Verdict
These two sedans serve sharply different Malaysian use cases. The RM846,800 BMW M3 costs RM107,912 more, but its 503 hp, 650 Nm and all-wheel drive cut the 0-100 km/h sprint to 3.5 seconds, against 5.2 seconds for the S-Class. The RM738,888 Mercedes-Benz S-Class counters with a 28.6-kWh plug-in-hybrid battery, 100-km EV range and a rated 1 L/100 km, plus a 3,216-mm wheelbase for rear-seat duties. Pick the M3 for pace and its larger 480-litre boot; pick the S-Class for chauffeured comfort, charging capability and a four-year warranty.
M3
Pick the BMW M3 if 503 hp, 3.5-second 0-100 km/h pace, all-wheel drive and a 480-litre boot matter more than plug-in running costs and rear-seat luxury.
S-Class
Pick the Mercedes-Benz S-Class if you want a 100-km EV range, a much longer 3,216-mm wheelbase and properly indulgent rear-seat equipment for less money.
Key differences
- Price: BMW M3 RM846,800; Mercedes-Benz S-Class RM738,888.
- Performance: BMW M3 503 hp, 650 Nm and 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds; Mercedes-Benz S-Class 362 hp, 500 Nm and 5.2 seconds.
- Powertrain: BMW M3 is petrol-only; Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a petrol plug-in hybrid with one 147-hp, 440-Nm motor and 28.6-kWh battery.
- Economy and emissions: BMW M3 10.1 L/100 km and 230 g/km; Mercedes-Benz S-Class 1 L/100 km and 22 g/km.
- Size: BMW M3 has a 2,857-mm wheelbase and is 4,794 mm long; Mercedes-Benz S-Class has a 3,216-mm wheelbase and is 5,289 mm long.
- Boot space: BMW M3 480 litres; Mercedes-Benz S-Class 350 litres.
M3
- 503 hp and 650 Nm with a 3.5-second 0-100 km/h time.
- All-wheel drive with selectable 4WD, 4WD Sport and 2WD modes.
- 480-litre boot is 130 litres larger.
- RM107,912 more expensive than the S-Class.
- No plug-in-hybrid motor, battery or 100-km EV range.
- Shorter 2,857-mm wheelbase and far less extensive rear-seat adjustment than the S-Class.
S-Class
- 28.6-kWh plug-in-hybrid battery with 100 km EV range.
- 3,216-mm wheelbase, reclining rear seats, ottoman and leg rest for the left rear passenger.
- Four-year unlimited-mileage warranty plus eight-year/160,000-km battery warranty.
- 141 hp and 150 Nm down on the M3, with a 5.2-second 0-100 km/h time.
- 350-litre boot is 130 litres smaller than the M3's.
- Rear-wheel drive rather than the M3's all-wheel-drive system.
| Price & overview | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | RM846,800 | RM738,888✓ |
| Body type | Sedan | Sedan |
| Segment | Compact Executive | Luxury |
| Assembly | CBU | CKD |
| Ownership | ||
| Road tax / year | RM2,113✓ | RM2,128 |
| Powertrain | ||
| Engine Tech | 24-valve DOHC with Twin Turbochargers, Direct Injection and Variable Valve Timing and Lift | 24-valve DOHC with Electric Twin-scroll Turbocharger, Direct Injection and Variable Valve Timing and Lift |
| Capacity | 2,993 cc | 2,999 cc |
| Horsepower | 503 hp✓ | 362 hp |
| Torque | 650 Nm✓ | 500 Nm |
| Fuel | Petrol | Petrol Plug-in Hybrid |
| Bore | 84 mm | 83 mm |
| Compression Ratio | 9.3 | 10.5 |
| Number of Motors | — | 1 |
| Motor Horsepower | — | 147 hp |
| Motor Torque | — | 440 Nm |
| Battery Capacity | — | 28.6 kWh |
| EV Range | — | 100 km |
| Charging Rate (AC) | — | 11 kW |
| Charging Rate (DC) | — | 60 kW |
| Drivetrain | ||
| Transmission | Conventional Automatic | Conventional Automatic |
| Transmission Name | 8-speed M Steptronic Transmission with Drivelogic | 9G-TRONIC |
| Gears | 8 | 9 |
| Transmission Manufacturer | ZF | Mercedes-Benz (Daimler AG) |
| Driveline | All Wheel Drive | Rear Wheel Drive |
| Performance & Efficiency | ||
| 0-100 km/h | 3.5 seconds✓ | 5.2 seconds |
| Rated Economy | 10.1 L/100 km | 1 L/100 km✓ |
| Top Speed | 250 km/h | 250 km/h |
| Co2 | 230 g/km | 22 g/km✓ |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 4,794 mm | 5,289 mm |
