Mercedes vs BMW
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most manufacturers state a mileage or 12 months whichever comes first. would never do 17/19000 miles without an oil/filter change plus towing a van with extra load on the engine. taken from Google---shelf life---
Manufacturers like Elf and Valvoline state that as long as their oil was stored under optimal conditions, unopened containers should be good for a practically unlimited time. However Mobil1 says that their oil has a shelf life of five years.17 Mar 2016
so even if I only did 1000 miles a year I would still change oil and filter.
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Me Too! I actually average between 11, And 12,000 miles per year now, down from about 27,000 per year prior to retirement. So I accept that I don't ever get my full 15k between services, But am I bovvered? No I'm not!
I get a full annual service at a reasonable cost. Far better value for money than my £239 annual caravan service!
TF
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I am still towing with my diesel 2010 Merc C 220d manual box estate. It does everything I ask of it with a 1450 kg van on the back. It only has 75 kg. tow hitch load which is not great. Average fuel consumption when towing in excess of 34 MPG. Solo urban mid 40's. extra urban low 60's. No probs. there.
Bought as 2 year old used car from Merc dealer 75 miles away (manual gearbox models like hens teeth). Clutch started to slip @ 29,000 miles. I was not happy with clutch bite point when I bought the car @14,600 miles so it was probably abused by first owner. Fitted new spinner & pressure plates and it's still going strong @ 61,000 miles.
I fit 'All Season' tyres to aid grip level when on grass pitches. They wear out less than the original Michelin Energies it came on as well. Currently on Vredestein Quatrac 5's assymetric tread pattern on the front / Michelin Cross Climate + directional tread on the rear (23,000 / 10,000 miles all worn down to 5 mm tread depth). Going back to Goodyear All Season on the back next time as Michelin only start with 7 mm of tread. 9 mm on Vredestein and last set of Goodyear boots.
Mercedes has discontinued the manual gearbox on the latest C Class so a late W204 type from 2013/14 may be the way to go if you don't like auto box. Also no 'Add Blue' system to complicate things.
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I can tell you now, my Ssangyong Rexton W is way more reliable than my crappy 3 series BMW, and it has a seven year warranty. In 18 months it has done 37,000 miles all over Europe, plus towing in all weathers with a fully loaded car and twin axle caravan, and it has not once missed a beat. The only thing it has needed was an outside temperature sensor, and even that was probably because I drove through a three feet deep river. Long story, I needed to be the otherside after a storm in Luxembourg.
My 3 series BMW on the otherhand breaks down at least twice a month. After having high end cars, I don't bother now, Kia's and ssangyong's are just as good, the only difference is quality of interior materials, and I can live with that.
Oh, and my Rexton has a Merc gearbox and engine.
I also would never ever tow a caravan with a petrol engined car, and definitely never again with a manual.
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I tend to agree that BMW's are overrated, and having driven a hired one have no intention of returning. I am afraid I stick with Japanese as does most of the family and they seem to be almost trouble free. We are on our third Mazda and still have not had a guarantee claim despite having driven about 100,000 miles in them.
Petrol though is not a problem provided you specify the right engine. You will use a bit more fuel and change gear more but you can live with that.
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I have towed caravans for forty years and most of these with Land Rover Discoveries. After a very brief spell with a new Q7 which was a disaster, I switched to a BMW.
My caravan weighs 2000Kg and the model of BMW is a X5 40d which has 313BHP, delivering the power through an automatic box. I have now covered 20K miles, mainly towing and much of it in mainland Europe. The car is a dream to drive and copes with the caravan with ease; as a consequence I never hold up traffic but get held up by many cars.
Fuel consumption towing is 27mpg but have managed 31mpg which is fantastic. I have tried towing at speed up to 90mph and the outfit copes well with this challenge; the caravan is fitted with Tyron bands, ATC, and AlKO stabiliser to minimise risk. When working the engine hard oil temperature rises 4degrees, this is normal and the engine is protected via a BMW towing package which includes an upgraded cooling system.
My experience of the BMW X5 is one of a complex and technically advanced engineering which delivers comfort, safety and outstanding power which will meet the needs of all caravaners.
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I think with this you pays your money and make your choice. You'll have people arguing for both.
For what it's worth I'd go for the Merc C class. I'm on my 4th Merc now, all pre-loved (around 3 year old at purchase) and all diesels. The latest one is a C220, I've had the tow bar fitted but not towed with it yet.
I did have a 1 Series petrol BMW a couple of years ago and for one reason or another it was one of the worst cars I'd ever had...but I think it was a lemon, most people will rate a BMW.
Good luck with your choice!
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To the OP - i can't unfortunately offer advice on those two specific examples - but we tow with their German counterpart/rival - the Audi A4 - also a Petrol, manual model.
I wouldn't have thought they;d be a lot in it as far as actually towing goes. Not very scientific but, I've seen far more BMW 3-series towing than C-classes - but damn those newer Merc's interiors are a gorgeous place to be!
As has been mentioned before, without knowing what you are towing ... it could be a non-starter.
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