BMW M4 vs Mercedes-Benz E-Class

What's the difference?

We cannot think of a faster or more invigorating four-seater luxury convertible for the money than the new M4 Competition.

Finally, after years of devastatingly fast droptops with remote steering and an unforgiving ride, the G83 generation discovers refinement and sophistication to go with its supersonic speed.

There’s terrific talent on tap here that no rival can even come close to right now. BMW is on a roll and this is the first M4 convertible that can sit proudly alongside the best of its classic M3 ancestors.

The E-Class is stacked with kit, looks great, and is an effective and comfortable way to get around in built-up areas or across the countryside.

While it’s not the most dynamically engaging - it’s pipped by its Bavarian rival there - it offers more comfort-oriented features than most, and the cabin is a pleasant place to spend a day driving.

If you're disposed towards stumping up the asking price, the extra outlay for the 'Plus Package' will probably be most relevant to you if you’re covering long distances due to the Airmatic suspension.

Otherwise, even a simple-spec E300 provides a step up from what you might expect from an executive sedan.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

Hallelujah! The unloved folding hardtop is history and fabric is back in fashion in a BMW 3/4 Series-based convertible for the first time since the demise of the E46 convertible in 2006.

It improves the proportions and aesthetics out of sight while remaining superbly insulated. It’s also 40 per cent lighter to boot while liberating 80 litres of extra luggage space.

The roof requires just 18 seconds to drop away or erect again, and can be done so at speeds of up to 50km/h. And it looks great, with a taut fit that suits the BMW’s lithe lines to a tee. With all four windows dropped, it also does a fab impression of an American-style pillarless hardtop.

Roof up or down, the M4’s muscular styling has a tense sparseness to it that means business, reinforced by that oversized, M-specific kidney grille treatment that, admittedly, isn’t as divisive in real life. The smiley LED light wave out back also brings a friendlier tone, harmonising handsomely with the rest of the car.

This is probably the best-looking BMW convertible since the beautiful E46 era.

Evolution rather than revolution is obvious when it comes to the E-Class’ styling, but that’s in Mercedes’ best interests, because it’s still a good-looking thing, and being a bit subtle is warranted in the executive sedan game.

The biggest changes come in the headlights and tail-lights. Up-front there are now more than one million pixels in the LED headlights, which have adaptive high beam as standard and are more connected to the grille via black trim, as has been seen in EQ electric models.

Underneath, the bumper now features an AMG-style 'A-wing' apron as part of the 'AMG Line' exterior package as standard. A set of 20-inch AMG alloys are also included.

To the rear, and the digital tail-lights feature a Mercedes-Benz star motif, making its lighting signature now more recognisable from behind.

The German Rainbow is well-represented with mostly shades of grey, black, or white available, though 'Verde Silver Metallic' is a slightly retro green, and 'Nautic Blue Metallic' is a subtle and classy tone.

The daring ‘Manufaktur’ shade of 'Patagonia Red Metallic' is a $2500 option, as is 'Opalite White Bright' while 'Alpine Grey Solid' is $2900.

The M4 Convertible is not a paragon of space efficiency, given its footprint.

At nearly 4.8 metres long and 1.9m wide, the M4 Convertible casts a sizeable shadow on the road, which only really pays dividends for front-seat occupants inside.

Ours was fitted with a very handsome pair of $7500, two-tone M Carbon bucket seats up front, a sort of futuristic tombstone design with a fixed headrest that looks like they were created by and for Stormtroopers; they do provide all the electronic adjustability one would need in terms of fore/aft, up/down and lumbar support movement.

But, unless you really need their g-force-bracing support and love their outrageous appearance, they are monumentally obstructive to effortless entry/egress and overall hip comfort if you don’t possess a gymnast’s physique. In fact, at times, they can feel downright torturous, especially in the gusset area due to the pointless (ironically) hard central bulge bit. The standard front seat set-up is perfectly fine, offering all the comfort and support expected in a luxury convertible, with the added bonus of headrest adjustability.

As with all G20/G80 generation 3/4 Series, the M4’s interior is a welcome return to form for BMW, from the excellent driving position and superb build quality, to thoughtful switchgear placement, brilliant ventilation and ample storage. And iDrive is probably the best and most intuitive multimedia system out there, too, needing no special skill or distraction once mastered.

A quick note about the instrumentation. The 4 Series design digital readouts are prettier than the standard 3 Series' ugly standard screen that looks ex-Honda Civic. This one offers alternative views and is easy to read at a glance. But it still makes us pine for good old analogue dials. Remember when BMWs were the world leaders in dial design?