| Width | 1,903 mm | 1,954 mm |
| Height | 1,433 mm | 1,503 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,857 mm | 3,216 mm |
| Weight | 1,855 kg | 2,385 kg |
| Fuel Tank | 59 litres | 67 litres |
| Doors | 4 | 4 |
| Seats | 5 | 5 |
| Boot Space | 480 litres✓ | 350 litres |
| Front Tyre | 275/35R19 | 255/40R20 |
| Rear Tyre | 285/30R20 | 285/35R20 |
| Spare Tyre | — | N/A, Tyre Repair Kit |
| Factory Tyres | Michelin Pilot Super Sport Run-flat | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 ZP |
| Chassis | ||
| Assembly | Germany (CBU) | Malaysia (CKD) |
| Front Suspension | Double Wishbones | Multi-Link with Air Suspension |
| Rear Suspension | Multi-link | Multi-Link with Air Suspension |
| Front Wheels | 19" Double-spoke Style 826 M Two-tone Forged Alloy | 20" Twin 10-spoke Alloys |
| Rear Wheels | 20" Double-spoke Style 826 M Two-tone Forged Alloy | 20" Twin 10-spoke Alloys |
| Steering | Rack and Pinion (Electric Power Steering) | Rack and Pinion (Electric Power Steering) |
| Chassis Notes | Adaptive M Suspension, Active M Differential, 4WD, 4WD Sport and 2WD Modes | Adaptive Dampers |
| Safety | ||
| Airbags | Driver and Passenger, Front Side, Front and Rear Curtain | Driver and Passenger, Driver Knee, Rear Passengers, Front and Rear Side, Front and Rear Curtain, Rear Left Cushion |
| ABS/EBD | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stability Control | ✓ | ✓ |
| Alarm | ✓ | ✓ |
| Immobilizer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Airbag Disable Function | ✓ | ✓ |
| Child Safety Lock | Manual for Rear Doors | Manual for Rear Doors |
| Seat Belts | 5 Three-point | 5 Three-point with Illumination and Rear Belt Bags |
| Blind Spot Info System | ✓ | ✓ |
| ISOFIX | Available for 2 Outer Rear Seats | Available for 2 Outer Rear Seats |
| Autonomous Braking System | Yes, with Pedestrian Detection (5 km/h to 80 km/h) | Yes, with Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection (up to 130 km/h) and Evasive Steering Assist (up to 108 km/h) |
| Lane-keeping Assist | Warning Only | Steering Correction |
| Collision Warning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Seatbelt Reminder | All Seats | All Seats |
| Safety Notes | Attentiveness Assistant, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Rear Collision Prevention, Active Protection | Pre-Safe, Pre-Safe Impulse Side, Driver Attention Monitor with Eye Tracking |
| Lighting | ||
| Headlamps | Laser Projectors with Auto High Beam | Adaptive LED Projector with Matrix High Beam (Digital Light with Projection Function) |
| Taillamps | Full LED | Full LED |
| LED Daytime Running Lights | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rear Foglamps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wing Mirror Turn Indicators | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cabin | ||
| Front Seats | Power Adjustable Front Seats with Driver's Memory Function | Power Adjustable Front Seats with Memory, Heating and Massage Functions; Pillow Headrests; Passenger Seat Adjustment from Rear Seats |
| Rear Seats | 40:20:40 Split-folding | Power Adjustable Outer Rear Seats with Memory, Heating, Ventilation, Massage and One-touch Recline Functions; Folding Rear Pillow Headrests with Built-in Neck Warmers; Powered Ottoman and Leg Rest for Left Seat with Massage Function; Centre Load-through |
| Front Air-con | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control with Air Balance Perfume System and Ioniser |
| Rear Air-con | Single-zone Automatic Climate Control | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control |
| Sunroof | Front, Tilt and Slide | Panoramic, Tilt and Slide |
| Power Sockets | 1 Front, 1 Boot, 2 Front USB-C, 2 Rear USB-C | 4 Front USB-C, 6 Rear USB-C |
