Unlike its competitors, BMW puts a lot of emphasis on luxury while concentrating more on driving dynamics and performance. When it first started out, in 1916, BMW produced a lot of brakes and locomotive engines. Before beginning vehicle construction in 1928, the business began producing motorbikes later in 1923.
After the war, BMW began producing aviation engines until 1948, when they unveiled the storied BMW R 24 motorcycle. They quickly resumed car production and debuted in the US market in 1994. BMW has acquired British businesses over the years, including Rover, MINI, and Rolls-Royce, incorporating their technologies and designs into many of their models.
With the X5 back in 1999, BMW was one of the first firms to introduce a sporty SUV, which was then followed by a number of subsequent models. Similar to Audi, BMW has a straightforward naming scheme that ranges from the small 1 Series hatchback to the massive 7 Series sedan. SUVs only qualify for the X prefix on their models.
BMW is focused on the driving experience with great dynamics and a tidy chassis, just like their slogan suggests. The interiors of almost all of their vehicles are designed with the driver in mind and are fun to drive. BMWs are only offered with rear-wheel drive, in contrast to Audi and Mercedes, demonstrating their concentration on driving. There are a few outliers, such as the new 2 Series, which has front-wheel drive.
BMWs are still the finest choice if you’re focusing on performance and sporty handling, despite the fact that the iconic inline-6 engines have been replaced by smaller turbocharged units.
BMW recently began creating electric versions of popular vehicles like the i3 hatchback and the cutting-edge i8 hybrid sports car.
The 3 Series has consistently been the most well-liked BMW due to its affordable price and useful design. Both the sedan and wagon body types are available.
Overall, BMWs are the greatest choice if you prioritize driving performance and fun over comfort and luxury.
Zero Filter
Previously, it was simple to tell the three German luxury brands apart. Mercedes was the long-standing, old-school market leader, Audi was the lesser-known out-of-the-box option, and BMW was the up-and-coming player for the up-and-coming buyer. But that was back in the ’80s. what a transformation.
In the United States, BMW, Mercedes, and Audi all sold more vehicles than Chrysler combined in 2014, and Audi has emerged as a serious competitor, with sales increasing more than 15% from 2013 to 2014. All three businesses provide a wide selection of models, including a base-priced entry-level car that costs around $30,000, many SUV variants, and 12-cylinder luxury cars that cost close to or more than $150,000. Let’s look at where each brand is right now.
Which Brands Require More Upkeep
AM-Online has conducted research and created a number of infographics to show which German brands are the most dependable and affordable to repair. The study compares maintenance requirements for BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz under six years of ownership, after six years, and after twelve years. As a result, this generally illustrates how each automaker’s models are over their whole lives.
Under six years, the cost and dependability of every car is relatively the same. This is due to the fact that the vehicles are relatively new, often have less than 100,000 miles on them, and come with a factory-backed guarantee, meaning that there won’t be many significant problems.
Audi still has the most issues and requires the most money to fix, though. Mercedes is the most dependable and, therefore, the most affordable vehicle, placing BMW in the center. Things start to alter after six years. The cars do have a tendency to break down as they accumulate more kilometers and perhaps more owners.
The least dependable and priciest of the three manufacturers is still Audi, while Mercedes continues to be the market leader and BMW remains in the center. Twelve years later, though, things usually settle down again because the automobiles are so old and most customers choose to ignore minor issues.
But when you get down to the smaller particulars, things get a little messier. It wasn’t as simple to compare different car classes, such as the 1 Series/2 Series class, 3 Series class, and 5 Series class. The brands’ positioning didn’t change, but the expenses to repair various models did. For instance, the less priced models of both BMW and Audi were less expensive to fix, which seems relatively normal. However, Mercedes-Benz’s more expensive models were the cheapest to repair, probably due to their greater build quality and dependability.