Before the bell sounds, let us first introduce the two burly contenders. On the left, bouncing up and down with the confidence of several knockouts is the W212 Mercedes-Benz E-class, the current luxury car king in the Indian market. On the right is BMW’s spanking F10 or new 5-series that looks menacingly calm and quietly confident, like it has an ace tucked in somewhere. Ding Ding Ding!

It’s clear from the outset that BMW’s new 5-series has been designed to appeal to a wider audience. Looking more like a shrunken 7-series, this is BMW’s softer level-headed take on a luxury car. This is actually a BMW that wants to be more Merc-like. The Merc too wants to ape the Bavarian. Driving pleasure is now such a high priority for the E-class that its steering, dampers, springs and suspension components were given priority at the time of development.

What these cars have in common are their striking looks. The new 5-series may not be as radical as the car that preceded it, but you’d never say this car looks anything less than very attractive in the flesh. We think it’s stunning, and it has all the once-instantly recognisable BMW design cues, double-barreled headlamps, prominent kidney grille, long bonnet, short front overhang and Hofmeister kink in the rear. The tipped-forward stance of the new E-class, those jewel-like lamps and the aggressive slashes and cuts mean the Merc draws even more attention to itself.

Read the complete comparo story here