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The E63S feels more stable and planted at higher speeds
Driving Dynamics – Both cars channel power to all four wheels with a rear biased power delivery. They don’t feel understeery as the setup let’s you play around a bit with the rear. Both also let you go rear wheel drive only for drifting but it’s so much easier to shut power to the front wheels in the M5, unlike in the AMG where you have to follow a slew of steps before rear-wheel drive mode is engaged. In the M5, you can go for 2WD and 2WD Sport modes, one let’s you drive with traction control while the other is a drift mode whereas traction control has to be turned off to engage drift mode in the E63.
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Both the cars can be equipped with carbon ceramic brakes
Both the cars feature AWD but can be switched to rear-wheel drive
The Mercedes-AMG E63 feels more surefooted at higher speeds than the BMW M5. It feels more confident, better glued to the road and offers better feel and feedback from the steering as well. In comparison, the Bimmer feels a bit light and edgy, definitely more playful but certainly not as poised as the Merc. The E63 also has the better ride quality here although not by a mile and the nose lift function makes it more practical to tackle tall speed-breakers although the BMW didn’t scrape its underbelly on even the worst of roads (we still took caution by crawling sideways)! Little to choose from in the braking department as both cars offer strong stopping power with optional ceramic brakes which are almost fade free should you choose to drive on the track.
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5 star safety ensures you’re safe when you’re giving it the beans
Safety and After Sales Service – Both the cars, as expected get a slew of safety features such as advanced all-wheel-drive systems, traction control and ESP to ensure that you don’t get too carried away by 600 BHP on tap. Needless to say, both the cars get 8 airbags and a stellar 5 star Euro NCAP safety rating.
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Practicality of a luxury sedan and power of a supercar are characteristics of both these cars
Verdict – Both these German cars are proof that you can have the best of both worlds. Both these super saloons offer terrific performance and engaging handling in a sedan body style. They are sleepers which look special and perform extremely well. But there is no denying the fact that the E63 handles and rides better and is better equipped too but also costs Rs. 10 lakhs more. But here is where the problem lies, choosing one of these two cars isn’t as easy as it seems because there is a lot of emotion involved here and while I would pick the E63 for it simply being better in more ways than one, the rest of the MotorBeam team is just spell bound by the M5 for they find solace in the way it looks and sounds, it just feels more hard edged and difficult to tame, making this German war a knockout of sorts.
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What would be your choice out of these two?
Testers’ Note:
“A few days before driving the E63 AMG, I drove the regular E220d. I was wondering if the AMG engine will be plonked on this saloon, will it be able to put down all the power properly? After getting behind the wheel of the E63 I got the answer, HELL YES! What a brilliant performance car, it handles the monstrous V8 power with sheer confidence and you feel glued to the road all the time. It has a muscle car feel to it with that roary exhaust note. I know one thing clearly, you can’t judge an AMG with its regular counterpart, they are poles apart!” – Aariz Rizvi, Assistant Editor, MotorBeam.
“There is something about the Mercedes-AMG E63S that just makes you go weak in the knees. Sure, it has a lot of power, but apart from that this super sedan offers an immersive driving feel with its engaging dynamics, sharp steering, loud exhaust, chuckable nature and of course the stealthy looks. I for one really like sleeper cars and if not for the Matte Grey shade, this one is one of the best sleepers around. I drove this car for so many kms, yet I never felt like returning it and this car just begs to be driven more and more.” – Parth Gohil, Associate Editor, MotorBeam.
Further Reading –
2018 BMW M5 Review
2018 Mercedes-AMG E63S Review
