Comparison Tests
Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzungen are speed limits, and Germany is famous for not having any. Actually, speed limits are everywhere there, as are speed cameras and Polizei to enforce them. There are stretches of the A8 autobahn from Munich to Stuttgart where the posted limit changes three times over the course of a mile. One reason: Germans have a fanatic obsession with good roads, so there are more construction and maintenance workers in Germany than there are practicing Catholics.
For this reason, and also the cameras, and also because they just follow rules, Germans heed their speed limits. What they demand in exchange for all this rampant civil obedience are luxury sedans capable of effortless triple-digit cruising in the de-restricted zones, and incredible last-second braking for the 80-km/h signs or the occasional wandering, Serbian-registered RV. This habitat breeds the best sedans in the world, and we’ve come here to declare one the most well-rounded, the ultimate, the ne plus ultra.
Once upon a time, these kings of Prussia’s roads had large-bore V-8s, Newtonian-blessed V-12s, and even a couple of V-10s. But new fuel-economy regs have ended the age of individuality and forced everybody (and by “everybody,” we mean Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz) toward identical solutions. The standard power unit is now a twin-turbo V-8 with both prodigious low-end torque and thrilling peak horsepower.
With its new 4.0-liter V-8, Audi follows BMW’s lead in cramming the twin-scroll turbos, exhaust manifolds, and catalytic converters into the block’s valley and reversing the engine’s traditional airflow pattern, now from the sides into the middle. All this is done to shrink the overall package and concentrate the hot parts in order to take maximum advantage of the exhaust energy.
When they arrive stateside in September, the Audi S6 and its companion hatchback S7 will feature this new 420-hp crackerjack, which also sports cylinder deactivation, a fuel-saving feature that neither the BMW nor the Benz has (though Audi stands alone in not bringing stop-start to the U.S.). Audi hasn’t priced the S6 yet but tells us it’ll start at just above $70,000, in keeping with the company’s recent push to bring down both cost and content of its S models. Not long ago, the base A6 dusted the regular BMW 5-series in a comparison. The as-yet-unseen RS6 would be a better challenger to the steroidal M5, but it’s not out yet and may never come to the States. So, we figured, why not give the S6 a chance in the lion’s den. After all, this could be the hottest size-6 Audi we ever get.
The example pictured here—which includes optional paint, fan-spoked wheels that won’t be available in America (at least initially), and extras such as radar-based cruise control—will land “closer to $80,000,” we’re told. We estimate it at $79,000.
Though we first tested it last December, the redesigned BMW M5 finally rolls into dealerships as you read this. The M TwinPower Turbo 4.4-liter V-8 that replaced the V-10 makes for an ugly Medusa of hoses and conduits under the hood, but the beauty lies in the stats: 560 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, the latter available from just 1500 rpm. At this writing, BMW is still making us guess the M5’s price, though a $92,000 start is hinted at, and our test subject, with options such as surround-view cameras, probably pencils out to $97,000.
Against its competitors, Mercedes-Benz is still selling big-bores. Granted, the E63 AMG’s twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8 replaced a 6.2-liter so things are also trending down in Affalterbach. With its turbos slung more conventionally on the engine’s flanks, the E63’s standard output is 518 horsepower. AMG makes you pay another $7300 above the $91,475 base if you desire the engine’s full 550-hp potential, which we didn’t enjoy with this example.
To test these cars in their native surroundings, we journeyed to the doormat of the Alps and into a watercolor landscape of dandelion-speckled meadows, freshly turned fields, and red-roofed villages. Here, it’s easy to order yourself a plate with nothing on it but a dollop of vinegary potato salad and a roasted pig’s knuckle. One of Germany’s endearing contradictions is that a people who build the world’s most sophisticated cars also eat like cavemen. And their credit-card readers can’t stomach American plastic. Or maybe it’s just our plastic.