Some familiarisation is also required to figure out the M part of the M4, including the various driving and performance modes; they’re divided into Road, Sport and Track settings. Yet, thankfully, they’re all far simpler to get your head round than before, which required too much fiddly concentration, since – once quickly learnt – everything is possible with eyes-on-the-road promptness. A new M Mode button offers pre-determined shortcuts to whichever drive combinations are desired.

The roof is well insulated, meaning that previous-gen folding hardtop-owning prospective buyers shouldn’t be too sad about the fabric above their heads. On the go, front occupants can enjoy a variety of configurations, starting with snug coupe-style cosiness and security, moving to cool pillarless hardtop-style windows-only down cruising, to the full top-down convertible glory. The latter also brings minimal buffeting at speed unless you’re stuck out in the back. Roof-up vision isn't brilliant, though.

Strangely, with the M Carbon bucket seat options ticked, it’s actually easier for some people to get into the back than the front. Pulling a strap sees the front bucket seats (slowly) whir as far forward as possible to allow sufficient room for people to clamber onto the rear seats.

Once sat, it’s clear that longer-legged people will struggle. Knee room is OK (especially if the front occupants are feeling sympathetic by moving their seats forward), there’s surprisingly adequate head room for your 178cm tester when slightly slouched, big feet can be tucked beneath the front seats and scalps never have to touch the rear glass thankfully.

And at least BMW has tried to make life back there comfier for smaller people, due to rear-facing air vents with climate and directional control, two USB-C ports, a pair of cupholders, a centre armrest and some handy storage. The materials are of a high quality construction, too.

However, the fixed back rest is far too upright, the knees-up posture quickly gets tiresome, the cushion is firm and you’re sat on a slight angle pointing outwards. Claustrophobics won't be too happy either. Annoyingly there aren’t side window buttons either, meaning only the driver can lower or raise them. The two-seater back seat is best saved for short trips or kids.

Happily, once the roof is dropped, the hemmed-in feel vanishes, there’s not too much wind intrusion or buffeting with the side windows up and there’s a sense of shared freedom that only a four-seater convertible can bring. Going the full drop-top experience will ruffle more than hairdos at freeway speeds, though. An optional wind deflector can fix that issue for front-seat occupants, but it goes over the back seats, turning the M4 into a two-seater ragtop.

Further back, the 300-litre boot isn’t accessible from the cabin, meaning you can’t put much inside at all. BMW fits a hinged flap that needs to be down for the roof to work since it cordons off the roof storage part of the boot when folded in; when lifted, there’s a useful amount of space for luggage, and it’s a handy rectangular shape instead of an L-shaped slot, but obviously at the cost of convertible driving. You can’t have both.

Note that, compared to the previous folding-hardtop M4, this boot is some 80L larger. 

Inside, the E-Class should feel familiar to anyone who’s spent time in a recent Benz, though the Superscreen might be the main point of difference. It’s an immediately comfortable place, though, with a relatively visually busy cabin.

The seats and their adjustability mean most drivers and passengers, regardless of height and size, should feel supported (and ideally relaxed), while touch-points are mostly either leather upholstery or digital screens.

The steering wheel, also seen in plenty of other Mercedes models, is a bit of a let-down, however, with its haptic touch pads on a slightly busy two-tier layout. This millennial found it irritating, surely too will the usually older E-Class buyer.

There are a few other small annoyances, one being that the MBUX Assistant sometimes won’t hear a command, or that not everything seems to be able to be controlled by it. The climate control vent positions are electrically adjustable to certain pre-sets through the menu, but the MBUX Assistant isn’t able to do this for you.

And while the driver display and central multimedia screen are fairly user-friendly, it’s not always immediately apparent what the quickest way to find some information or a setting is.

Our test car was fitted with the 'Plus Package', which means four-zone climate control available to the rear seats, which my 180cm-tall self found spacious with plenty of headroom, kneeroom, and even a fair bit of room under the driver’s seat.

Behind the rear seats, there’s a generous 540 litres of boot space, exactly the same capacity as the previous generation E-Class.

While cross-shopping the E-Class and a BMW 5 Series would normally be relatively easy, the Merc’s $131,500 starting price, before on-road costs, puts it plenty north of the base 520i, the only petrol one available, at $114,900. The electric i5 eDrive40 starts from $155,900, more than $20K over the Mercedes.

But the E-Class is stacked with features as standard, and while there are a couple of option packs, Mercedes Australia has tried to streamline the most popular features and specifications into the E300.

