When it comes to luxury sedans, six automotive companies sit atop the world: BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Lexus, and Tesla. Each of these luxury automakes offers a high-end luxury sedan that is considered among the world’s premier; slightly less impressive than the quarter-million dollar machines put out by Rolls Royce and Bentley, but kilometers above virtually all of the other sedans on the market.
Of course, each car offers different things than the next, so choosing which of those companies is right for you is, at some level, a matter of taste. They have different strengths, weaknesses, features, and design. But still, many people wonder how BMW stacks up with its competitors in the upper-echelon luxury sedan market. Here’s how they compare to Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Lexus, and Tesla.
Luxury
It goes without saying that luxury is a big factor in luxury sedans. BMWs are well known for their incredibly luxurious interiors, which are as stylish as they are refined. In general, Audi is considered the king of high-end luxury (excluding, of course, the offerings from Bentley and Rolls Royce), with BMW and Mercedes-Benz taking a close second. Those three remain a hair ahead of Lexus, and many paces ahead of the far less impressive luxuries offered by Jaguar and Tesla.
Safety
For people shelling out the dollars that are required to purchase a vehicle of this caliber, world class safety is an expectation. It is understandable, then, that all six of these companies offer state of the art safety features and sport exceptional safety ratings. Tesla is the king of the hill in terms of safety, but BMW is widely considered to finish ahead of the rest of the pack in this key area. In this extremely important category, BMW has taken its vehicles very seriously, and it shows in their ratings and performance.
Fuel Consumption
With fuel consumption, it’s no contest. Tesla – a completely electric vehicle – is the clear cut winner. After that, the other five companies are jockeying for position, with all of them finding themselves in a bit of a tie. BMW gets very good mileage in its upper echelon luxury sedans, but, unfortunately for them, so too do their competitors.
Reliability
BMWs have long been considered an exceptionally reliable high end vehicle, and that reputation is well deserved. It’s true that BMWs have a knack for staying on the road longer, and more hassle free than many of their competitors do. In addition to that, BMW sports excellent in house mechanics, and very impressive warranties, meaning that even when their cars have issues, getting them fixed is a simple situation. As such, BMW finds itself tied with Tesla atop the reliability standings in the high end luxury sedan race.
All Around
There are no bad auto makers in this group. BMW, Audi, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Tesla all make impressive high end luxury vehicles. But, when looking at the matter holistically, it seems like BMW and Tesla are the top dogs in this fight. And while Tesla is the fancy and innovative new kid on the block, BMW is the seasoned veteran that has figured out how to do everything with borderline perfection. When you consider everything from their style, to their safety, to their special features, it should come as no surprise that BMW is consistently considered more successful than its primary rival, Mercedes-Benz.
You can’t go wrong with any of these six companies. But you really can’t go wrong with BMW.
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