We give first of all a new criterion for Bergman completeness in terms of the pluricomplex Green function. Among several applications, we prove in particular that every Stein subvariety in a complex manifold admits a Bergman complete Stein neighborhood basis, which improves a theorem of Siu. Secondly, we give for hyperbolic Riemann surfaces a sufficient condition for when the Bergman and Poincaré metrics are quasi-isometric. A consequence is an equivalent characterization of uniformly perfect planar domains in terms of growth rates of the Bergman kernel and metric. Finally, we provide a noncompact Bergman complete pseudoconvex manifold without nonconstant negative plurisubharmonic functions.