Which is the best Lexus, BMW or Mercedes Benz?
By
Vroomouk
This article will compare three luxury car brands: Lexus, BMW and Mercedes Benz and answer the following questions: where are the Lexus, BMW and Mercedes Benz cars made? What are the flagship models sold by Lexus, Mercedes Benz and BMW?
Which is the best Lexus, BMW or Mercedes Benz?
The Mercedes Benz is currently the best luxury passenger car manufacturer. The following table compares key factors of all three companies:
| Company/ factors | Lexus | BMW | Mercedes Benz |
| Production output | 364,630 | 2,521,514 | 2,164,187 |
| Number of models | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Parent company | Toyota | BMW | Mercedes Benz AG |
| Sub brands | – | Mini, Rolls-Royce | Mercedes AMG, Maybach, EQ |
| Founded | 1989 | 1916 | 1926 |
BMW and Mercedes Benz are German car manufacturers and Lexus is a Sub-brand of Japanese automotive giant Toyota. Toyota cannot compete directly with Mercedes Benz and BMW as the cars manufactured by Toyota target different sides of the market. Therefore, Toyota sells its premium cars under the Lexus brand and competes with European brands.
Where is BMW Headquarters located?
BMW’s headquarters is in Munich, Germany and it is the second in the luxury automobile
market just after Mercedes Benz. BMW also has its performance division which designs high-performance versions of road-going models. It is called M power, represented by the letter M followed by the series of the Model.
Where is Lexus headquarters located?
Lexus headquarters is located in Nagoya prefecture, Japan. It is now a separate entity and designs its cars. The annual sales figures of Lexus are almost equivalent to Mercedes Benz but Lexus is not popular in European markets due to limited service networks and a small brand image. Lexus also makes a significant number of hybrid and high-performance models. Lexus ranks fourth in the luxury car segment, Top three are Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi.
Where are the manufacturing factories of Lexus, BMW and Mercedes Benz?
The majority of the production of Lexus cars takes place at Toyota factories located in Tahara, Toyota city, and Kitakyushu. Lexus does not have many manufacturing plants in the international markets. There are only two assembly plants in Kentucky and Ontario, the production is mostly for the North American market.
Mercedes Benz has production factories all over the world but the main manufacturing factories are located only in Germany. Another location does not manufacture cars but only assembles from knockdown kits. The latest model S class V223 is also being assembled at the Mercedes Benz plant in India with further plans to start assembly of EQS.
BMW has factories in Germany as well as in the rest of the world. The majority of production takes place in Germany and cars are then shipped to international markets. BMW has factories outside of Germany but the knockdown kits assembled there are shipped from Germany.
Some models like the 3 series are also assembled in south-east Asia countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
What are the flagship models sold by Lexus, BMW and Mercedes Benz?
The flagship model is the latest and most advanced model sold by the company. It is used for introducing new technologies that will filter down to the rest of the models. Following are the current flagship models by Lexus, BMW and Mercedes Benz:
The Lexus LFA is the best sports car produced by Lexus. It went through many design changes in the initial phases until the designers settled on building the car entirely in carbon fibre material. The LFA was designed to become a global icon for the Lexus brand.
The LFA was powered by a 4.8 litres V10 engine. The power output of the production car was 554 horsepower and 480 NM of torque. Lexus was one of the Few manufacturers that produced the V10 engine with a 71-degree bank angle.
The engine was capable of reaching 9000 RPMs in a few milliseconds and Lexus closely worked with Yamaha to get distinct noise from the engine. It was mounted on the rear of the car. As the vehicle body was made with lightweight carbon fibre material, the power-to-weight ratio of LFA is 2.67 KG/ Hp and there is more than 500 hp which gives the LFA a top speed of 325 km/hr.
Only 500 cars were produced and Lexus delivered the vehicle on a two-two-years to the customers so that they couldn’t sell them for a profit. Each LFA was custom-built, and customers could choose different types of interiors, sticking to the upholstery and exterior paint colour.
- Mercedes Benz S Class
The Mercedes Benz S class is all about comfort and luxury. There are inline 6 and v8 petrol engines making around 600 horsepower. The S class is currently in the seventh generation and has the most advanced driver assistance systems on board.
The driver assistance systems are capable of driving the s class without any inputs from the driver. S class also sets a benchmark in safety by featuring a first-in-class rear passenger airbag located on the backside of the front seats.
S class uses AIRMATIC suspension with sports and comfort modes, the suspension has active body control systems and can vary the damping rates based on the mode selected. This gives more versatility to the handling characteristics of the S class.
- BMW 7 series
The BMW 7 Series is the flagship car, it is only available in sedan and extended wheelbase versions. The 7 series BMW always features the latest technologies and then they are filtered down to 5 and 3 series cars.
The sixth generation of the 7 series was launched in 2015 with a facelift model introduced in 2019. Even though the main focus of BMW cars is on handling and performance, the 7 series has great comfort levels.
It is powered by a 4.4 V 8 engine which produced 530 horsepower and 750 Nm of torque, there is an M-powered version of the 7 series with a V 12 engine producing almost 600 horsepower and 800 Nm of torque. It is regarded as the final V12 engine produced by BMW in production cars.
Other articles about Lexus you may be interested in
Is Lexus better than Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi?
How reliable is Lexus compared to Mercedes Benz?
Is Lexus better than Mercedes Benz?
Conclusion
Mercedes-Benz is the market leader in sales and after-service of premium luxury brands followed by BMW. Lexus is also slowly becoming popular, it is a great choice for customers looking for something unique and to get the same levels of comfort as the German brands.
FAQs: Lexus Vs BMW Vs Mercedes Benz
Is Lexus more reliable than Mercedes?
No, Lexus is not as reliable as Mercedes Benz. Lexus also has a very small dealership network in the international market, which makes resolving reliability issues difficult. The availability of spare parts is also an issue in developing markets like China and India.
Is Lexus more reliable than BMW?
No, Lexus is not more reliable than BMW. BMW cars are well-engineered and offer better reliability. Although the dealership network is not as big as Mercedes Benz, BMW is still the second-best luxury car manufacturer in Germany.
Is Lexus more expensive than Mercedes?
Lexus and Mercedes Benz make luxury passenger cars, the cost of most of the cars is fairly similar but in some international markets Lexus can cost more since it is considered an import whereas Mercedes Benz has assembly plants in the international markets which makes them slightly more reasonable.
Are Mercedes better than BMW?
Yes, Mercedes Benz cars are better than BMW. BMW is the closest Rival to Mercedes Benz and ranks second in the sales and reliability factor in the luxury passenger car segment. Mercedes Benz also manufactures vans and commercial vehicles and it is the market leader in many different countries in the rest of the world.
