Mercedes E55 AMG vs Audi RS6 vs BMW M5 (E39)

[Gunnar]

Kom over en duell/test av nye MB E55 AMG, Audi RS6, og vår kjære 4 år gamle E39 M5. Den stod i februar-utgaven (2003) av Evo Magazine.

Dark Forces

With its 469bhp supercharged V8, the Mercedes E55 AMG has the potential to make the Audi RS6 and BMW M5 feel weedy. But can you have too much of a good thing?

February 2003

E55 v RS6 v M5

It's fascinating to watch the speedometer needle of the E55 AMG. Not because it's spookily spindle-less but because it sweeps around the dial at such an incredible rate. Even into three figures the pace of the magically suspended orange needle is astonishing. If we had filmed it and you could watch it, you'd reckon the footage had been speeded up like a car chase in a bad film, but hammering along Millbrook's mile straight with an insistent, immense accelerative force at our backs, it looks very real to Jethro and me.

The needle is still going strong as it swings for the last marking on the dial, 160mph, when the acceleration abruptly but smoothly tails off - we've hit the 155mph speed limiter, and there's still a chunk of the straight to go. Jethro utters a raw expletive.

How fast would the E55 go if there was no limiter and the straight was two miles long? One eighty? Easily. 200? Possibly. A derestricted SL55 with essentially the same 5.4-litre supercharged V8 made monkeys of a bunch of supercars at a Nardo test organised by Auto Motor und Sport magazine, topping out at 202mph and proving the most accelerative up to 170.

A couple of months ago we attached our own VBOX timing gear to an SL55: 0-60 in 4.6sec and 0-150 in 24.0. Quick, huh? Yeah, but the more sober-looking E55 gets to 150mph in just 22.8sec... [insert your own expletive here].

In at least one respect, the E55 redefines the term 'performance saloon'. In this class there isn't a quicker or more powerful four-door; with 469bhp the Merc has 25bhp in hand over its most potent rival, the Audi RS6, and almost 70bhp over the iconic BMW M5. In the time the Mercedes takes to get to 150mph, the Audi and BMW have just passed 130mph. And in terms of torque the E55 is even more impressive, its supercharged V8 generating an incredible 516lb ft, over 100lb ft more than the twin-turbo RS6 and no less than 147lb ft (almost 40 per cent) more than the normally aspirated M5.

If this was a game of Top Trumps, you'd feel pretty confident with the E55 AMG in your hand. However, whether you'd feel so invincible with its steering wheel in your palms and a challenging road unfurling before you is more what evo is about. Having the power is one thing, making it effective, exploitable and enjoyable is quite another. 'Power is nothing without control', as Pirelli says.

Power has its price, too; at £60,640 the E55 costs over £8000 more than the M5 and about £3000 more than the RS6, though here the gap to the Audi is less because we've chosen the five-door Avant which has distinctly more supple suspension than the saloon.

However, view the E55 as a four-door, stealth-specification SL55 and it doesn't look so expensive. And stealthy it certainly is - it could be any version of the new E-class with optional AMG five-spoke alloys, only the quartet of tailpipes and a few discreet badges revealing its true identity. Another car that makes it look like a bargain is the Brabus EV12 that we drove back in issue five. The E55 is actually more accelerative than the 574bhp, 206mph Brabus (verified by the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest saloon car in the world), and it costs about half the price.

It was a perfect day when we turned up at Millbrook to figure the Merc - very cold, providing the dense air that the supercharger loves, and perfectly dry. On the ultra smooth asphalt, the auto-only E55 hooked up reasonably well and with no effort other than a stretching of the right leg bagged 0-60 in under five seconds and 0-100 in the low 10s. Incredible. We shaved off a mere tenth by switching ESP off and resorting to road tester skill, which shows how carefully optimised the system is, and how much the E55 relies on it - many runs were slower because the rear tyres lit up and squandered the performance.

Compared with the SL55, the AMG E-class has a slightly lower power rating but that isn't the reason it can't quite match the SL's take-off. It has narrower rear tyres, is almost 200kg lighter (weight helps traction), and also has a longer wheelbase, so there's a smaller degree of helpful weight transfer to the rear on take-off. So with less launch bite, the E55 is a couple of tenths behind the SL up to 60mph (4.8 versus 4.6sec), but once traction has ceased to be an issue it closes the SL down. By 100mph it has drawn level on 10.2sec and by 150mph it's over a second ahead.

