Automobile Comparison: Audi S6, BMW M5, Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG

I should have done option B. Now I know.

No, you did it correctly! If you click the title of the article, it brings you to the right page.

I know, but I wanted to make it AutoSpies style, with the info page first, and then the link.

Ahh, I actually think that's more of a bug then user error, :)

The BMW gang will love this article. Not too surprising really. I think most would choose a BMW for a day at the track over most cars (other than a Porsche), but it is hard to beat Audi and MB for a daily driving sports car.

This is complete BULL!!! M5 dethroned?? Come on!! Transmission not good enough?? If thats the issue Automobile mag has, then it has many issues. BMW has the best driving dynamics of all manufacturers. Period. IF they didnt like the tranny, learn how to use it by opening the owners manual. This article is obsurd, completely. You mean to tell me the AUDI is a better car? AUTOMOBILE----YOU JUST LOST YOUR CREDIBILITY FOREVER.
Thats it.

Automobile Magazine needs to catch a wake-up. Do a proper test like this one in South Africa comparing the M5, RS4 & E63AMG. Even the RS4 is better than the S6. http://motoring.iafrica.com/carsinaction/426938.htm

Audi continues to produce the best interiors. Even the S6 outguns the M5 and redesigned E63 for interior supremacy!

M5 is the best four door sports car that money can buy.

E63 is the best all around experience.

S6 is the Unique one with superb quality. not far behind the E63. Still ages being the M5.

Fortunately, the RS6 will have superb quality as well as rapid acceleration leaving the M5 and E55 behind in a trail of dust.

Can you say 550 horsepower bi-turbo V10? Audi sure can!

Audi is just producing better cars that is all. It is about time they get the respect they deserve.

With the launch of the RS4 (which has yet to receive a bad review), S6, S8, Q7, Q5, A5, R8, new TT,

A5RS, TTRS and RS6 get ready to see a lot more wins for Audi and subsequently the title of Best Selling Premium Auto Manufacturer by 2010.

All these models mentioned will be out by 2010 and the A8 will be all-new in 2009 with an interior that will be truly unbeatable.

Well that should be expected with Audi's being known as the benchmark for interiors.

All three cars are great, you really can't go wrong with either one. But if I had to choose. I would take the Race Car for 4. The BMW M5!

Still, it shows that the M5 is not that much superior performance wise, and as a sports sedan it is lacking some sedan qualities. The next RS6 of course, will have more performance than the M5 for sure.

if i had to choose, i'd probably pick the s6, since i'm not too fond of the flappy paddles in the m5, the e class isn't as dynamic but the s6 is really discreet, a "Q" car. and since i'm in a boring mood, it's more secure in the hands of an ordinary driver, avec 4 wheel drive. and you can get the avant version. an estate super car sounds very cool to me.

It seriously baffles me how people can dislike the SMG? As a fortunate owner of an E46 M3 CSL with the SMG i have to say that i am utterly in love with the system, the paddle changes are golden. You can't get a sportier feel than flying around a track with the beautiful shifts of the SMG.
I really have issues with reviewers disliking the SMG as it's simply because they're not used to it and don't really have enough time to get comfortable with it unless they spend a good weekend trying the thing out, then one can see the true beauty of it.

Again to beat the M5 for power Audi and other have to resort to hairdryers and various other forms of steroids to come close, all it does is shows how superior the BMW workmanship is on their engines. Honeslty nothing sounds better than a naturally aspirated engine, and nothing lasts longer either.

I'm not much of an Audi fan (interior-wise). It's just not my taste I guess. BMW is a little better but i'm more of a MB fan overall. All are great cars, all are German, and all have great quality so there's no argument there. Depends what you want. Audi/BMW are more concentrated on the sport luxury where as MB is more luxury oriented. However, their AMG's are some tough competition for the other German automakers. All are nice and all can beat the average car on the road so in the end if if 3 cars (E63,M5,S6) are lined up on the road. The owners of those cars can pat themselves on the back and say win or lose we've got awesome machines!

The only thing MB has that the rest don’t have is the definite luxury perceptive value. MB has been successfully established this image, communicate the brand value. Furthermore, the advantage can be seen throughout the world. I don’t know parts of the world that you guys have visited, but from Asia to the Africa MBs have been the strong choice amongst the have. In fact in some part of the world, owning an MB would be their first step towards wealth and success recognition. Personally, this perceptive image still shares the most significant aspect when buying luxury cars.
For these sport sedans, well.. unless if you are Jacques Villeneuve, Nick Heidfield (who are BMW F-1 Drivers), Emanuele Pirro, Frank Biela and Marco Werner (winning drivers for Audi Le Mans race), or Raikonnen, Montoya (these two you can guess right?); 1 or 2 seconds difference would NOT be too significant in EVERYDAY driving. Heck, I even doubt you could even notice of the difference. For those horsepower, here in Maryland, I don’t see any where I can fully utilize the great power of these engines possess. 65 speed limits would hardly contribute for harnessing these speed demons.. it’s a pity, but that’s real life..
So c’mon guys, be real and slow down the ego..

Hi sulev, i agree with your point about not flying around public roads and not being able to fully utilise the immese capabilities of these truly amazing machines.

But it is quite easy to take them down to the track and unleash the beast or so to speak, and all you need it s helmet. In some states you also need an ametuer racing permit which will set you back $60 or so plus $200 for a drivers ed course.

