If you think it’s a coincidence that BMW and Mercedes-AMG refreshed their heavy-hitting sedans at approximately the same time, think again. These two brands have been trading punches for decades and the latest versions of the automakers’ high-performance sedans are closer than ever.
In a recent video by Carwow, we watched a BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63 S take on one another in a drag race. The M5 features a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 that generates 592 hp (600 PS) and 553 lb-ft 750 (Nm) of torque. The AMG E63 S, on the other hand, is a little more powerful. It’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 cranks out 604 hp (612 PS) and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque.
The outlet did a few quarter-mile runs and found that the E63 S, with its popping and snarling exhaust sound, continually beat the M5. Interestingly, in a recent test TheMotoristSA completed with the help of Top Gear South Africa to recreate the drag race and a new winner emerges.
Spoiler alert, in the video below, the M5 manages to beat the E63 S by what looks to be a half-car length. It’s a surprising result, as in the other videos we’ve seen, AMG’s sedan manages to run away from the BMW handedly and anything else that attempts to take it on.
There are a few reasons for this, though. As we saw in a recent dyno video, the M5 makes more power than BMW lets on. So this one could be packing a little more juice than other models. The other reason, which is more plausible, is that the driver behind the wheel of the M5 gets the jump on the E63 S. Still, with more power, the AMG should be able to at least make things a little closer in the end.
If anything, this video brings more questions to light than it answers. With a new Audi RS6 right around the corner, things could get even more complicated in the high-performance sedan segment.