And oh, look, these three wagon combat-
ants all hail from Deutschland.
The 2021 Audi RS 6 is the newest über-
wagon to arrive on our shores. Sporting a
4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 that cranks out
591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, the Audi is
the least powerful of this trio—did you ever
envision a world where a 591-hp station
wagon is the least powerful anything?
The RS 6 is also the heaviest, outporking
the Porsche by 39 pounds, 4,862 versus
4,823. “Heaviest and least powerful is
bad,” I thought, though I should mention
that 39 pounds is nichtes; road test editor
Chris Walton and features editor Scott
Evans joined me for this dream compar-
ison test, and I weigh around 100 poundsmore than Walton. My actual point is,
when did cars get so dang heavy?
Anyhow, the Audi is also the least pricey
as far as starting numbers go, under-
cutting the AMG by $3,455. As tested,
however, the RS 6’s sticker climbs to
$131,645, which is more, though barely so,
than the E 63 S wagon’s as-tested price of
$129,120. The Porsche, as is often the case,
costs much more. Although the company
has not yet fully set its 2021 Panamera
prices, it estimates the Panamera Turbo S
Sport Turismo starts at $183,000, and the
silver one pictured here sells for, Autsch,
$214,000.
The Mercedes-AMG E 63 S wagon—
weighing in at a “svelte” 4,658 pounds—
also has a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8. The
modern-day Hammer Wagon (and really,AMG, please officially call the E 63 the
“Hammer” already) is good for 603 hp
and 627 lb-ft of torque that gets routed
through a nine-speed Mercedes-built
automatic transmission. The Audi RS 6
uses an eight-speed ZF-supplied auto,
whereas the Porsche uses an eight-speed
PDK dual-clutch.
All three wagons boast all-wheel drive,
though the AMG does feature Drift mode,
which disconnects the front driveshaft,
turning the car into a tire-shredding
RWD maniac. Why maniac? Traction and
stability control must be deactivated to
enter Drift mode, and 627 lb-ft of twisting
force is fed into only the rear axle. Fun!
The Porsche also comes with a 4.0-liter
twin-turbo V-8, and now in Turbo S guise
(the previous version was just plain oldAudi wins the looks competition, both inside
and out. The seats recall those in an R8.DID YOU EVER ENVISION A WORLD WHERE A 591-HP
WAGON IS THE LEAST POWERFUL ANYTHING?
COMPARISON