I was browsing the BMW forum and one thing kinda made me chuckle. On guy was comparing a 2004 BMW 7 series to Mercedes. He said that BMW seems to be more luxorious and innovative in the luxury department because in 2002 BMW came out with soft closing doors and Mercedes dont have that feature avail. Now, depending on how you define soft closing doors, mechanically assisted soft closing doors, which is on the 2002 BMW, been out for a while, prior to the 2002 BMW 7 series Mercedes as I recall and many people can recall for better or worse, came out with it in 1992 on the W140. Ironically the W126 doors was meant to be "soft closing". Ever notice that you never really have to slam a W126 door just take the handle push like closing a regualr door and it closes. Maybe even the W116 was like two. I'm not sure how much luxury items BMW came out with before Mercedes. Think maybe only the navigation system in 1997-1998 time period and the V-12 in the top of line vehicle (well Mercedes had the 560 and was no point in rushing a V-12 to throw into a car that was a few years from ending.). Ironic though there have been a few projects of throwing a W140 V-12 into 560SEC (tight fit but they made it fit). correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Apparently, the poster didn't really do their research. I venture to say they were repeating something that someone else said, but didn't have their facts together either. I remember that ever since the BigBody was introduced in the US, it had the "Soft Close" feature. This is well in advance of anything that BMW had even considered doing. They were more concerned about being "The Ultimate Driving Machine," to make the driver and car one with the road.