Car Stereotypes: BMW, Lexus, Mercedes

I have to warn you from the beginning that in this article I will be going a little bit out of topic and talk about some stereotypes that I keep hearing left and right. While attending social events or parties, I always find myself in the middle of interesting conversations, some of them related to the auto industry or car brands in general.

One of these common conversations that I’m sure many of you encountered as well, is always around the myth surrounding certain auto manufacturers. People love to talk about cars based on different angles: reliability, social status, performance….. and the list can go on.

Now for years I have been hearing pretty much the same old record over and over again: Japanese cars are the most reliable, Mercedes is all about luxury, BMWs offer great performance that comes with hefty repair bills and the list can go on and on.

It got even more interesting since I held this conversation with a young lady who totally fits the profile of someone that enjoys to drive luxury cars and most important, “cool cars”. To my surprise, out of all the luxury brands out there, she chose Lexus. Sure, you might say perfectly normal so far, but when asking why would she choose the Japanese brand, her answer was simple: reliability.

Going deeper into the conversation, she acknowledged that BMW are fun cars to drive, but don’t offer anything else. Of course, I let her continue since I wanted to find out more. So why not Mercedes, I asked? “Too luxurious for me plus it’s something what my mom or dad would drive, even my grandparents.”

While one person doesn’t represent a large sample of opinions, during the last few years, I have heard similar statements, from different people with distinct background, social status or financial situations.

Now before I hand over the microphone to you, let me share with you my opinion. I agree that Japanese cars are somewhat more reliable than many vehicles out there, but I can certainly say the same about BMW and my opinion is shared by many former or current BMW owners. Also, just last year, BMW won the Fleet News Reliability award, ahead of brands like Toyota, Honda, VW or Mercedes. Oh….did I mention that BMW offers more than just performance? I would add to that list, luxury, innovation and safety.

To destroy another myth, I also firmly believe that the Mercedes-Benz is far from being a brand that targets an older crowd and at the same time, their cars mean more than just luxury.

So, what do you think? Do these car stereotypes apply today?

15 Responses to “Car Stereotypes: BMW, Lexus, Mercedes”

Andy Pan says:

May 25, 2009 at 5:18 am

Let me guess – was she Asian?

BMfan says:

May 25, 2009 at 7:55 am

I really dont know what luxury is in Mercedes, that’s not in BMW. BMW to me is always ahead in innovation. As at 2007 there was still no comfort access in Merc and till now I doubt if their brands-even the S class-comes with soft close doors. I could be wrong but I was in an auto fair recently and as I opened the new E-class boot it flew on my face as against the BMW that glides open gently-wats the luxury in merc then.

Giom says:

May 25, 2009 at 8:55 am

I agree whole heartedly with you Horatiu. I think the problem with assumption is the lack of knowlidge about anything other than your prefered brand.

The reason I prefere BMW to any ather marque is because I know where BMW is strong and the others arn’t. To me it’s not a bline faith thing. I know who pioneers and who follows. But most people don’t know enough about the other makes to make up their own minds. Everything they know is what they hear from other people. And thats a pitty.

Lawrence says:

May 25, 2009 at 10:22 am

BMW is a solid brand that most people have no knowledge of. BMW’s are extremely reliable if properly maintained. And dont forget, these car manufactures can say how reliable there cars are but I think reliability comes from the engineering and BMW does phenominal engineering on all of there cars especially the M3. So that girl may have picked Lexus, but how is Lexus’s engineering? Does Lexus’s engineering stack up against BMW?, I dont think so.

_Auday_ says:

May 25, 2009 at 11:12 am

dont want to sound negative here, but some stereo types have a reason. BMW are great and reliable cars but compared to Lexus they are less reliable.
BMW specifically has a problem with interior parts, for example door panels, door handles, glove boxes, even sun roofs… they all have some kind of failure after the years. Simple things like CD player that skips like hell in a sport car that is designed to have firm suspension, a glove box that rattles from day one in a convertible, a door panel (especially E36) that goes off because it’s attachemnt liner is attached by glue.

If you buy older cars and do lots of DYI, you will discover lots of things that are very badly designed an manufactured in BMWs.

Other than interior, there were lots of other issues even low suites against BMW regarding things like rod bearings failure, subframe differential mounts … etc.

I drove my aunts 1998 Lexus ES and the car felt and worked like it’s just coming out of the showroom, everything in the interior is rock solid, zero rattles, and all electronics work perfectly. But yes it’s very boring.

sam says:

May 25, 2009 at 11:34 am

I totally agree with _Auday_ the interior parts of BMW are fragile! One time I forgot to push the cup holder of a 5-series back in place, and then when I enter the car I accidently kneed the thing, and it broke. The thing is literally destroyed.. and not covered by warranty.

Like said, these stereotypes don’t happen without a reason. I mean, imagine choosing between a 2000 BMW and a 2000 Lexus as a reliable daily driver. Any sane person would choose the Lexus. My coworker owns a 2000 E46 323i and just in this year, he had a cracked hose and a failed water pump, both of which cost over $4k in repair. BMW labor rates FTL.

jon H says:

May 25, 2009 at 11:50 am

@BMfan: S-classes have had quiet close door foeer, beginning im pretty sure two generations ago.

