My buddy, who races his e36 M3 in the BMWCCA, met up with a BMW Performance M driving instructor from South Carolina who candidly told him the new M3 was the best performing M3 he has ever driven.

All these cars are getting heavier and more luxurious, but the M3 still weighs much less than all of the competition. The competition may be getting closer, but the M3 is still the benchmark in its class.

This just reminded me of another difference between BMW and MB or M and AMG. How many MB's or AMG cars do you ever see at driving events such as drivers education, autocrosses, club races? As a matter of fact, is their such a thing as Mercedes Benz Club racing? Is their a MB Club and do they do events with the turn out that BMW does? The BMWCCA is huge and features a lot of club racers as well as people who just enjoy taking thier road cars to the track every once in a while for driver education events. Not so with MB. MB is a different type of car and different breed of drivers from BMW.

I've always wondered about this, too. Lexus and Merc fans like to think that BMWs don't have the same kind of luxury.

Well, coming from a two-time Lexus buyer (for wife), that's simply not true. Lexus offers flashy interiors with lots of silver plastic and shiny buttons. But then you look closer--the detailing isn't up to par. The panel gaps are larger, some of the wood could be fake, there's vinyl everywhere, and it just doesn't feel as well built.

Mercs are definitely better, but the C-, E- and M-Class are nothing to write home about in terms of interior design and construction. They're basically midpack, although the CL- and S-Class are stunning on the inside. That said, the S is no better than the A8.

BMW is different. It may not offer the trendiest designs at first glance, but when you sit in the car, everything is of the highest quality. The X5 and 6 Series are the best examples of this. All the rest are, at the very least, in the middle of their classes for interiors; the E90 and E60 are hugely underrated in this respect.

IMO, Audi and BMW, respectively, lead the way for high-class interiors. Look at a Lexus from ten years ago, and then look at a 1998 528i or A6 2.8. There is a huge difference.

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'08 BMW X5 4.8i *'06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG *'05 Audi S4 Cabriolet

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It seems that BMW interior designs and materials seem to stand the test of time (please exclude most of the e36 interior materials from this comment). I was also very disapointed the first time I sat in an Infinity G35. It is a good looking car but when I sat in it I was not impressed at all. The materials seemed no better than a regular Nissan and the design was was not even close to BMW's. Not that Infinity is supposed to be better than MB or Lexus, but still.

My friends parents have an MB GL suv and I have to say that I was not impressed at all with the quality of the interior. We took a 5 hour trip in it so I had plenty of time to look around and feel things out. The interior design wasn't bad, but there was a lot of plastic materials for a $50k+ car.

I have to say that Audi seems to use top notch materials in pretty much all of their interiors, but I do not think the overall design/layout is as good as BMW's, IMO.

It's no secret that a BMW is a "Drivers" car. The focus is on the driving experience. For Mercedes, their focus is the luxury and comfort wether or not you see them that way. Coming from someone who owns a BMW and Mercedes (CLS63 AMG and S550 btw) I love both companies, but not all their cars. It really depends on what class of vehicle. For instance I love and bought an X5 and have absolutely no interest in the ML. When I bought my CLS at the time, I was also looking at a M5/M6 and ultimately decided on the CLS because its such a beautiful car while still on par with a M5 in terms of performance. With the S550 I did look at the 760iL and there really was no comparison. S550 was the better vehicle hands down.
Although I must admit I perfer the design of BMW interiors over MB almost all the time, I feel when it comes to comfort and quality of materials, MB comes out ahead if you're looking at anything above an E-class.

I think both companies make excellent cars, although MB has had lower standards between 1990-2003 but the quality is back. I think its great that MB is finally trying to refresh their brand into something more sporty, or more appealing for younger buyers. They are going in the right direction with the styling of the newer MB cars. BMW definitely has great engineering and technology built into their vehicles, but that is not to say that MB is not capable. It just isn't their focus.

Exactly. MB's focus is different to BMW's. A lot of car companies are truely capable of making cars a certain way, it is how they chose to make them that defines them, not their capabilities.

It's Infiniti not Infinity

Thanks. I guess I don't even care about them enough to spell it right.

brabus did an awesome job

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'07 BMW X5 4.8i Black Sapphire Premium,Sport,Activity Package

No thanks. The stitching may be nice but over all it's drab. (No color)

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The Bible is clear: God does not approve of or condone homosexual practices. He also disapproves of people who “consent with those practicing them.” (Romans 1:32) And “marriage” cannot give homosexuality a cloak of respectability. God’s direction that “marriage be honorable among all” precludes homosexual unions, which he considers detestable. That's who decides!!!

Same materials you find in a padded cell