Wow! Thanks for all the comments.
Why I purchased the F10 instead of going back to merc?
1. C&C couldn't match what PML was offering for my f10
2. current E-class backseats cannot be folded down whereas f10 comes as standard
The first reason was the main one. Of course, it helped that BMWs are of equal status as the merc so it wouldn't matter since the status is still there yet my f10 is much cheaper than getting the current e200.
My prev ride was W211 - back in 1996.
I am not trying to test the car experts here in this forum but really, after owning the f10 for 4 months now, I was asking myself what makes it the UDM?
Of course it's not fair to compare the f10 to a W211 but I felt my W211 is as 'good' as the f10 :
* my last set of tires were Hankok ventus v12 245/45R17 and it was magic on my W211 - I have tried rather sharp junction corners under raining conditions and it was very stable!
* engine noise - yes, my w211 was noisier than the f10 but I've yet to try the new e200 to compare. Perhaps this is the main draw of a BMW for the layman?
* FC - merc was more efficient than this f10
* effortless drive - perhaps the f10 is slightly better than my old merc ... but then again, maybe I should compare with new e200?
Again, I do not have any opportunities to test the f10 in any fanciful or advanced situations so that's why I think the merc & bmw are both about the same for the layman like me.