Somorin#1:
Have owned many models of all three brands.

Here is a general rule, stock for stock, a BMW will have better performance and the Mercedes will have better luxury. Audis will be a blend of both, especially with the models that have Quatros. This is my own personal opinion.

Of course when you start getting into BMW M models and Mercedes AMG models then all bets are off.

I will let you know though that I'm not generally a fan of modern cars.

in a nut shell, ur array of cars used wld av been the likes of benz 200, vboot, audi 1922 and BMW 2series!!! I shld av knwn wen u said AUDI is a blend of both...lol...jes jokin

But in the real sense, audi can't be compared to Beemers and benzoids. Infact, we can only compare Beemers and benzoids only.
One thing I can say of audi is: with time, they get old and it sows in the body and the general system of the car. This is closely followed by Beemers. Then I dnt knw of audi, but I learnt all german products has grt stability unlike our dear japanese dt can loose balance with too much speed. Te secret of every car is timely sevicing.
Any car can serve u dude. My dad's benz 250 still rocks. Only dt people see our compound as a museum!!!!

KINGwax: in a nut shell, ur array of cars used wld av been the likes of benz 200, vboot, audi 1922 and BMW 2series!!! I shld av knwn wen u said AUDI is a blend of both...lol...jes jokin

But in the real sense, audi can't be compared to Beemers and benzoids. Infact, we can only compare Beemers and benzoids only.
One thing I can say of audi is: with time, they get old and it sows in the body and the general system of the car. This is closely followed by Beemers. Then I dnt knw of audi, but I learnt all german products has grt stability unlike our dear japanese dt can loose balance with too much speed. Te secret of every car is timely sevicing.
Any car can serve u dude. My dad's benz 250 still rocks. Only dt people see our compound as a museum!!!!

You just nailed it and would like to add : in Nigeria, stick with the Benz otherwise Coscharis & Stallion will feed fat off you

Bmw is more performance oriented while merc is more of luxury. Many ppl say audi is is mix of both, but having neva driven one, I can't confirm that. But audi has been making great cars lately with beautiful interior, striking design language and their overrated quattro system (yes! Overrated. go to youtube and u'll understand). My first car was '97 E36 3 series. Being rearwheel drive, It provided driving dynamics dat was unmarched by my friend's 07 honda accord. My dad has bought 8bmws and I av driven 5 of them. I have also driven a couple mercs (97 c class, 07 c class and new E class) merc has a smoother steering feel and the interior is more comfortable. But bmw feels better to drive with a more refined and precise steering (sincerely bmw pales in comparison to merc with respect to interior design and materials). It is a car u want to take on a road trip from lagos to maiduguri...u can't get bored

nwawuweneonye: Nairaland!most of us have not driven any of the 3 brands yet we comment. Again,we are good at ssupportng the last speaker. Wheen u hear of German Machne,d first thing that comes to mind is mercedes benz. I've driven all 3 brands but nt necessarily mine. I onw a MB 240 Kompressor. Are u talking abt speed,stability durability,turbo charge,respect,class,general performance?even b4 I bought this recent kompressor,I had driven a mercedes benz 190 with a 6 cylinder engine,factory fitted ac,leather seat n padded. A 2008 Toyota Camry couldn't complete with me along the Asaba Benin dual carriage way not to talk of the Kompressor. Have u ever wondered why most government officials around the word both d ones we see in foreign movies uses mercedes benz instead of the BMW n others. BM no doubt is yet another machine.

How can you compare a Kompressor with a Camry? They not in the same league at all.

I have driven an MB S550 and a BMW 645ci, all the posters who said Mercs are generally more luxurious and Beemers more performance oriented are quite correct. The Merc feels heavy and ponderous in comparison with the quick revving of the Beemer. I am pretty sure that in a 400m dash the Beemer will beat the Merc easy.

The interior of both have leather seats and highlights along with a centre console that would do a pilot proud but I prefer the set up of the Mercs interior. The drivers seat in the Merc feels more comfortable than that of the Beemer and the console operation for the Merc feels more refined.

