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MILLVILLE, NJ – For more than a decade, only two cars have really mattered to performance-minded buyers in Ward’s midsize luxury car segment: the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class.
With good reason. These German premium sedans have balanced executive-suite tranquility with world-class engines and chassis control for occasional dynamic driving.
Throughout the 1990s, the luxury-oriented Lincoln Town Car and Cadillac DeVille ruled the segment, often selling more than 100,000 units annually.
The days of those volume levels are long gone for luxury brands struggling to convince cash-strapped consumers that vehicles costing more than $50,000 are worth it.
The best-selling 5-Series and E-Class each have mustered about 50,000 deliveries annually the past several years. Lagging far behind were marginal entries such as the Lexus GS, Cadillac STS, Volvo S80, Audi A6 and Infiniti M.
Today, the E-Class is pummeling the 5-Series, causing a bad case of Bavarian heartburn.
The new E-Class sedan arrived last year about the same time BMW was building out the previous-generation 5-Series in preparation for this year’s launch of the all-new 5. A sleek redesigned E-Class convertible coming this spring should help Mercedes extend its lead in the short term.
But BMW AG knows this market well, and its executives are reasonably confident the all-new’11 5-Series, going on sale this month in the U.S., will turn the tide on Mercedes, perfectly timed to capitalize on an improving economy.
The new sport sedan provides the proof necessary to support the argument.
Two new direct-injection gasoline engines (in the 535i and 550i) deliver more power as well as better fuel efficiency. Chassis dynamics are solid, considering a weight gain of about 400 lbs. (181 kg).
And the addition of new technologies such as automated parking, collision warning, adaptive cruise control, night vision and regenerative braking enhance the value equation.
