Compare the2025 BMW 8 Series Gran CoupeVS 2024 Mercedes E-Class Sedan

The BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe 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.

The 8 Series Gran Coupe’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

Both the 8 Series Gran Coupe 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, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The 8 Series Gran Coupe’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the E-Class Sedan’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the 8 Series Gran Coupe 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.

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 8 Series Gran Coupe has more powerful engines than the E-Class Sedan:

As tested in Motor Trend the 840i Gran Coupe 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder is faster than the E 450 Sedan 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid:

For better stopping power the 8 Series Gran Coupe’s brake rotors are larger than those on the E-Class Sedan:

For better traction, the 8 Series Gran Coupe has larger standard tires than the E-Class Sedan (F:245/40R19 & R:275/35R19 vs. 225/55R18).

The 840i Gran Coupe’s standard 245/40R19 front and 275/35R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the E-Class Sedan’s standard 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the 840i Gran Coupe has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the E-Class Sedan.

The 8 Series Gran Coupe M550i/Alpina B8 has 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 8 Series Gran Coupe M550i/Alpina B8 offers an available 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 8 Series Gran Coupe’s wheelbase is 2.4 inches longer than on the E-Class Sedan (119 inches vs. 116.6 inches).

The 840i Gran Coupe xDrive handles at .92 G’s, while the E 450 Sedan pulls only .89 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The 840i Gran Coupe xDrive executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the E 450 Sedan (25.1 seconds @ .74 average G’s vs. 25.8 seconds @ .73 average G’s).

The front grille of the 8 Series Gran Coupe 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.

Laser headlights, standard on the 8 Series Gran Coupe, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the E-Class Sedan’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

The 8 Series Gran Coupe 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.

The 8 Series Gran Coupe is available in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.