@op I think you have pretty much summed it up. The benz wins it for the luxury that's the "comfortability" and the BMW has it for the performance which is the "speed". So it depends on which side one falls under. Personally for me its Beema all the way, love the M3 to be precise.

Ikenna351: I don't own any of these 3 brands: Benz, BMW & Audi. Am not a fan of any, but i do like and respect them, and wouldn't mind to own one of the 3 (will come to that later).
There could be other German cars, but these 3 are on the top list.
They are not just cars, but rides. They are not just rides, but MACHINES!
Though i dont know much about the 3, but if i was to compare Benz with BMW (Beemer), i would say Benz got the luxurious & looks, while BMW got the performance. But I could be wrong since i dont own or used any, though have driven one of the brands twice. So lets hear from those that know the 3 better or those have owned any of them, owned the 3 of them or currently own the 3 or one of the 3.
Please, we are here to discuss only these 3 German brands. So lets not derail the topic.
Floor is open.
Ikenna.

i love benz

alpha conde: Power and balance belongs to audi
Style and flexibility belongs to benz
Action belongs to bmw

I have used the benz model and currently using an audi
Lemme ask
Why are these cars very noisy?

o
They are very noisy because of the engine power. The noise gives them d high performance

REALLY NOT A FAN OF GERMAN MACHINES THO... BUT I SALUTE THEIR TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS. AS FOR ME, I'M STICKING WITH MY TOYOTA COROLLA (2010). COMPACT, SWIFT, FUEL-EFFICIENT, MINIMAL ROAD/WIND NOISE, ETC

nwawuweneonye: Nairaland!most of us have not driven any of the 3 brands yet we comment. Again,we are good at ssupportng the last speaker. Wheen u hear of German Machne,d first thing that comes to mind is mercedes benz. I've driven all 3 brands but nt necessarily mine. I onw a MB 240 Kompressor. Are u talking abt speed,stability durability,turbo charge,respect,class,general performance?even b4 I bought this recent kompressor,I had driven a mercedes benz 190 with a 6 cylinder engine,factory fitted ac,leather seat n padded. A 2008 Toyota Camry couldn't complete with me along the Asaba Benin dual carriage way not to talk of the Kompressor. Have u ever wondered why most government officials around the word both d ones we see in foreign movies uses mercedes benz instead of the BMW n others. BM no doubt is yet another machine.

@bolded, very unnecessary comment. Are you psychic to know who has driven what and who hasn't?
@second bolded, They use benz because of comfort and luxury. If you want performance and reliability, BMW is the way to go. No contest. Benz has more comfort on the average than the beamer...until u get to the 7 series. That's a machine built for comfort and performance. Ever wonder why most road shows across the world pack more bmw's?

Benz all the way. Durable,Rugged and Classic.

xcolanto: @op I think you have pretty much summed it up. The benz wins it for the luxury that's the "comfortability" and the BMW has it for the performance which is the "speed". So it depends on which side one falls under. Personally for me its Beema all the way, love the M3 to be precise.

Drove the E36 Alpina twice or so and MEHN! Is that a jet engine or what? Further research showed that alpina versions of any beamer are very high performance sports solution and prices are way higher than regular versions.

What about Benz fuel consumption? Any knowledge? Heard dat ones wit carpurator is more fuel efficient.

Smooyis: What about Benz fuel consumption? Any knowledge? Heard dat ones wit carpurator is more fuel efficient.

DUDE, FUEL EFFICIENCY DOESN'T EXIST IN BENZ'S DICTIONARY....

nwawuweneonye: Nairaland!most of us have not driven any of the 3 brands yet we comment. Again,we are good at ssupportng the last speaker. Wheen u hear of German Machne,d first thing that comes to mind is mercedes benz. I've driven all 3 brands but nt necessarily mine. I onw a MB 240 Kompressor. Are u talking abt speed,stability durability,turbo charge,respect,class,general performance?even b4 I bought this recent kompressor,I had driven a mercedes benz 190 with a 6 cylinder engine,factory fitted ac,leather seat n padded. A 2008 Toyota Camry couldn't complete with me along the Asaba Benin dual carriage way not to talk of the Kompressor. Have u ever wondered why most government officials around the word both d ones we see in foreign movies uses mercedes benz instead of the BMW n others. BM no doubt is yet another machine.