Im not defending mercedes but I just know this for a fact as many of m friends parents had them. If the door was partially closed the system would pull the door closed the rest of the way and seal it.

samK says:

May 25, 2009 at 12:03 pm

Lexus vehicles are just basically luxury Toyotas. Its all about branding actually. Even though BMW interior isn’t up to par compared to other brands, I still prefer it towards Lexus interior. I just find Lexus interior very plastic and gives you a fake-luxury feel.

BMW 7 Series/ Mercedes S Class > Audi A8/ Lexus LS

@jon H: I do like the S-Class’s door closing feature. Its really a cool feature!

Gil says:

May 25, 2009 at 3:16 pm

*shrug* I have all 3 brands sitting in my driveway, and then some. I love cars too much. In the end, all these cars *are* reliable if properly maintained. The question is: how often and how much? From my personal experience, my (1999) 740iL goes in about every other month. But it’s aging quickly, so things do break more often, and I understand that. I love that car too much I’ll keep it running forever and ever.
And that’s followed, in order:
2006 X3 (not amused by the frequency of service),
2006 GTI Mk.V,
2003 S500 4matic,
2001 LX470,
and amazingly, the old clunker 1993 GMC Suburban, which requires the least amount of service. Surprised?

whitby says:

May 25, 2009 at 11:53 pm

Stereotypes often have their basis in facts. I have had 12 BMWs and very few Japanese cars (one in fact, it was an Infiniti). In general BMWs need to be looked after and, sadly, the ones built in the US are the worst from a reliability point of view (2 x X5s and a Z4 Coupe). I have also owned a MB (E500) which required as much work to keep it going as the worst of my BMWs. Bottom line is that BMWs require lots of love, care and attention which is the price you pay for a performance car. The Lexus appears to be for the “give it gas, oil and water and it will give you sterling service” group. However a Lexus drives like soggy rice pudding and does not give you the driving experience. You “pays your money” and take your choice. Me, I love BMWs and will continue to buy them, but I do not fool myself into thinking they are super reliable and cheap to run. They are not.

Artmic says:

May 26, 2009 at 10:12 am

I sat in a Mercedes C300, and the interior “looked” very nice, but the climate knobs were so cheap if a person with meaty hands pushed too hard they would break…. I guess Mercedes luxury does not go down to the C class of car. knobs made in China. i guess that is where they will make their money, 400,000 new knobs at $25 a knob.

BMW’s interior is boring, and needs a refresh badly IMO. The AC grills need to be made bigger IMO.

Tuesmq says:

May 26, 2009 at 2:46 pm

There’s no doubt that Lexus is more reliable than BMW as a brand. The link you provide is from a UK press, which has nothing to do with the U.S. market.

If you browse the BMW forums, you’ll see that many owners do not plan to keep their cars after warranty expires, or plan to purchase extended warranty. Consider that usually the people who are on the forum are usually more informed and more enthusiastic about cars, you get the bigger picture.

Carlos Perez says:

May 26, 2009 at 2:58 pm

@Tuesmq:
Still there are more old BMW in the streets, and no to many lexus, and one more thing the press, and the market are two totally different things, the Uk press is related to the BMW Brand, so it applies because the cars that are sold in the USA, are the same that the ones in the UK, MEX, etc… they are build in Germany, so the reliability of the cars should be the same.

@whitby:
I think that the Lexus replacement parts are a a lot cheaper, because they use Toyota parts, and still sell them to you more expensive.

D solomon says:

May 26, 2009 at 3:37 pm

BMW is always going to have technology inovation, but I guess people are looking for light, camera and action in the interior. Like Lexus and Mercedes Benz but BMW is prestige like the clock Big Ben, it has a classic interior and heavy, I have drove Japanese Cars and their not as heavy as the BMW and you hear wind in the inside. Get back to the topic, cars will always change the minds of people just because of the stage of life where that person is at. BMW will always be one of my first choices because of BMW heart. All of the Auto Manufactures are getting soft and putting cheat material in their car, suv, and truck segments. Give me what I pay for and that’s luxury and performace!

The Lee says:

May 26, 2009 at 6:53 pm

I’m not entirely sure how “cool” = “reliable”. Then again, I guess it’s not very “cool” to be broken down on the side of the road while on a date…

There are a ton of car stereotypes, and (often enough) they’re fitting. BMWs attract a certain type of person, as do Mustangs, Camaros, Corvettes, 911s, Escalades, Camrys, etc. And they’re supposed to. The great thing about having such a diverse amount of cars to choose from is that they all appeal to different people for different reasons.

We happen to like BMWs. Are they expensive to maintain? They can be. Do their owners have a tendency to be arrogant? They certainly can be. Do they tend to be owned by geeks that probably ramble on about the vehicle’s features to others that couldn’t care less? We’re all reading this, aren’t we? That means we’re at least geeky enough about our Bimmers to browse a site simply to keep tabs on what they’re coming up with next.

We are what we are. So be it; I’m perfectly fine with that. At least I’m not a mullet-wearing, Lynyrd-Skynyrd-jamming, Coors-drinking Camaro driver… (put your guns down, F-Body owners; I’m just joking around.)