M5, E 63 AMG, Panamera Turbo put to the test: Hellish V8 sedans

I ch I haven't ordered a taxi at all - especially one that sticks to the rear-view mirror at 200 km /h. 'The driver of the Porsche Carrera 4S might have thought like this, the other day on the autobahn At all. But it doesn't help, the silver E-Class hangs stubbornly at the legal minimum distance on the imaginary tow rope. Even the attempt to escape in the form of a full-throttle sprint fails.

Mercedes E63 AMG is coming out

When the Mercedes pulls by at some point, it comes out as the E 63 AMG: perhaps the most beautiful combination of restraint and vehemence. A biturbo V8 that carries the mink inside. Whereby - even in the cockpit, the 106,000 euro sedan keeps its classic line. Except for the AMG interlocking for influencing the shift strategy, damper hardness and ESP control, as well as sporty seats and steering wheel, nothing much is different - including a great feeling of space and comprehensive assistance armada.

Every now and then you could want a bit more finesse imagine, for example with the hard plastic frames of the seat adjusters; but the devil is going on under the hood. Gone are the days of the 6.2-liter, high-speed, large-piston knockers, instead two turbochargers blow loads of fresh air into the combustion chambers of the newly developed 5.5-liter direct injection engine and any tears of farewell from it. AMG friends are used to the pain of parting - among other things from 2006, when the supercharged V8 was withdrawn, much to the sadness of all torque fetishists.

BMW M5 can go as fast as it wants

The E 55 was able to go straight ahead - and how, threw Newton meters around in clumps. In contrast to the more sensitive 6.3 liter vacuum cleaner, whose 630 Nm can be danced individually if necessary. The new one also succeeds in this, despite the biturbo. The AMG team gave the 204-kilo block an equally fine and massive sucker behavior, including a prompt reaction to accelerator commands. Without any noteworthy response delay or sound castration by the loader shovels, the V8 snuffles, puffs and toil from 1,000 to 6,000 rpm. The 4.4-liter V8 in the BMW M5 screams hurray, while it stays relaxed in the slipstream of the Mercedes. If the test AMG has to do without the optional lifting of the 250 km /h limit, the BMW M5 can, thanks to the M-Drivers-Package (2,450 euros), like himcan. And it can turn fiery up to beyond 7,000 rpm, as is typical for a turbo, but still show broad shoulders like a diesel from 1,500 rpm.

Exactly: connoisseurs know that there are hardly any good reasons, not a sedan with a three-liter six-cylinder - that combination of enormous torque and a certain willingness to turn - to be equipped. Certainly, right. Because what a gasoline engine can do, only a gasoline engine can. Especially a great guy like the one in the BMW M5. In the X5 M and X6 M, still somewhat overwhelmed by their SUV bulk, the armed biturbo on board the 1.9-tonner can develop more freely. It hisses, whistles, hisses and does and does - pushes itself into the center of a successful composition.

BMW M5 pays homage to acceleration

Unlike its 80 kilogram lighter, somewhat harsher The predecessor with the naturally aspirated V10 engine and automated manual transmission is the 560 hp new BMW M5 with dual clutch transmission. Storms with relish through the rev range, lets the second wind, oh what, hurricane set in from 4,000 rpm. Neck muscles tense, occupants mesh with the excellent option seats and have to be careful that their facial features do not freeze into grinning grimaces while they pay homage to the acceleration of the BMW M5. Four seconds to 100, 12.2 to 200 km /h - and it doesn't stop. The bars flicker on the M display in the windshield, briefly catching the glimpse that we are already cracking the 300 speedometer mark in the twisted fifth gear. And we still have two gears, which the dual-clutch transmission quickly adds.

Not bad for a sedan that, in addition to 520 liters of trunk and four cozy seats, also has driver assistance, internet access and real-time traffic information with it for an extra charge. Colored head-up display and adaptive light are even standard in the BMW M5 at 102,700 euros.

Muscular all-rounder with a weakness for electronics

The Porsche Panamera doesn't have it with a head-up display, real-time information and assistance armada. In return, the turbo, which costs around 140,000 euros, includes air suspension, multimedia with navigation, adaptive light and 303 km /h. If the BMW M5 is a muscular all-rounder with a weakness for electronics, the Panamera with its large tailgate is a broad-shouldered five-meter sportsman with a dry handshake. Little is fluffy here, neither the tightly upholstered seats - individually electrically adjustable at the rear for an extra charge - nor the steering. There is not much better on well-groomed slopes: Deliciously appealing from the middle position, with the right gear ratio and good feedback, it forms the opposite pole to such electric and active steering systems that juggle with gear ratios and /or servos until the end is too late gets stupid.

However, the connection between the steering wheel and the wheels is sometimes a bit too direct: on undulating slopesif the matter becomes uncomfortable, the whole front end starts to vibrate. The wide 20-inch option wheels with a flat cross-section and the tightly tuned air spring adaptive damper units allow especially short bumps to penetrate to the occupants. Drivers in the BMW M5 and Mercedes E 63 AMG are largely spared of this. These filter small and large bumps neatly, skillfully use the possibilities of their adaptive dampers (Mercedes also with air suspension at the rear). On the other hand, the steering of the BMW M5 and E 63 AMG does not quite achieve the precision of the Porsche, whereby the power-assisted steering of the BMW M5, which can be adjusted via an extra button, initially appears a bit more synthetic than the electromechanical of the Mercedes.

Don't worry in the Porsche Panamera

But no matter how: The 1.9-ton trucks steer cleanly, traverse curves neutrally after gentle understeer, depending on the ESP and accelerator pedal position also more or less across. Without the help of electronics, however, you should know exactly what you are doing here. With the Panamera, on the other hand, nobody needs to be afraid of turning it into a two-door vehicle in the heat of the moment when oversteering and reversing into a parking space. The mechanical traction is fantastic thanks to the electronically controlled all-wheel drive and rear differential lock. No other two-ton truck stays so calm in alternating curves, shaves along the desired line so precisely in turns. In no time at all, the perfectly integrated driver has grown together with the Panamera, lets the 4.8-liter biturbo toil in overboost and unleash a maximum of 770 Newton meters on the wheels.

At higher speeds, the 60 hp are behind the BMW M5 not only measurable, but also noticeable, which is also due to the subtle Panamera sound, which also has to do with clear wind and rolling noises. As with the BMW M5 and Mercedes E 63 AMG, it works best for outsiders: you get the full V8 aroma. Just ask the driver of the Carrera 4S.