Genuine supercars don't go much faster, so it's no surprise that the Audi and BMW are left in the Mercedes' wake. They're pretty evenly matched, but with its six-speed manual and rear-drive, there's a lot more technique involved in getting the M5 off the line to hit 60mph in 4.9sec and 100 in 11.5. With no special driver skill the automatic, four-wheel-drive RS6 will knock off 60 and 100mph in around 5 and 12 seconds all day but by turning off wheelspin control, holding it against the brakes and dialling in 3000rpm, it's possible to launch harder and get them down to 4.8 and 11.6.

If you're tempted to think that on real roads the E55 won't feel that much quicker than its rivals, you'd be wrong. If anything, it feels more terrifyingly rapid than it did at the test track. The amount of thrust it can summon up seemingly in an instant is at times genuinely shocking. Don't be tempted to ferry fragile relatives around when you've got hay fever. The supercharged V8's peak torque - that truly monumental 516lb ft - arrives at just over 2500rpm, and the elastic nature of the auto 'box's fluid flywheel means that the engine hits those revs only a moment or two after the accelerator finds the carpet.

The RS6 feels mighty quick when you stoke its rumbling, twin-turbo V8 up to full boost, no question. It delivers the sort of thrust that warrants a warning on its cup holders advising that full-power kickdown whilst carrying hot beverages is not recommended. And yet there's no doubt the E55 hits even harder and faster, exposing a minimal amount of lag that you otherwise wouldn't notice. Similarly, its linear, unrelenting thrust points up a slight flattening of the Audi's delivery in the mid-range.

After this pair you have to consciously adapt to the BMW. It's so easy to forget it's a manual and sit there wondering why it's labouring in sixth when you've floored the throttle to overtake. Doh! The long, knuckly shift of the M5 has never been its best feature but after a while it becomes less obvious and it does give instant, direct access to the engine's performance.

Hooked up to the appropriate ratio, the normally aspirated 5-litre V8 doesn't feel massively out-gunned by the forced induction V8s ranged against it, responding instantly and pulling for the redline with ever increasing and wholesome honesty - organic is the word that springs to mind.

The M5 never delivers the knock-out thump of the E55, and what makes the Mercedes' sledgehammer thump all the more stunning is the fact that when you're just bimbling it feels like a regular, comfortable executive saloon. It rides over shoddy asphalt with suppleness, the gearbox shuffles the ratios almost seamlessly and the V8 is much less vocal than it is in the SL55. There are pointers that it's not your average E-class: deeply bolstered, snug-fitting seats, a leather-clad wheel that's small by Mercedes standards and a lovely set of AMG logo'd charcoal grey on opaque white dials.

There's a meaty weighting to the E55's steering but it's not as responsive as you'd expect. It feels right a few degrees either side of centre but the first time you heft the Merc into a quick, moderately tight bend, the nose doesn't turn as much as anticipated. It's almost as if the steering ratio changes, becomes slower, as you approach a quarter of a turn of lock. You gradually adapt to it, but after a stint in the M5 or RS6, the first decent turn reminds you it's not quite right.

If the E55's rear tyres had to survive without ESP, they would lead a short and violent life. Only two tyres are approved for it, a Dunlop and the Continental Sport Contact 2s fitted to this car, whose sidewalls carry the words 'Extra Load'. I imagine they have additional banding in the carcass to prevent the branding on the sidewalls becoming permanently distorted by the shearing loads between the rim and the tread chewing at the tarmac. Well, in perfect conditions, at least.

If the road surface is cold, bumpy or at all greasy, the 265/35 ZR18s simply can't find enough purchase below 60mph to use all of the engine's massive grunt. Try to use much more than half throttle and the ESP traction control goes into overtime, its warning light flickering like it's sending a semaphore message. To its credit, ESP does a marvellous job and lives up to its monicker, shutting down wheelspin before it gets a chance to jab the tail out of line more than a few degrees and then feeding the power back in keenly but cautiously and remarkably smoothly.

There are lots of nudges and squirms at the rear axle which you discover aren't solely down to ESP intervention (when you get either brave or foolish enough to turn the system off). And if the speed is high enough to give the tyres the chance to hold the road, you can feel a gentle shimmy as the level of grip on each side changes.

Still, you'd reckon that with so much power on tap, the E55 would be a doddle to power-slide, right? Er, no. Although it lacks a limited slip diff, there's enough torque to get both wheels spinning and arc you into a slide (so far, so good) but the steering weighting changes after you've got the lock on and stabilised things, loading up when you try to wind a bit of lock off to trim your line. Alternatively, on a wet road the power escapes through one fizzing rear tyre, then the other, and then - just when you've given up hope of it sliding - both of them. Whoa! That's very exciting, I assure you.