Bro you need to try out the Audi A6 (quattro) RWD then you will see why Real Madrid made Audi its official car, Benz is amazing in terms of performance as I have used the 1990 190,2000 C200 and have driven a friend's 2003 C230 but you cant take it away from Audi and BWM when it comes to all round performance.
Audi's exterior and interior designs are un equalled,the only interior designs that come close are that of Volvo.

Lord_Reed:

How can you compare a Kompressor with a Camry? They not in the same league at all.

I have driven an MB S550 and a BMW 645ci, all the posters who said Mercs are generally more luxurious and Beemers more performance oriented are quite correct. The Merc feels heavy and ponderous in comparison with the quick revving of the Beemer. I am pretty sure that in a 400m dash the Beemer will beat the Merc easy.

The interior of both have leather seats and highlights along with a centre console that would do a pilot proud but I prefer the set up of the Mercs interior. The drivers seat in the Merc feels more comfortable than that of the Beemer and the console operation for the Merc feels more refined.

You are right about the interior bro,the leather interior of the BMW seem to flakes and cracks more quickly than of the Benz but they both gives the same luxury feel and satisfaction.
Though I will choose Audi's interior over both any day anytime and anywhere

tonididdy: All 3cars are fuel consuming giants in order of bmw,benz and audi
-for elegance,klass,comfort and turnheads use a benz
-for taxiz and drops use an audi

Another uninformed poster! Why the very old, antiquated stereotype? Benz's that I have driven guzzle fuel mostly because they are 3.0L engines and upwards. BMW scales their 3 series down to a lot of engine size variants, from 1.5 to 3.5L sizes. Done a trip from Lagos to Enugu with a 65litre tank in a BMW E36 1.6L engine more than twice. No fuel additives/savers, full AC most of the way except for when someone complained of cold. If u want more power go for the bigger engines, more fuel efficiency, go for the smaller engines. But the average Nigerian driver doesn't take things like this into consideration hence the stereotyping. Plus in comparison, a BMW would whoop a Toyota's ass in parts pricing. Get a 2004 BMW and a camry 2004 or some other bmw version and its equivalent Toyota version and do a comparison in parts cost and u will be surprised at ur findings. BMW still rocks for me and my next car is definetly gonna be a Beamer M3, just haven't decided which yet.

Mercedes benz S-class 2012,
Horse power = 1150(can drag a trailer load of gari) lol,
Speed = 6gear/560kph.,thereby declared the fastest executive saloon on earth.
Therefore on performance, Durability, speed and strength, I give it to MB.
Check other specifications at web.
I own it, feel it and belived their advert that says "we are not overspeeding, but we are flying too low"
I have tryied stuffz on BMW and Audi but the best is MB anytime.

KINGwax: in a nut shell, ur array of cars used wld av been the likes of benz 200, vboot, audi 1922 and BMW 2series!!! I shld av knwn wen u said AUDI is a blend of both...lol...jes jokin

But in the real sense, audi can't be compared to Beemers and benzoids. Infact, we can only compare Beemers and benzoids only.
One thing I can say of audi is: with time, they get old and it sows in the body and the general system of the car. This is closely followed by Beemers. Then I dnt knw of audi, but I learnt all german products has grt stability unlike our dear japanese dt can loose balance with too much speed. Te secret of every car is timely sevicing.
Any car can serve u dude. My dad's benz 250 still rocks. Only dt people see our compound as a museum!!!!

