Where each one leads
BMW M6
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
- Against cars of the same age, the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 34% more often than average) than the BMW M6 (passes 22% more often than average).
Too close to call: new York safety inspections failed, against cars of the same year.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| BMW M6 | Mercedes-Benz CL-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1985–2019 | 1998–2005 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 4,165 (2010–2021) | 2,214 (2010–2017) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 1,083 | 2,083 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 253 | 609 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 231 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| BMW M6 | Mercedes-Benz CL-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 87% | 77% |
| … against cars of the same age | +22% | +34% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| … against cars of the same year | −71% | −74% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | — | 22.1% |
| US owner complaints | 26 | 33 |
| Most complaints about | Steering | Suspension |
| Model year with most complaints | 2007 (7) | 2002 (19) |
| US recall campaigns | 6 | 7 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,657 | 38 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 3 | 1 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| BMW M6 | Mercedes-Benz CL-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 14.7 l/100 km (2019) | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 412 kW (552 hp) | 320 kW (429 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 2,030 kg | 2,095 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €181,704 | €179,478 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 180,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).