These two cars have been at each other’s throats since they’ve debuted. The BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63 S are, without question, the two best super sedans on the planet. It’s actually not even close. No other car on the market can provide the thrills, comfort, practicality and tech that these two can. Choosing between the two is really just a matter of taste, rather than which is better.
One of the main talking points for both is that they can both be switched from all-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive, allowing them to go from pure performance machines to tire-scorching hooligans. So Cars.co.za decided to test that out with the help of resident awards judge and drift-expert Ernest Page. And, rather refreshingly, they didn’t decide to choose a winner, only to see what these cars can do when their front wheels are switched off.
First up is the Mercedes-AMG E63 S, which sports a 4.0 liter twin-turbocharged V8 that makes 602 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. That monster of an engine is paired with a nine-speed auto and, in this case with its “Drift Mode” engaged, rear-wheel drive. That allows it to do massive skids, smoking its rear tires to bits. According to Page, the E63 feels big but makes easy work of drifting.
Next up is the BMW M5, which uses a 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8 with 600 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. It also uses an automatic gearbox but one with eight speeds rather than nine. In this case it’s also rear-wheel drive, thanks to its “2WD” mode. When sending all of its power to just the rear wheels, it’s also excellent and turning tires into heat and smoke.
Both of these cars are flat-out awesome. They’re big, luxurious bruisers of sedans that can embarrass supercars in a straight line, out-drift almost any sports car and take the spouse to a fancy dinner all in the same night. If anyone says the golden era of cars were any other time than now, they’re wrong. That’s not my opinion. It’s fact.
