Compare the2025 BMW iXVS 2024 Mercedes EQS SUV

Both the iX and EQS SUV have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The iX 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 EQS SUV’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.

The BMW iX 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 EQS SUV doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the iX. But it costs extra on the EQS SUV.

Both the iX and the EQS SUV 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The iX’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the EQS SUV’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the iX for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for tire rotations, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the EQS SUV.

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 iX’s reliability 29 points higher than the EQS SUV.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 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 With 28 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks BMW higher than Mercedes.

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 iX has more powerful engines than the EQS SUV:

As tested in Motor Trend the iX xDrive50 is faster than the EQS SUV 450+ electric motor:

On the EPA test cycle the iX gets better mileage than the EQS SUV:

The iX stops shorter than the EQS SUV:

The iX’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the EQS SUV’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the iX offers optional 22-inch wheels. The EQS SUV’s largest wheels are only 21-inches.

The iX M60 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the EQS SUV 450+ (25.5 seconds @ .74 average G’s vs. 26 seconds @ .7 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the iX has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the EQS SUV (8.7 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the iX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The iX’s minimum ground clearance is .9 inch higher than on the EQS SUV 580 4MATIC (8.7 vs. 7.8 inches).

The BMW iX may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 500 pounds less than the Mercedes EQS SUV.

The iX is 6.8 inches shorter than the EQS SUV, making the iX easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the EQS SUV with its rear seat up (35.5 vs. 22.7 cubic feet). The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the EQS SUV with its rear seat folded (77.9 vs. 74.2 cubic feet).

Laser headlights, optional on the iX, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the EQS SUV’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

The iX has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the EQS SUV.

Consumer Reports® recommends the BMW iX, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes EQS SUV isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the iX first among upper midsize premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The EQS SUV isn’t in the top three.

The BMW iX outsold the Mercedes EQS SUV by almost two to one during 2023.