan does not have an oil pressure gauge.

A power rear sunshade and rear side window sunshades are standard in the 7 Series to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Optional air conditioned front and rear seats keep the 7 Series’ passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The 7 Series has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

Both the 7 Series and the E-Class Sedan offer optional massaging front seats. The 7 Series also offers optional massaging rear seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging rear seats aren’t available in the E-Class Sedan.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the BMW 7 Series has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the E-Class Sedan. The 7 Series also offers Qi charging in the rear seat. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer wireless charging in its rear seat.

The 7 Series’ Parking Assistant can parallel park by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Optional Remote Control Parking will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The E-Class Sedan’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the 7 Series first among upper midsize premium cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The E-Class Sedan isn’t in the top three.