Anone familiar with both? I'm thinkijg the BMW is sportier.

e class... 5 class is just the same as 3 class a lil bigger more money,unless u step up to the big boys club the 7 series....besides e class is a lot more quiet ride

My mother's friend told her that NEVER get a Mercedes. They are not reliable and their parts are super expensive. Granted that BMW's parts are also expensive but they are more reliable than Mercedes. I would try looking at Lexus GS or Infiniti M35

5 class, looks better, more reliable, sportier like you said, overall better car, although the mercedes is very nice too.

I see it this way buying 5 series is like buying a BMW, buying an E class is like wanting a Mercedes and buying something similar. There are only couple of BMW's that aren't considered real BMW's its different with Mercedes especially E-Class