Compare the2026 BMW iXVS 2025 Mercedes EQE SUV

Both the iX and EQE 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 EQE 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 help 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 EQE SUV doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The iX has a standard PostCrash iBrake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The EQE SUV doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

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 EQE SUV.

The BMW iX’s optional Surround View offers available integrated front and rear camera washers, ensuring clear, all-weather visibility without the need for manual cleaning. In contrast, the Mercedes EQE SUV lacks camera washers, requiring you to manually clean the cameras for optimal performance.

Both the iX and the EQE 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, 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 EQE 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 EQE SUV.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 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 14 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Mercedes.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 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 13 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mercedes is rated below average.

The iX has more powerful engines than the EQE SUV:

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

The iX can travel longer on a full charge than the EQE SUV on a full charge:

The iX stops shorter than the EQE SUV:

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the iX offers optional 23-inch wheels. The EQE SUV’s largest wheels are only 22-inches.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the iX is .6 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the EQE SUV.

The iX M70 handles at .86 G’s, while the EQE SUV 350+ pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The iX M70 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the EQE SUV 350+ (25.5 seconds @ .74 average G’s vs. 26.4 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the iX has a 3.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the EQE SUV (8.8 vs. 5.2 inches), allowing the iX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The iX’s minimum ground clearance is 1.2 inches higher than on the AMG EQE 53 4MATIC+ (8.8 vs. 7.6 inches).

The front grille of the iX uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The EQE SUV doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The iX has 2 inches more front headroom, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the EQE SUV.

The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the EQE SUV with its rear seat up (35.5 vs. 14 cubic feet). The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the EQE SUV with its rear seat folded (77.9 vs. 55 cubic feet).

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the iX’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The EQE SUV doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The iX’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the EQE SUV’s (3500 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Mercedes EQE SUV is only 4000 pounds. The iX offers up to a 6834 lbs. towing capacity.

A Trailer Stabilization Control is standard on the iX, using the Dynamic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the EQE SUV.

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 EQE 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 EQE SUV.

The iX’s Parking Assistant can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. 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 EQE SUV’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

The BMW iX outsold the Mercedes EQE SUV by 24% during 2024.