You look to the M5 with its long-established reputation to show how a big performance saloon should behave, and once you've slipped behind the wheel, it feels more right - the driving position is lower and you feel more sucked-in, more a part of the car. Its ride feels initially tauter but it's a surprise to see its traction control light flashing almost as often as the Merc's was on the same greasy roads.

The BMW's normally aspirated 5-litre V8 doesn't have anything like the low-end surge of the force-fed Merc and Audi V8s but work it through the rev range and it gains lusty strength and purpose above 4000rpm, lunging for the redline with a hard yet refined eight-cylinder whirr. The sensation of a big, heavy car beneath you is ever present but the difference is that after a few miles your tentative extending of the throttle and pushing against the grip in corners is building rather than eroding your confidence.

For the keen driver there are two advantages that the M5 has over the E55 that can't be underestimated - the first is that it's normally aspirated, the second that it's manual. Together, they allow so much more control and precision when you're feeling your way but trying to go quickly. If you're up for it and you disengage DSC (Dynamic Stability Control), when the M5's tail slips mid-bend you can hold a steady throttle and ride it out, or even add a bit more throttle at the exit for a flourish of opposite lock. Its steering is light enough for easy handling around town yet weighted just-so for confident A- and B-road work, and there's decent feel through its fat rim, too.

No question, you have to be confident to play an M5 beyond its grip because it's a hefty car but, compared with the E55, whenever you push harder, the picture coming through the wheel and seat sharpens rather than softens. Simply put, at the end of a rapid drive in the Merc, you feel you've survived. In the BMW, you want to go for a few more miles.

And then there's the RS6. Initially, it's not so much the performance of its twin-turbo V8 that impresses but the fact that it has the traction - thanks to four-wheel drive, of course - to use every last ounce of the 444bhp that it delivers, almost all the time. Its traction control light might flicker occasionally but you rarely feel any electronic throttling back.

In fact, after the rear-drivers here, the Audi's step-off is at times absolutely stunning. Sit at a junction in the RS6 waiting for a gap, tum-te-tum. See one, plant the throttle and BAM! With the help of 4wd, the accelerator lives up to its name, thumping the RS6 forward so firmly and instantly that you half expect to hear a metallic crunch and the tinkle of broken glass from the Transit van that just ploughed into the back of you at 30mph.

Even before your first experience of total traction, you know that the RS6 takes its role of high-performance executive transport more seriously than the E55. Everything about the Audi is hard-edged, from the Recaro seats to the steering to the ride to the performance and even the keen down-shifting of its auto box as you coast down - this is a car that means business.

The further you drive it, however, the more you feel that its primary business is more Merc-like than BMW-like, which is to say going very quickly in straight lines. There is more precision to the Audi's responses than the Merc's and traction is very rarely an issue but it lacks the detail feedback and poise sensitivity that allows you to get involved with the process of driving a road like an M5 does. Wind on lock and the RS6's steering goes rather lifeless just when you want more feel, and as the cornering loads build you notice the seat's lack of shoulder support. Grip and traction are still there in abundance... probably. And that's the problem if you're a real driver - you'd rather feel exactly how much there was and be able to go as close to the edge as you wanted to in a given situation, rather than place your faith in the systems.

Sure, the RS6 will do things that the M5 won't. It will find traction, exploit it, and leave the BMW floundering (Merc too, of course) but that doesn't make it a better driver's car. There's no real depth to the experience - when you're not going very quickly, there isn't much to enjoy, and when you are, you don't feel involved. The RS6 is a device that gets the job done, not an instrument that relies on your skill to perform.

What is 'enough power' for the road? Everyone has their own idea, and in this class, with rear-drive, I don't think the M5 is far off it. In the right circumstances, the E55 feels sensationally faster which, of course, is its own buzz and has an undeniable appeal. As we said at the outset, its extraordinary pace redefines the performance saloon: 0-100 in 10.2sec is simply astonishing. Whatever you drive, you'll think twice about messing with an E55 in a straight line, always assuming you spot what it is in the first place.

Yet the M5 has only that to fear. In this class it remains on top because it is the complete package, blending excellent performance with peerless control and precision of chassis, throttle and steering. It would probably struggle to deploy the E55's massive torque and, frankly, it doesn't need it. Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing.