Its $131,500 price gets you a tech-heavy sedan with Merc’s latest 'MBUX' system housed in a visually impressive, if perhaps unnecessary, 'Superscreen' dash.

The dual-screen set-up incorporates a main 14.4-inch central multimedia touchscreen and a 12.3-inch display for the passenger, allowing the driver to keep, for example, a map visible while a passenger sorts out media or comfort settings.

The system is also designed to avoid taking users through sub-menus, though can be bypassed by wireless Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

It also features a selfie camera mounted to the dash, which is disabled for the Australian market at present. Mercedes-Benz Australia hopes to change this soon.

Mercedes also plans to allow the MBUX system to learn what settings and functions will be most useful to the driver under certain conditions, but currently users are able to manually create so-called ‘Routines’ such as setting the climate control and seats to warm up if it’s below a certain temperature, and can even adjust the ambient lighting to a warmer colour.

More automation comes in the brand’s MBUX ‘Hey Mercedes’ system, which can now respond to commands without the driver needing to say “Hey Mercedes”. 

Heated and vented front seats, leather upholstery, wireless phone charging, and a 17-speaker Burmester sound system with Dolby Atmos 4D sound are also standard - the latter being a clever feature that positions different elements of the audio, usually music, to give a 360-degree feeling, as well as turning bassier tones into a physical vibration via “tactile transducers” in each front seat’s backrest. Good for bassline junkies, then (apologies to Mr. Rascal).

With the $9400 'Plus Package', the E-Class also comes with 'Airmatic' suspension and rear-axle steering (which I’ll touch more on later), power-closing doors, 'Urban Guard' to monitor your vehicle while it’s parked, an illuminated grille up front, a more capable version of the MBUX 'Interior Assistant', four-zone climate control and Mercedes’ 'Digital Light' function, which uses the more-than one-million pixels in the headlights to project onto the road or surface in front of you when turning the car off or in driving situations to alert road users of potential danger.

A $6200 'Energising Package' adds multicontour front seats with comfort headrests, upgraded climate controls with 'Air-Balance' and fragrances, upgraded seat heating with armrest heating for the front occupants and heated seats for the rear.

Here is a summary of Australian-market outputs and prices for the M3 and M4 convertible autos, with the prices in brackets being approximate inflation-adjusted figures for today.

1999 E36: 236kW/350Nm 3.2L in-line six-cylinder engine (I6), $152,000 ($266,000 in 2022); 2003 E46: 252kW/365Nm 3.2L I6, $158,000 ($240,000); 2008 E93: 309kW/400Nm 4.0L V8, $183,442 ($240,000); 2014 F83: 317kW/550Nm 3.0L twin-turbo I6, $178,430 ($202,000).  

In 2022, the G83 M4 Competition lives up to its name in more ways than one, with a 2993cc 3.0-litre double overhead cam direct-injection twin-turbo I6 known as the S58 series, which is itself derived from BMW’s B58 modular family of engines. Its 375kW is delivered at a lofty 6250rpm, while there’s a 650Nm plateau of torque between 2750rpm and 5500rpm.

A kerb weight of 1920kg means the M4’s power to weight ratio is an impressive 195.3kW/tonne, helping its published 0-100km/h time of 3.7s. For a few grand extra, the company will up the top speed by 30km/h, to 280km/h.

BMW says the engine includes cooling and oil supply systems designed for extreme lateral forces at high speeds, while the exhaust uses electrically controlled flaps for a more raucous noise.

Power is channelled to all four wheels continuously via an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with a trio of shift programs. The AWD system features an active differential to better transmit torque to all four wheels, while drivers can choose one of three, progressively more rear-wheel drive (RWD) biased modes: 4WD, 4WD Sport and 2WD – the latter being a pure RWD set-up.

Other related changes the M4 boasts over regular 4 Series models include special stability and traction control tuning, a double-joint spring strut front axle with unique axle geometry and variable-ratio steering, a five-link rear axle featuring its own kinematics and elastokinematics, M-specific adaptive dampers, a configurable braking set-up according to feel and response, and forged M light-alloy 19-inch alloys up front and 20-inch items out back.

Choosing the AWD-only convertible over the equivalent AWD coupe adds 145kg (and 195kg compared to the RWD coupe), though this is partly offset in two ways over the preceding, folding-hardtop M4 Convertible: firstly, using the soft top drops weight by 80kg; and secondly, while the AWD system does add 50kg, it’s at a lower centre of gravity, thus naturally improving vehicle dynamics.