Most BMW dealers will be able to point you in the right direction of your local club and often give out memberships when you purchase an M series car. I would assume Merceded and Audi would do the same, though i have not experienced it first hand. My dealer informed me that roughly 1/3rd of the M3's he sold had owners who took out memberships and used them for occasional track use. Because there isn't really any point to buying an M series, and AMG or an RS model if your never going to take it to the track, you may as well just go for the top of the line luxury alternative, like the 550i instead of the M5 and so on.

BMWMPower--You are dead on!!!!! I totally agree. Heck, im thinking about taking my 530i to Autocross.

Hi BMWMPower, your points are well taken..
Great insight on unleashing our deepen need for speed (or at least that’s what I feel).
However, the sums of money are really a set back.. 60 large (and up?!?) for a license would definitely need a sincere blessing from my wife.. Not to mention when the time comes for you to release the car, the immaculate “ex-race-course-weekend-driving” low mileage luxury sport car tag would be definitely out of the question.. hahaha (a jeered laugh of how a used car is sometime being appreciated)

Hahaha yeah true, the trick with that is to keep the car at about average mileage for it's age and not do too much damage at the track and make sure it's well cared for. You'll generally use a lot more of the brakes and need to keep an eye on your oil too.

But if your in the 2nd hand market for an M3 CSL and the owner is claiming it's never been on the track you'd have to have rocks in your head to believe them. These people get the CSL package for 1 thing and one thing only, they generally even have a separate car for weekdays and the CSL is weekend monster.

BMWMPower

I heard that BMW is putting turbos (hairdries in your speak) in its next cars. What is wrong with BMWs? They can't make the hp out of naturally aspirated engines? They had to resort to hairdryers to catch up to Lexus. How pathetic.

@ BMWMPower

You don't strike me as a BMW fan at all. BMW has used turbos in the past: the 1970s 2002 Turbo. A BMW fan would know this.

BMW has marketed itself as a purist sports company and that meant leaving out forced induction. Ignoring their European turbodiesels, this has been true for the most part, especially in regards to their M Division where it really matters. So what if the 335i will have forced induction? There is a demand for this out there and BMW reacted. As a side benefit, these turbos increase torque, which affects fuel economy positively and also acceleration and midrange acceleration. The car will be an impressive performance machine. And like Mercedes, BMW has eliminated turbo-lag I hear.

all 3 cars are obviously fantastic and highly desirable..the M5 is an absolute beast..awesome..what can you say about the E63 other than, "Wow"..? the S6 is totally under the radar..Not quite the track star as the other two, but not far behind..I intend to purchase the S6, nothing against the 5 or 63, just that I want the quattro due to geographic location..also I have a '05 A6 4.2 S-line, and I love it..looking over the options order form, plenty of technology is available along with some new colors like Phantom Black Pearl Effect,although no DSG is certainly a bummer..would love to have the BMW and MB in the garage though for when the weather was good though...

Just read the latest Automobile magazine long term review of the A6. Eight unscheduled visits to the dealer for a host of electrical glitches. This is unacceptable. Audi still has a long way to go.

I have 14,000 miles on my '05 A6 after 15 months..not even close to a single problem..its not like BMW and MB have glittering initial quality ratings..the several people i know with '05-'06 745's are wishing their lease was over...

@chewy & BMW 530i

To the uninitiated BMW are only putting hairdryers (turbos) in only 1 non-diesel powered vehicle which is the 335i. Which is not an M series car. The turbo is in there to provide a mid-range sports car with economical fuel consumption. It is not there for the same reasons as why Mercedes supercharge their AMG engines and Audi have twin turbos on their RS series.

I don't have a problem with the 335i making use of forced induction. None. ;)

I don't take issue with BMW using turbos in the 335i, but if the day comes where the M5 or M3 becomes turbo i will be very disappointed. the present and upcoming range of engines for the M series is amazing and to top it off they are naturally aspirated. The 3.2ltr I6 is a real gem as is the 5.0ltr v10, and i'm expecting more of the same from the 4ltr v8 that will reside in the upcoming M3. It always makes me proud that i'm able to drive a naturally aspirated I6 which is able to mix it with some much larger 8's without any steroids.

Forced induction does have its advantages too. But I am sure that BMW will keep those off their M cars. Ruins the philosophy.

car makers don't really have a philosophy, they have damn good pr departments. the "philosophy" changes, depending on market conditions. bmw used to make "the ultimate driving machine". it then made a luxurious car (the 7 series). it made estates. it made 4 wheel drive. it made 2 suvs. it made the z3. advertising convinces you that you are buying into this philosophy, it makes a brand allegiance which keeps sales high. car makers aren't there to please you or keep heritage, they are there to make money. think about rolls-royce, it's owned by bmw. do you think mr royce would have ever wanted rolls-royce to be owned by the germans? ferrari was all about track performance, till they realised they could make more money by making their cars more accessible, so they made an automatic and made the cars more luxurious, which caused a huge shock. mercedes was all about engineering without regard to cost, they scrapped that idea to make more money. lexus was about providing impeccable luxury and smoothness, it then made 2 suvs, tried to inject driving pleasure into their cars and styled the LS like a yank tank. jaguar was about performance at a low price. not any more, with the x type estate and the "premium" aspirations.
car makers aren't here to provide a philosophy, they are here to make money and they do this with brilliant pr and advertising.
if bmw finds it can make it's m cars for less with forced induction, it will use forced induction.

just ordered an S6 yesterday..set for build later this month..expected delivery October 9th..still no pricing..wahoo..