A very poorly written article.
On the comparison, the jury's still out for me. I wanted to love the 523i, given it's more youthful and dynamic image over the E200 CGI. Strangely, the interior didn't feel that upmarket and the power was merely adequate. The Merc, however, surprised me with its punchy engine and an interior which is quite luxurious. The list of problems afflicting the first batch of 5er SKDs which is well-documented in this forum is also hard to ignore.
Of course, we're talking about subtle differences which will swing one way or the other depending on personal tastes. Both are great cars and there isn't an obvious choice.
Decisions, decisions...