Which are electrifying, by the way.

This lone E-Class variant is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine pumping out 190kW and 400Nm, assisted by a 48-volt battery system. Under EQ boost, an extra 17kW and 205Nm is available for a short time.

It’s hooked up to a nine-speed auto that drives the rear wheels, and it’s all pretty traditional… for 2024, that is.

Mercedes says the E300 is able to hit 100km/h in a respectable 6.3 seconds.

We managed 12.1 litres per 100km in a mixture of urban, freeway and rural-road driving, including plenty of performance testing. This is a two-tonne M4 convertible capable of supercar speeds, after all. In that context, the economy is more than acceptable. No doubt the stop/start engine function (at idle) helps here.

For the record, the official combined-average claim for this Euro 6-rated BMW is 10.4L/100km, for a carbon dioxide emissions average of 237 grams/km. Thanks to a fuel tank that holds 59 litres of 98 RON premium unleaded petrol, it can manage an average of almost 570km between refills.

Mercedes claims the E-Class drinks 7.2L/100km on the combined cycle, and though we weren’t able to test that properly at the pump on the launch program, the trip computer showed up to 9.4L/100km after some quite spirited driving, which gradually averaged out to about 8.6L/100km in the afternoon once some more calm, E-Class-appropriate distance had been covered.

With its 50L fuel tank, the E-Class should theoretically be able to cover 694km on a single tank if the 7.2L/100km is achieved, though realistically it would be much less, 550-600km depending on driving style.

Marvellously.

Earlier, we said that the previous M4 (and some earlier M3 generations) never hit the dizzy heights the best like the E46 managed.

The reason why is bandwidth. Not WiFi bandwidth, but rather the newfound breadth of capability that the G83 model has acquired.

Yes, while even the slowest examples of previous M3s and M4s remained thrilling, with blisteringly potent acceleration accompanied by a soaring exhaust soundtrack, the post-E46 models seemed to become almost too obsessed with the pursuit of performance. Thunderous V8s and twin-turbo V6s are all good and well, especially when they provide explosive responses, but there’s more to sports cars than sheer bloody-minded speed.

More specifically, though the handling and roadholding were outstanding, the previous M4’s steering didn’t feel as connected or one with the driver, instead seeming a little remote and detached. Conversely, even with adaptive dampers on offer, the suspension (on Australian roads) lacked sufficient isolation from bumps and thumps, and so was never settled or calm. It was all too nervous and edgy, like a drug-addled athlete who’s indulged in too much partying.

Thankfully, the curse is broken with the latest iteration, even in the heaviest and slowest version like our M4 Convertible as tested, pushing out boundaries to thrilling effect once more.

With the newly-simplified and logically presented M performance modes only a push of a button away, the driver now no-longer has to concentrate on what setting they’re in, and instead just immerse themselves in the experience of accelerating, steering, cornering, braking and controlling this incredible sports convertible.

Tremendously strong in regular Road mode, the M4’s performance certainly lives up to the legend, stepping up into the supercar realm when Sport or Track are chosen, hunkering down as it thrusts towards the horizon with relentless speed and determination, accompanied by the gorgeous twin-turbo six’s revs as they soar towards the red line. The ultra-alert eight-speed auto’s operation is equally seamless, displaying uncanny intuition in its selection of the right ratio at exactly the right time.

These are all incremental improvements over what has come before. But what’s really changed is how rock-solid the BMW feels as it belts along at speed, magnetised to the motorway regardless of weather, its new AWD engineering keeping everything steady and planted. No more tetchiness to unnerve the driver.

Which makes the feel and fluency of the chassis even more remarkable, given that now all four wheels are driven. The very opposite of leaden or inert, the superbly weighted steering is instead light and alive in your palms, as you carve through corners with pin-point precision. Some might find it a bit too eager to change direction at first, but we reckon BMW has judged the balance just right. Its sheer agility is as life-affirming for driving enthusiasts as it is immersive. Bravo, BMW.

With so much grip and control, this is not to say that the driver can’t hang the M4’s tail out every-which-way, since the chassis set-up allows for progressive oversteer, even in Road mode, along with as much drifting as your courage allows where safe. As with the best sports cars, the M4 is as steerable from the seat of your pants as it is using the throttle.

Finally, there’s the M Adaptive chassis tune, that at long last broadens the M4’s repertoire from motorway grand tourer and rural-road blaster to city slicker and urban warrior, thanks to the suspension’s ability to better-absorb a much wider array of terrible road surfaces. Comfort now lives up to its name, with the ride – though still firm – no longer hard or crashy around town, ushering in a new level of civility that won’t fatigue or aggravate you or your occupants. We're so happy to report this progress.

