Watch the latest video brought to you by the CarWOW team, where an Audi RS6 Avant, a Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Estate, and a Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo go up against a BMW M5 Competition.
The Audi RS6 Avant is a mild hybrid with 600 hp (447 kW) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) under the hood. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends the power to the wheels, and the curb weight is 2,075 kilos (4,575 lbs).
The Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Estate also packs a 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8 in its engine bay, but manages to extract 612 hp (456 kW) and 850 Nm (627 lb-ft) out of it. The transmission is nine-speed automatic, and the weight amounts to 1,995 kg (4,400 lbs).
The Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid is the strongest of the four, but also the heaviest. Aside from its 4.0 V8 rated at 550 hp (410 kW) and 770 Nm (568 kW), it also has a rather potent electric motor good for 136 hp (100 kW) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft). An eight-speed PDK semi-auto delivers the momentum to the wheels, and the weight is 2,325 kg (5,125 lbs).
The BMW M5 Competition is the only sedan/saloon in the race, which is easily explained by the lack of performance estate/wagon models in the current BMW lineup. It boasts superior 4.4 liters of displacement and churns out 625 hp (466 kW) along with 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) of torque. It also weighs in comparatively low at 1,940 kg (4,277 lbs).
Watch the (excellent, as always) video now or read on if you want spoilers.
The quarter-mile rum proved that all four cars were roughly equal, with the gaps between cars crossing the finish line being no more than 0.2 – 0.3 seconds. Such discrepancies are usually explained by the different reaction speeds of the drivers.
The BMW M5 Competition brought us another surprise today by zapping through the drag strip 0.6 s faster than the week before. Brake efficiency test once again showed regular disc brakes being marginally more efficient than the expensive carbon-ceramic ones.