Where each one leads
BMW M6
- Against cars of the same year, the BMW M6 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 71% less often than average) than the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class (fails 61% less often than average).
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
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 SL-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1985–2019 | 1996–2013 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 4,165 (2010–2021) | 21,089 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 1,083 | 14,178 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 253 | 3,368 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 520 |
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 SL-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 87% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +22% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| … against cars of the same year | −71% | −61% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | — | 15.9% |
| US owner complaints | 26 | 31 |
| Most complaints about | Steering | Service brakes, hydraulic |
| Model year with most complaints | 2007 (7) | 1998 (12) |
| US recall campaigns | 6 | 7 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,657 | 102 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 3 | 5 |
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 SL-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 14.7 l/100 km (2019) | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 17.1 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 12.1 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | — | 270 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 412 kW (552 hp) | 391 kW (524 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 2,030 kg | 1,935 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €181,704 | €154,478 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 134,000 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).