One area where BMW might want to keep improving, though, is the abundance of road noise intrusion over certain coarse chip bitumen. While easily muffled by the sweet sounds of the twin-turbo six, banging audio system or dropping the roof, it now seems more obvious that the rest of the car has smartened up so much.

A small fly in an otherwise hugely satisfying ointment.

While the E-Class has taken fairly sizeable steps in terms of its tech, it remains a fairly traditional car from behind the wheel, save for a few small changes like its mild-hybrid system and rear-wheel steering.

It’s still a petrol-powered rear-drive sedan, and it feels built more for eating up highway kilometres than it does tackling twisty turns. But that’s okay, because it will still do the latter.

Comfort is the main focus, clearly, for the E300, and the big Merc does it well. We weren’t offered a car without Airmatic air suspension on the launch, but the E-Class doesn’t seem like it would be particularly rough without it.

With it, however, large bumps and minor road annoyances only make their way into the cabin in the sense that you’re aware of them, but not bothered by them.

That slight dulling of feedback does extend to the steering wheel however, where, despite the rear-wheel steering making the car more nimble, the feedback to the driver is less encouraging of eager driving. 

While 190kW on paper doesn’t seem like enough, the E-Class makes do with its meagre engine quite well - and even though it can seem like it’s working a bit too hard at times, the E-Class’ natural state isn’t responding to a planted foot, so it’s unlikely to be a daily bother.

Engine noise, as well as wind and road noise are suitably dulled by the E300’s NVH fitout, too.

The tuning of its drive modes, in particular Comfort and Sport, seemed well-judged on our drive loop, with the option to set the 'Individual' mode to a custom configuration, most elements in Comfort while the drivetrain is set to Sport is particularly helpful when on gentle, high-speed country roads.

If you do start to approach the limits of the big sedan’s capability, it’ll let you know fairly early on. The heavy E-Class isn’t prone to sudden lurching or poor handling, and isn’t much phased by mid-corner bumps.

It’s not as dynamically engaging as some rivals, particularly the 5 Series, but it does appear to be a better provider of cross-country comfort.

ANCAP hasn’t had a go at crash-testing the E-Class yet, and it might not given the relatively small number that will be sold here compared to volume models, but Mercedes’ track record with safety is pretty stellar, and it’s extremely rare for a Mercedes to not cop the maximum five stars.

In the new E300 there are 11 airbags - plenty for a sedan. Mercedes lists front airbags, knee bags and pelvic/thorax airbags for the driver and front passenger, side bags for the rear and a front centre airbag.

It also comes with a fairly extensive suite of safety tech, including the usual ABS, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring and surround-view parking cameras.

But on top of that, there’s also ‘Evasive Steering Assist’, semi-automated cruise control with sign recognition, distance assist for following leading vehicles and can even project light arrows onto the road if leaving your lane, when 'Digital Lights' are optioned.

The E-Class also has a function if an imminent collision is detected in which it can, depending on the type of collision, take occupant protection measures. In the case of a side-on collision, the E-Class can “move an affected front occupant towards the centre of the car” before impact.

We feel here is where the company drops the ball.

Trailing all of its main luxury car rivals (except Porsche) by two years, BMW only offers a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, as well as three years of roadside assistance.

BMW says its vehicles’ servicing is condition-based, depending on how they’re driven and other factors, with a dash warning appearing to let the driver/owner know when it’s time. We advise servicing your M4 annually or at every 10,000km, just to be sure.

No capped-price servicing system is offered. However, as long as the first one is paid for before the first service on a new vehicle, the ‘BMW Service Inclusive Basic packages’ is available at extra cost, covering scheduled servicing for three years/40,000km or five years/80,000km.

No prices are published for M models like the M4, but a normal 4 Series costs from $1800 for the five-year/80.000km package. You can bet an M4’s will cost more.

The E-Class comes with Mercedes’ fairly industry standard five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, though Mercedes-Benz Australia was unable to confirm exact servicing pricing on the launch. 

It does however list pricing for the E-Class on its website for a three-service pack at $3325, four at $4535, and five at $6800, the latter averaging out to $1360 each.

This could increase with the new generation car, and Mercedes doesn’t list estimated serving pricing for new E-Classes yet in its booking system (I checked with one of the test cars).

Servicing intervals are every 12 months or 25,000km, whichever comes first.