BMW 6 SERIES GRAN TURISMO VS MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS LWB POWERS THAT BE

Successful individuals get where they are by making right choices, more often than not. And that’s a really tough ask between these two powerful, six-cylinder luxury sedans

- SIMRAN RASTOGI

Ever since Mercedes-Benz introduced the current-gen W213 E-Class long-wheelbase in India in 2018, it’s been the go-to choice for someone looking for a luxury sedan, putting S-Class-like rear seat comfort within reach of well-heeled buyers who didn’t absolutely need to stretch to the flagship Mercedes to meet their needs. And they’ve just gone and given it such a comprehensive facelift, it barely resembles the outgoing model!

Somewhat fittingly, BMW’s also updated the 6 Series Gran Turismo, its luxe-challenger that’s based on the regular wheelbase 7 Series platform, to offer buyers a sportier choice. The set of visual updates are milder than the Merc’s but it does bring the new BMW look to India before the facelifted 5 Series gets here, and for someone looking for great (and we mean great!) luggage carrying capability alongside near-7er space, it’s really the only option out there. The choice is getting tougher, but only gets tougher still in these car’s top variants, which bring smooth, powerful 3.0-litre 6-cylinder diesels to the mix and are closely matched in near every metric, and sometime not in the way you’d expect. Here’s how the rivalry unfolds.

Styling

Both these cars were facelifted internationally about a year back, and have made their way to India at around the same time — with both these cars here in their sportiest trims that bring more aggressively styled body kits and wheels.