Bro when we said Audi is a blend of both we were not referring to the 1988 Audi 80,even the 1999 Audi A6 is a step ahead of any Benz or BMW of same model in terms of luxury and performance.

chucky234: You are bro,the leather interior of the BMW seem to flakes and cracks more quickly than of the Benz but they both gives the same luxury feel and satisfaction.
Though I will choose Audi's interior over both any day anytime and anywhere

Spot on! The most common problem with bmw interior are the door matts, but if u don't have need for them to be opened on the regular for some repair or the other, then you will be just fine. I noticed that the older 3 series models 90 downwards have more rugged interior than from 91-05. Don't know about 06 upwards though. 7 series has always been in a league of its own. Interior is very comfy and durable. You can pull matts 20 times a day for 2 yrs and it remains same. 7 series gulp fuel though especially the bulletproof versions but mama mia! the car is a joy to drive. Try a road trip on one of those and get the best of both worlds(comfort and performance).

...

Benz is only C-Class that is a durable car., BMW. Buying BMW. Is worse than throwing ur. Money in Third mainland Bridge Lagoon. Infact according to Yahoo cars BMW X5 is the world most unriliable car it can break down anytime anywhere. BMW. If you must buy than but 3series. I dont know of audi i wont comment.

chucky234: Bro you need to try out the[b] Audi A6 (quattro)[/b] RWD then you will see why Real Madrid made Audi its official car, Benz is amazing in terms of performance as I have used the 1990 190,2000 C200 and have driven a friend's 2003 C230 but you cant take it away from Audi and BWM when it comes to all round performance.
Audi's exterior and interior designs are un equalled,the only interior designs that come close are that of Volvo.

I agreed with you Chucky234, it seems people have not realized the unique features of AUDI. Most nigerians are more familiar with benz and bmw but Audi has both benz and bmw features combined. I have Audi A6 quattro na 2 in 1

yungboss:
boss, i only 'own(ed) the ones specifically stated...the rest wern't mine.

Nor mind the Guy. Thatz why they Fail Exams and Cry no Job.
Mtcheeeew

I VE DRIVEN ALL SORT OF BRANDS BUT BMW REMAINS THE BEST AMONG ALL. ITS PERFORMANCE IS JUST AWESOME AND I LL NEVER BUY ANY OTHER BRANDS APART FROM BMW. THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR DESIGNS ARE JUST TOO AWESOME,RUGGED IN A WAY THOUGH AND CLASSIC. I LOVE BMW.

Have u seen the movie "RONIN" that movie explains a lot about these german cars.if u want something fast... go for an Audi.
If u are looking for elegance.... Benz
Looking for both.... BMW.
I rest my case.

I have driven Merc 230, 1984 model. Sold it in 2002 and traveled to Germany. I returned in 2006 with A BMW 325i. 6 cyl double exhaust. Mehn, that beast is still my favouriteeven though i also drive merc CDI.

If you know the respect germans themselves give to BMW, you wont buy another car.
BMW can easily dodge an object at 160km/h unlike Audi. Merc,s steering wheel is too free for my liking.

1991-1993 and 1994 Mercedes 500E/E500. Hand built by Porsche and Mercedes. Worth over $20,000 today.

freeman500: Have u seen the movie "RONIN" that movie explains a lot about these german cars.if u want something fast... go for an Audi.
If u are looking for elegance.... Benz
Looking for both.... BMW.
I rest my case.

that movie is one of the best car chase movies...it had peugeot 406 chasing an e34 BMW M5, it had Merc 280...it had Audi...i will watch that movie 10times in a day. I personally love the e34, the 535i is powerful. The lady that pulled the M5 was a great driver Robert de Niro chased her in the 406...

informatix: Benz is only C-Class that is a durable car., BMW. Buying BMW. Is worse than throwing ur. Money in Third mainland Bridge Lagoon. Infact according to Yahoo cars BMW X5 is the world most unriliable car it can break down anytime anywhere. BMW. If you must buy than but 3series. I dont know of audi i wont comment. Honda and Toyota have proven their selves to be more reliable zero maintenance cost.

Lol. You are comparing Benz and BMW with toyota and Hondas. Its like comparing iphones with chinko phones. Don't be ridiculous.