Motor Trend - USA (2021-04)

THE E 63 WAGON

JUST SNORTS AND

GRUNTS AND HOLLERS

AND PUNCHES AND

KICKS AND SCREAMS.

and also provide feel, so I could stay out

of the ABS with ease. This wagon profile

is so much better for the Panamera. It’s

the only version I think is attractive.”

Anything he didn’t like? “I wish the

engine had more character and voice.”

Intellectually, I get that the Porsche

Panamera Turbo S Sport Turismo is

the superior car. But emotionally, the

Mercedes-AMG E 63 S wagon ... it just

snorts and grunts and thrusts and hollers

and roller-coasters and goes berserk

and punches and kicks and screams. It’s

Howard Dean in matte blue paint.

It’s crazy capable, too. Evans was in

the Panamera, and on a particular high-

speed stretch of road, I told him to go as

fast and as hard as he could. My thinking

was, if he really went for broke in the

Panamera, there would be no way the

AMG could keep up. But at the end of the

road, he said, “I couldn’t shake you.”

Damn skippy. To be fair to the Porsche,

I’ve rarely pushed a car as hard as I

pushed the AMG. Likewise, the way

in which the E 63 S kept up with the

Sport Turismo wasn’t pretty. Body roll,

tires screaming for mercy, hot plates

for brakes. Still, it kept up. Oh, and we

couldn’t even see the RS 6 in our mirrors.

After lapping all three around the Streets

of Willow, it was crystal clear the Porsche

is the best car, period. There’s sophisti-

cation to its chassis the other two simply

don’t possess. Yes, there’s a big price

premium for that sophistication, but in

this case, you get what you pay for.

“I swear Porsche engineers must spend

a lot of time watching how athletes and

animals move at full run,” Evans said.

Walton added, “The way the Turbo S

moves feels organic.”

The AMG was sloppy on the racetrack

but still felt better than the RS 6. “You

were on your mirrors in that last corner,”

the boys laughingly pointed out after I

climbed from the Audi. The AMG was

only ever on its door handles. Walton

made one final, notably valid point:

“Let’s not have another story where the

best driving car loses because it’s not

emotional enough.”

Again, I want to stress that this test

shouldn’t ever have happened. High-

performance wagons are supposed to be

a rare oddity in America, not plentiful

enough that a buff book can pull off a

three-way comparo. We’re supposed

The AMG came sporting the smallest

wheels. Also, we love the gold calipers.^ APRIL 2021 MOTORTREND.COM 31

0-60 MPH 3.1 sec 3.0 sec 2.7 sec

QUARTER MILE 11.5 sec @ 120.2 mph 11.2 sec @ 124.0 mph 11.0 sec @ 123.6 mph

BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 113 ft 104 ft 102 ft

FIGURE EIGHT 24.2 sec @ 0.81 g 24.2 sec @ 0.83 g 23.6 sec @ 0.86 g

NOTES 0-60 MPH Chalk up the Porsche’s launch advantage to its quicker-

engaging dual-clutch.

QUARTER MILE Notice the AMG’s trap speed is slightly higher by the end

of 1,320 feet. Chalk that up to the Mercedes-AMG’s weight-to-torque

advantage (7.4 pounds/lb-ft versus 8.0) and its shorter gearing from

second gear on.

FIGURE EIGHT The Audi tied the AMG in terms of time, though the

Mercedes’ road holding is a touch higher. The Porsche smacked both of

them. To illustrate how insane the Panamera’s 23.6-second time is (and

to show how great all three cars are), an Acura NSX clocked 23.8 seconds.

Mid-engine Corvette? We’ve tested two top-spec 3 LT Z51 models; one

did a 23.6, the other a 23.3. Man, the Porsche wagon is nuts.

2021 Audi RS 6

Avant

TEST TRACK SHOWDOWN

2021 Mercedes-

AMG E 63 S

4Matic+

2021 Porsche

Panamera Turbo S

Sport Turismo