[Bimster]

Originally Posted by hanmust

Sorry dude, I would like to correct you, in case of S & 7, clearly S has got more power & low-end torque.

And in case of refinment, Merc model C, E & S is more refined than 3, 5 & 7. That you can feel once you start the engine.

Moreover, in S the cabin is very quite than in 7. Again I tell you, its all between these two model, but if you compare 7 to E, then 7 is far ahead.

I agree with you that current S is a more comfortable car to ride in the backseat but not with your blanket statement about engine refinement.Just check out International engine of the year on internet-BMW models have been winning year after year.I cant comment about that perticular diesel engine and it all depends on which engines in the same class you are comparing but in general,most 3/5 engines fair far better than C/E engines.

[hanmust]

Originally Posted by Bimster

I agree with you that current S is a more comfortable car to ride in the backseat but not with your blanket statement about engine refinement.Just check out International engine of the year on internet-BMW models have been winning year after year.I cant comment about that perticular diesel engine and it all depends on which engines in the same class you are comparing but in general,most 3/5 engines fair far better than C/E engines.

U may be right that the BMW won couple of engine of the year awards. It doesn't mean that its having the best engine. If a car won car of the year award, does it mean its the best? I'll be an overall selection, noramlly there will be luxury car of the year, sports car of the year, etc. But the COTY will an over all package & it wouldn't be only the best of the pack. Likewise, in case of engine, there will be performance engine of the year, technology of the year, etc. Out of all that the EOTY is selected. Nissan is claiming the engine in Teana as EOTY for last 4 years, infact its only quitest EOTY.

Here I was talking about the engines offering in Indian market, in particular the diesel motors. And the motor in Mercs are not a new one either, even then the Merc is having a more refined engine stable in our market than the BMW. You could see the same verdict from most of the leading India auto-journalists.

[CaliforniaKnight]

Originally Posted by hanmust

U may be right that the BMW won couple of engine of the year awards. It doesn't mean that its having the best engine. If a car won car of the year award, does it mean its the best? I'll be an overall selection, noramlly there will be luxury car of the year, sports car of the year, etc. But the COTY will an over all package & it wouldn't be only the best of the pack. Likewise, in case of engine, there will be performance engine of the year, technology of the year, etc. Out of all that the EOTY is selected. Nissan is claiming the engine in Teana as EOTY for last 4 years, infact its only quitest EOTY.

Here I was talking about the engines offering in Indian market, in particular the diesel motors. And the motor in Mercs are not a new one either, even then the Merc is having a more refined engine stable in our market than the BMW. You could see the same verdict from most of the leading India auto-journalists.

HI a correction here.
COTY as you say is an overall package and its based on various parameters.
Engine of the year though is based on couple of things related to the enine itself and of which refinement is of utmost importance.
Seriously I havent for years heard any merc engine being rated higher than a BMW engine.
But again Individual comparisons are in a different league.

Another comparison i would give from a client of mine who drives the following:-
BMW ALPINA B7
BMW 740Li
BMW M6
BMW M5 Bi -Kompressor
MERC S600
Merc S 65 AMG
He bought a grand Cherokee SRT8 from me.
Back in India he has the some diesel mercs and BMW's

The guys is a real estate developer from bombay here in UAE.
Checkng with him he says, the back seat driving comfort is always with the MERC. However the indulging driver exp comes from the BMW as well as the engine idling refinement max rpm smoothness.
So what i say is it is all individual choice.
I agree that the diesel engine clatter of the merc and BMW is completely different, but, hey thats got nothing to do with the refinement of the engine.

And finally i dont want to compare a E with a 7, UI would not call that an apple to apple comparison.

[Tuner]

I dont think merc deisels are that far superior to bmw's.Merc's have better packing and insulation and thus better nvh levels which makes one think they are more refined.Consider the 320 cdi engines in the S and M class models.Its the same engine in the same state of tune.But you'll find it more refined in the S class.I think BMW diesels are faster and better driving machines than comparable mercs.They dont run out of steam towards the red line.Talking of journalists, Jeremy Clarkson himself said after testing the 530d that he thinks its better than the inline 6 petrol in the 530i.
So to find the 'engine refinement' u may have to take the engines out and compare And i'm afraid in that case the BMW will come through.But I'd still choose a merc diesel for relaxed cruising and also on a formal outing.
Also i think first time buyers might choose a Mercedes over a Bmw as it still enjoys that brand value in the country.Whereas we're seeing more Merc owners shiftin to Bmw.

[Bimster]

Originally Posted by hanmust

U may be right that the BMW won couple of engine of the year awards. It doesn't mean that its having the best engine. If a car won car of the year award, does it mean its the best? I'll be an overall selection, noramlly there will be luxury car of the year, sports car of the year, etc. But the COTY will an over all package & it wouldn't be only the best of the pack. Likewise, in case of engine, there will be performance engine of the year, technology of the year, etc. Out of all that the EOTY is selected. Nissan is claiming the engine in Teana as EOTY for last 4 years, infact its only quitest EOTY.

Its not just a couple of awards-here is a summary:
International Engine of the Year - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
or you can go straight to the source:
International Engine of the Year Awards 2008
You can also check out Ward's website for their awards which is not really catagorized-they just choose 10 best engines.
Ward’s 10 Best Engines Winners Reflect Fuel-Economy Focus
Again I cannot comment or compare the engines they are offering in India but just wanted to point out that BMW engines in general have faired better than Merc engines for the past several years.As far as Nisaans claim is concerned,many of their engines from VQ series are excellent and have been on Wards list for several years.I am not sure about Teana but several of their models including Altima,Maxima,Infiniti G series all come with this engine.

[mansidea]

Spotted this one in Taj Malabar..

ahhhh! the sexy lexy! dont see many on our roads. our countrymen run after german cars more than japanese luxury marques.

nice find manoj

[alF]

I do not know the performance spec, but from the pic the car looks ugly.

[speedzak]

WOW!!! An SC430!!!! (Drooooooool)
Always been one of my dream cars.

Good to see one in my home town. Thanks for the pic, Mans!

[Jayabusa]

Originally Posted by speedzak

WOW!!! An SC430!!!! (Drooooooool)
Always been one of my dream cars.

Good to see one in my home town. Thanks for the pic, Mans!

Gee, that's a first from an auto enthusiast Zak. The car's been long considered a CHIC car.
No offense meant to you though.

[mansidea]

SC 430. but is it that bad??? atleast the looks? i am no expert on performance.

[srijit]

I think it looks sexy Dunno about performance.
Plus it looks a bit different than the other cars on the road

[Jayabusa]

Not a bad looker, but it's categorised under the chic car segment unofficially by auto enthusiasts the world over along with the Merc SLK, Porsche Boxter, Infiniti G35, new VW Beetle, BMW Z3 and Nissan Murano and the new Honda CRV.

[ecksreturns]

Originally Posted by mansidea

SC 430. but is it that bad??? atleast the looks? i am no expert on performance.

Attachment 18638

When it was launched back in 2001 ( If I recall correctly) , it was a sensational car. Think about 01 and then consider .

Now of course, it doesn't stand up to the competition. The LFA does .

[speedzak]

Originally Posted by Jayabusa

Not a bad looker, but it's categorised under the chic car segment unofficially by auto enthusiasts the world over along with the Merc SLK, Porsche Boxter, Infiniti G35, new VW Beetle, BMW Z3 and Nissan Murano and the new Honda CRV.

All the bold ones are of my likes. And I am a very big womaniser it seems!

I love the SC430 so much that, I went all the way to RAK to sit in one and have a drive of it. Just some days ago.