EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Real life pics of the new Mercedes-Benz E63-Is it a BMW M5 killer?

Why not add in a lap time while you're at it? Ohh. . . because it would prove your whole point moot.

The BMW M5 maybe be a slightly better handler, but with the difference in accelrationt times, the E63AMG will leeve the Beemer caughing up dust. If the S63 AMG does 0-60 in 4.2, think how fast the E63 will reach this mark, lets say maybe around 4 seconds flat, this is around .7 seconds faster than the BMW. However, the E63 AMG, wil no doubt be far more expensive, so it would be a slightly unfair comparision

Do you even know how minute 0.7s really is? Especially in every day driving? This is why enthusiasts rock (And no, I'm no enthusiast...I just have a healthy passing interest in cars, natch!)

I love the M5. I think it's an awesome vehicle. I love the E55 and the E63 looks magic. Which would I buy? Neither...I don't take my cars around the track to see that I can do a lap time 1sec quicker. Does it have an MP3 player? Does it massage me when I'm stuck in traffic?

In the end cars are really about image. They're extensions of one self and don't think that negates you enthusiasts out there. You want to be seen with the M5 rather than the E55 because it's a "driver's car". You want to be seen in a Lexus IS350 instead of a 3-series because you want to look like you make the alternate choice. It's cooler. The Subaru WRX STI blah blah...what a boring car IMO. But it goes fast and handles like a sumbitch and you feel like a racer driving it. If you like that and then this car's image will say that about you...Me? I see myself as more of a CLS kind of guy. Give me a CLS350 and I'd be happy with that. I like speed but I prefer comfort and peace 'n quiet and most importantly...style!

However I do find these arguments entertaining and I think that it's cool that car enthusiasts exist. Without you guys we just wouldn't have the cool cars available to us that we do...and anyway it's much like arguing about video cards and processors or X-Box vs. PS etc. etc. Everything has their strengths and weaknesses you just have to choose which weaknesses and which strengths are important to you, that's all...Clearly 0.7s is important to a lot of people and that's cool.

If I were to choose one of these though, I'd take the M5 as long as I could get an auto box. Gunmetal gray and rice white leather seats. Anyone offering? heh

I like Blondes, does that mean that redhead are ugly? , of course not, they are almost the same thing. Comapre E63 with M5 and is very likely that the Merc will have a VERY SMALL EDGE over the M5, but what is the problem? I like Mercs other likes BMW and I sure that in a few years BMW will surpass the E63 and MB will do the same again. Thats why we have so wonderfull cars coming from Germany. To say that BMW is just an Sporty car is not fair, It is full of Electronics gadgets like the MB and in the quality for me, they looks the same, now the do a better job in engineering department lowering the weight of their cars to get better performance. In the other hand to say than the E55 or E63 are not Sporty also is not fair especialy if you think that those cars have the capability to kick a lot of Sport cars. The Mercs, generaly are Heavier than BMW due a lot of sensors (most of time extra security) and that something that you will apreciate only when have an accident, notwishtanding, my family deserves that extra protection. Think about the SL: that car is wonderful but it is a Beast of more that 2 tons , but all the Security accessories make it very heavy and the only way to overpass that weight is Brute Force. Do you remeber The Beast of BMW M8, well they never did the same mistake: weak engine with a lot of weight. Mercedes always create beast but with a lot of brute force but the inertia is something that you can not beat with brute force and BMW M does know that. Both Brand are great but when you select any of those cars the numbers will have a very small incidence in your selection unless you are a purist of the dynamic driving and even in that case of better numbers in the MB I you prefer BMW, you will end with one. Again I like Blondes but Rehead are tha same, Mercs is the mine.....have nice day and enjoy because now the BMW will not stay behind...they think fast So dont not ve surpised may be for V10 turbo or biturbo...

In all these posts I haven't heard one mention of an chassis improvements to the new AMG car. There probably won't be much mention of them because I'm guessing there aren't many, if any at all. My wife has a 325xi (4 wheel drive = added weight) with 184 horsepower. The car is an absolute blast to drive. It feels healthy to rev the motor - like a race horse at full gallop. The firmess, body control, steering etc. It's wonderful. POINT IS. Power is only one element of a car's fun-to-drive factor. Put a 3.0 inline 6 in the M5 (aka 530) and its still an enthusiasts car. Put a 6 in the E55/E63 (aka E350) and guess what...nice car, nothing to write home about in the fun-to-drive dept [this is also the case with Mercedes' other projects...the American SRT cars]. Get the message?....It doesn't matter if AMG includes jet propulsion on the next AMG car, you can only go so far on power alone. The difference in the chassis of the M5 and E55/63 makes any comparison of statistics somewhat trivial from an enthusiats' point of view. To all the luxury driver who want to have fun at a stop light...enjoy. But Don't compare a supercharged German engineered Lincoln Town Car, with a four-door sports car please.

DRP

As several more thoughtful folks have recently posted, there is much more to a great car than simple numbers.

Another astute poster pointed out that for a lot less money, the Corvette has better numbers than both the Beemer and the Merc. But let's face it, the Vette does not have the cachet or cush of the other two, much less four seats or decent trunk.

And if that Nürburgring Nordschleife test he mentioned had been run in the rain, the Vette likely wouldn't even have finished much less posted a decent time. But this is not the Vette's strength and we all know that.

So "it depends" is the only logical answer to the question of which high-end performance car is the best. In other words, the question is flawed and has no true or correct answer.

Another facet of this particular discussion is that both the M5 and the E63 will get something interesting to play with shortly from Audi; the new RS6 (twin turbo V10).

And I seem to remember that the last time Car and Drive compared these three vehicles (once they had all come out with the current cycle of their respective models); the RS6 won pretty easily.

And on anything other than straight, dry pavement, both the M5 and the Merc will be at a huge disadvantage and wind up watching four rings disappearing down the road in front of them. And for less money spent to boot.

Okay JUGNU, time to flap your jaws about something irrelevant made in Japan...