Back in 1955 or 1956 Ford decided to become the "safety" company.

Things like dished steering wheels, padded dash and sun visors, etc.

The consensus a few years later from a marketing standpoint was that this was a failure because Americans didn't want to think about safety.

Mercedes--in addition to being the inventor of the automobile--has always been the leader in safety, too.

Since they weren't really in the "third world car" (descendants of Model T) business as much as USA companies, they were maybe slightly more immune to marketing pressures (and probably safety was OK in Europe and with their more sophisticated customer base).

It's not really surprising you find things to like about Mercedes as opposed to 'merikun iron, but in the long run you'll find you're comparing apples and oranges and comparisons are really not meaningful.

PS: One of the world's best "car magazines" is from the UK and is called simply "CAR." They used to have a monthly review of all cars sold in the UK and their one-liner about Volvo was ... "after SAAB, the safest car made in Sweden."

PPS: Beginning with follow-on to W124, i.e. W210, both side mirrors are electrically adjustable on Mercedes. "Quirkiness" doesn't cut it competing with Lexus.

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Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster
Two BMW motorcycles