[Dpfghela]

It's a weird place I find myself in car-wise…

My previous 2 vehicles were 3 series BMW's (the F30 and G20 respectively).

The F30 was a glorious ownership experience. An engaging drive, responsive engine and gearbox and an easy to use Infotainment system being the highlights.

The G20 was more of a mixed bag. While the car had lots of technology and driver aids as well as a vastly improved infotainment system, the drive wasn't as engaging and I was badly let down by the build and reliability of the car… requiring tow services on occasion.

Needless to say, I never fully engaged with my G20…

That being said, I was so impressed with the level of integration of the i7 system… linking the driver profile to the key and the BMW Connected drive took the ownership experience to another level… It wished my Happy New Year!!!

But it doesn't stop me from being drawn to the svelte lines of a Mercedes E Class Coupe. The e350 EQ Boost petrol has since been in my ownership for the past 3 months and in that time I have come to realise a few things which I am attempting to summerise.

The most prominent thought in my mind when I compare the cars, is how much I miss the holistic ownership experience of the BMWs, closely followed by my opinion that BMWs are dynamically better than the Mercedes.

For comfort and bling, the E Class wins hands down. The ride is sublime, coupled with those comfortable seats and plush cabin, it really is a nice place to be. But there's a feeling of it all being a façade. The integration of the infotainment system, coupled with the extremely poorly thought out ergonomics ruins what could be a complete experience. Despite having bright screens and crips graphics, the system is laggy and slow to respond to input. One of my top hates, is the lack of physical fast forward buttons for music and the odd was the system delivers playback (e.g. if you choose a track from a playlist, you will go into the track playback screen. To move to a track further down the playlist, you have to go back into playlist selection and scroll through the playlist).

I actually find the steering feel/feedback from the E Class superior to the BMW G20 (not the F30 however), the gearbox is hesitant and slow to react to certain situations. Personally I don't think the Mercedes set up is a patch on the BMW/ZF partnership.

The Mercedes Me integration is frankly rubbish. Its still got a Christmas themed background and I actually found myself disappointed that the car itself didn't wish me Happy New Year.

Perhaps it's the change from the 320d diesel engine, with its hallmark for performance, consumption. But I am finding the 2.0ltr petrol with EQ boost a bit of a strange experience. The engine loves to rev and keeps screaming far longer than it feels it should. The consumption is really bad… 10mpg on a short run with E10 fuel. It feels like the wrong engine for the car… however, its motorway manners and A road handling ability are very good.

Handling wise, the E Class does wallow, its not direct to steer, but it is geared for comfort and cruising rather than sportiness and handling.

So here I sit, unsure about my purchase and missing many aspects of BMW ownership…

I find myself eyeing up 530e's wondering if I can grow to love my Merc as much as my F30 or its mechanically challenged younger brother the G20...

I suspect at some point I'll be back to BMW. It really is a drivers machine.