| Interior Lighting | Map Lights and Ambient Lights (11 Colours) | Map Lights and Active Ambient Lights (64 Colours) |
| Cup Holders | 2 Front, 2 Rear | 2 Front, 2 Rear |
| Sun Shade | — | Double Sun Visors, Powered Rear Windscreen and Rear Door Window Sunshades |
| Audio | BMW Live Cockpit Professional with 10.25" Touchscreen, iDrive Controller, Voice Control, Wireless Apple CarPlay, Wireless Android Auto and 12-speaker 360W Harman Kardon Sound System | 12.8" OLED Touchscreen Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Augmented Reality Navigation; 11" Rear Entertainment Displays; 7" Rear Android Tablet; 15-speaker Burmester 3D Surround Sound System (710 Watts) |
| Convenience | ||
| Power Windows | Four Windows, Auto Up and Down with Anti-pinch | Four Windows, Auto Up and Down with Anti-Pinch |
| Engine Start | Keyless Push Button | Keyless Push Button |
| Locks | Keyless Operation with Smartphone Key and Proximity Auto Lock/Unlock | Keyless Operation with Pop-out Door Handles |
| Auto Start/Stop | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto Headlamps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto Wipers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cruise Control | Passive Cruise Control | Adaptive Cruise Control with Steering Assist, Stop and Go and Speed Limit Assist |
| Tiptronic | ✓ | — |
| Paddle Shift | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Audio Control | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Tilt | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Telescopic | ✓ | ✓ |
| Electric Steering Adjustment | — | ✓ |
| Boot Operation | Remote Control Activation with Contactless Opening | Powered with Contactless Operation |
| Parking Sensor Front | 6 Sensors | 6 Sensors |
| Parking Sensor Rear | 6 Sensors | 6 Sensors |
| Reverse Camera | Yes | Yes, with 360-degree Camera |
| Auto Parking | Yes, for Parallel and Perpendicular Parking, with Reversing Assist | Yes, Parallel and Perpendicular |
| Folding Wing Mirrors | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bluetooth | ✓ | ✓ |
| Navigation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Head-up Display | ✓ | — |
| Power Door | — | Soft Close Function, All Doors |
| Hill Start Assist | ✓ | ✓ |
| Instrument Cluster | Full LCD Monitor | Full LCD Monitor |
| Parking Brake | Electronic | Electronic |
| Convenience Notes | Qi Wireless Charger, BMW ConnectedDrive, Concierge Service | MBUX Interior Assistant, Fingerprint Scanner, Front and Rear Qi Wireless Chargers, Rear Wireless Headsets |
| Warranty | ||
| Warranty Mileage Manufacturer | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Warranty Mileage Extended | Unlimited | — |
| Warranty Manufacturer | 2 years | 4 years✓ |
| Warranty Extended | 5 years | — |
| Warranty Notes | — | 8-year/160,000 km Battery Warranty |
Specs shown for the selected variant of each car. ✓ marks the better figure where lower/higher is objectively better. Road tax: West Malaysia, private registration.
Used M3 & S-Class for sale
M3 vs S-Class FAQ
Is the BMW M3 or Mercedes-Benz S-Class better?
The BMW M3 is better for outright performance, reaching 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds with 503 hp. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is better for rear-seat comfort and lower rated consumption, with a 100-km EV range and 3,216-mm wheelbase.
What is the price difference?
The BMW M3 costs RM846,800 and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class costs RM738,888, so the M3 is RM107,912 more expensive.
Which has the better rear-seat experience?
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class does. It has power-adjustable, heated, ventilated and massaging outer rear seats, one-touch recline, rear screens and a left-side ottoman, while the M3 has a 40:20:40 split-folding rear bench.