When it comes to market at the end of this year, the 2012 BMW 6 Series Coupe will compete in the same segment with the Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar XK and Lexus SC43. The new F13 6er Coupe builds atop the Concept revealed last year and showcases a fresh design with a combination of luxury and sportiness.

With the new BMW 6 Series, BMW has another opportunity to outline the new design language under chief designer Adrian Van Hooydonk. Escaping from the sometimes radical and adventurous Bangle design, the new 6er Coupe is an evolution of the previous model, but its design lines continue to emit a strong presence. We described the new 6 Series in a previous article, so feel free to head over.

Moving onto its main competitor, Mercedes-Benz. The CL model is being advertised as a full-sized grand tourer automobile. Originally derived from the SL-Class roadster, it has since been based on the S-Class sedan. Known at first as the SEC and later S coupe, it was spun off into its own, current name in 1998. The CL continues to follow the same development cycle as the S, though riding on a slightly shorter wheelbase.

The new W216 model was also officially unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, back in 2006. The 2011 facelift version of the Mercedes CL-Class made its world debut in July 2010 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The new CL-Class comes with an improved exterior and interior, but the biggest changes are found under the hood. The exterior gets a new grille, bi-xenon headlights with LED technology, LED fog lamps, revised fenders and hood, and new exhaust pipes. On the interior the biggest change is the addition of a new wood trim.

As always, we took the time to show the two cars side-by-side and from different angles. And yes, we acknowledge that the CL is an older model and a more fair comparison would be against the upcoming model.

Click on the photos below to enlarge!

[Photos: BimmerToday ]