{"id":13425,"date":"2021-11-13T12:19:53","date_gmt":"2021-11-13T17:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/auto\/?p=13425"},"modified":"2021-11-13T12:19:53","modified_gmt":"2021-11-13T17:19:53","slug":"favorite-car-from-rival-bmw-brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=13425","title":{"rendered":"What&#8217;s Your Favorite Car from BMW&#8217;s Rival Brands?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We recently just saw Carwow\u2019s latest video of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2021\/11\/13\/bmw-m3-mercedes-benz-sls-black\/\">BMW M3 Competition<\/a> taking on an older Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series and it got me thinking about rival BMW brands and the cars from them that I love. As BMW fans, it can be easy to root against brands like Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Audi, and Tesla but, as car enthusiasts, we should root for any car that\u2019s cool and interesting. So it raised the question for me, what\u2019s my favorite car from a rival BMW brand?<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll start by telling you mine, which might be obvious from the start of this article \u2014 the Mercedes-Benz<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2016\/12\/20\/best-cars-drove-2016\/\"> SLS AMG<\/a>. Admittedly, I never drove the Black Series variant (unfortunately) but I did drive the standard SLS AMG several years ago on track and the experience I had is still one of my all-time favorite driving experiences.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_413796\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-413796\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-3-of-3.jpg\"><noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-413796 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-3-of-3-830x510.jpg\" alt=\"Mercedes Benz SLS AMG 3 of 3 830x510\" width=\"830\" height=\"510\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-3-of-3-830x510.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-3-of-3-1665x1024.jpg 1665w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-3-of-3-768x472.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-3-of-3-1536x945.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-3-of-3.jpg 1756w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\" title=\"image of Mercedes Benz SLS AMG 3 of 3 830x510\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-413796 size-medium\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20830%20510%22%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-3-of-3-830x510.jpg\" alt=\"Mercedes Benz SLS AMG 3 of 3 830x510\" width=\"830\" height=\"510\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-3-of-3-830x510.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-3-of-3-1665x1024.jpg 1665w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-3-of-3-768x472.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-3-of-3-1536x945.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-3-of-3.jpg 1756w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\" title=\"image of Mercedes Benz SLS AMG 3 of 3 830x510\"\/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-413796\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image provided by media.daimler.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is an interesting car. It was the first car developed entirely by AMG from the ground up, much like the upcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2021\/11\/10\/bmwblog-podcast-m4-xdrive\/\">BMW XM<\/a> for the M Division, and it is still one of my favorite car designs. The incredibly long hood, a seating position that\u2019s virtually on the rear axle, and the stubby roofline all make it look both incredibly different but also classic. To eliminate any thought of my lizard brain being easily attracted to its flashy gullwing doors, I actually prefer the convertible version \u2014 and its normal doors \u2014 far more.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s not the design that makes the SLS AMG one of my all-time favorite cars \u2014 it\u2019s the drive. Driving the SLS AMG will remind any car enthusiast of why they love driving cars. It\u2019s not the fastest car, nor is it the most dynamic, but everything about it is pure theater and drama. It\u2019s the kind of car that\u2019s addictive to drive and begs to be driven more and more, harder and harder.<\/p>\n<p>The reasons for this are two-fold: its engine and its handling. Powering the SLS AMG is a 6.2 liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine that\u2019s still my favorite engine of all time (I\u2019ve never driven a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2021\/10\/03\/one-of-a-kind-mclaren-f1-shines-at-villa-deste\/\">McLaren F1<\/a> but I imagine that\u2019d be the only engine that could change my mind). For starters, it makes the most incredible noise I think I\u2019ve ever heard from a road car (in person, at least). I still remember Motor Trend\u2019s description of its noise over a decade ago, \u201cThe SLS actually sounds like a flaming, nitromethane-powered chainsaw cutting through a solid rocket booster.\u201d Never has an exhaust description been so accurate. At full-chat, I\u2019ve yet to hear a better noise.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_413794\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-413794\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-1-of-3.jpg\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-413794\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-1-of-3-830x553.jpg\" alt=\"Mercedes Benz SLS AMG 1 of 3 830x553\" width=\"830\" height=\"553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-1-of-3-830x553.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-1-of-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-1-of-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-1-of-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-1-of-3.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\" title=\"image of Mercedes Benz SLS AMG 1 of 3 830x553\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload size-medium wp-image-413794\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20830%20553%22%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-1-of-3-830x553.jpg\" alt=\"Mercedes Benz SLS AMG 1 of 3 830x553\" width=\"830\" height=\"553\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-1-of-3-830x553.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-1-of-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-1-of-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-1-of-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-1-of-3.jpg 1620w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\" title=\"image of Mercedes Benz SLS AMG 1 of 3 830x553\"\/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-413794\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image provided by media.daimler.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s more than just the noise, though. The hand-built 6.2 liter AMG V8 has a combination of razor-sharp throttle response and low-down torque that simply can\u2019t be found in modern cars. With modern turbocharging, you get tons of low-down torque but even the best modern turbo engines lack the sort of immediacy with which the old AMG V8 delivers power. It\u2019s just so satisfying to use.<\/p>\n<p>However, the SLS AMG isn\u2019t just a muscle car; a pretty body with a big engine but no handling; it\u2019s actually a great sports car. While not as ultra-precise as the Ferrari 458 or 911 GT3 of the era, the SLS AMG is still a precision tool, more so than you might imagine. Its steering is tight and accurate, its chassis is balanced, and its body stays nice and flat through corners. And while it does like to oversteer when asked, it\u2019s far less snappy than you might think. When it first debuted, visions of Jeremy Clarkson sliding one around in a cloud of tire smoke led people to believe the SLS AMG was an unhinged psychopath of a car but it isn\u2019t. It\u2019s tidy and balanced but will also pull controllable drifts on command.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_413795\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-413795\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-2-of-3.jpg\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-413795\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-2-of-3-830x518.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"830\" height=\"518\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-2-of-3-830x518.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-2-of-3-1642x1024.jpg 1642w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-2-of-3-768x479.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-2-of-3-1536x958.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-2-of-3.jpg 1732w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload size-medium wp-image-413795\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20830%20518%22%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-2-of-3-830x518.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"830\" height=\"518\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-2-of-3-830x518.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-2-of-3-1642x1024.jpg 1642w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-2-of-3-768x479.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-2-of-3-1536x958.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG-2-of-3.jpg 1732w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\"\/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-413795\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image provided by media.daimler.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When you combine its rockstar looks with its absolutely sensational engine, killer engine\/exhaust soundtrack, and fun-to-drive handling, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is one of the coolest cars from this century. As much as I love the BMW brand, I\u2019m a true car enthusiast at heart and can appreciate any car that\u2019s great, regardless of which brand it comes from. The SLS AMG comes from BMW\u2019s biggest rival but it\u2019s one of my absolute favorite cars of all time.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s yours?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We recently just saw Carwow\u2019s latest video of a BMW M3 Competition taking on an older Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series and it got me thinking about rival BMW brands and the cars from them that I love. As BMW fans, it can be easy to root against brands like Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Audi, and Tesla [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":8313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13425\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}