.............Audi RS6.......................M5.......................E55

Engine... 4.2 V8 Twin turbo.....5.0 NA V8.............5.5 SC V8

Power.... 444@5700................400@6600..........469@6100

Torque... 413@1950-5500......369@3800...........516@2650-4500

Weight... 1865 Kg....................1720 Kg..............1760 Kg

Performance:-

0-30............1.7...........................2.1......................2.2

0-40............2.5...........................3.0......................2.9

0-50............3.6...........................3.9......................3.7

0-60 ...........4.8...........................4.9......................4.8

0-70............6.1...........................6.4......................5.8

0-80............7.9...........................7.8......................7.0

0-90............9.7...........................9.5......................8.6

0-100..........11.6........................11.5.....................10.2

0-110..........14.8........................13.7.....................12.1

0-120..........18.3........................16.3.................... 14.1

0-130..........22.0........................19.9.................... 16.5

0-140..........26.2........................23.8.....................19.5

0-150.............NL..........................NL.......................22.8

1/4 mile......13.3@106..............13.4@109...........13.1@115

Kickdown:-

................... RS6..........................M5........................E55

20-40..........1.6...........................3.0........................1.4

30-50..........1.9...........................2.8........................1.5

40-60..........2.3...........................2.7........................1.9

50-70..........2.5...........................2.7.........................2.1

60-80..........3.1...........................2.8.........................2.2

70-90..........3.6...........................3.1.........................2.8

80-100........3.7...........................4.0.........................3.2

90-110.........5.1..........................4.4.........................3.5

100-120.......6.9..........................4.9.........................3.9

110-130.......7.2..........................5.5.........................4.4

Evo Rating

...................4 1/2 Stars..........5 Stars..................4 1/2 Stars

Words/Pictures: John Barker/Gus Gregory

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Vel, hva skal man frykte når den gamle M5en fortsatt er best? Kan ikke annet enn å glede oss til den nye M5en kommer, og blir enda mer overlegen...

[///M power]

HMMM TESTENE VISER EN DEL FEIL.

476 HK OG 700NM SOM SITTER I DEN UDYRET E55 AMG.

0-100 4,7sec og veier 1835

det sto noe helt annen om den nye E55 AMG W211

1.W211 E55 er konge bil og snart er E60 også på sin plass.

2.E39 M5 er veldiiig agressiv og rååå bil liker den.

3. æssjjjjjjjjj hater audi biler greit bil.

[Gunnar]

HMMM TESTENE VISER EN DEL FEIL.

476 HK OG 700NM SOM SITTER I DEN UDYRET E55 AMG.

0-100 4,7sec og veier 1835

Vel. 476hk vs. 469hk er ubetydelig. Dreiemomentet i testen er oppgitt i lb/ft (516), så det kan ikke være så langt unna at det er 700nm. Jeg orker ikke regne ut.

Hva alle prestasjonene angår, så er det, såvidt jeg forstår, tider bladet selv har testa seg frem til. Altså reelle tider. Ikke fabrikktider. Og der ser man nok en gang at BMW oppgir høye tall på 0-100.

Fabrikktallene for E39 M5 er 5.3 sek på 0-100km/t, mens her i testen har de 0-60mph på 4.9 sek. Altså trolig 5.0 på 0-62mph (0-100km/t), og 0.3 sekunder under fabrikktallene. Audi oppgir for lave tider (4.4 og 4.6 har jeg sett på 0-60, og her klarer de 4.8 - helt normalt for Audi å trikse med tall), mens Mercedes oppgir 4.7 sekunder på 0-100km/t, men klarer her "bare" 4.8 på 0-60mph. Vet ikke hvordan Mercedes pleier å være på fabrikktall, men her har de tydeligvis vært litt raske med klokka.

Det kan jo selvfølgelig nevnes at slike ting ofte varierer fra tester til tester, underlag, førere og lignende, men det er faktisk helt normalt at BMWer gjør det bedre enn fabrikktallene i slike "eksterne" tester.

De små tekniske detaljene er vel uansett urelevant. Mercedesen tar både Audien og M5en lett rett frem, men de konkluderer med at den 4 år gamle M5en er den beste bilen.

[///M power]

Beste ja jeg kunne tenke meg M5 er den beste bilen når det gjelder råkjøring,breisladd osv.veldiig sportelig bil men AMG er ikke verst den heller. Dem er jo komfortabelt å kjøre det er det beste og når det gjelder sportlig det er dem også men jeg kan tenke meg M5 er bedre til noe sånt, men som dere så, så var det AMG som var raskest i alt og vekten på den sto jo feil det må du innerømme.

Fabrienstall på en SL 55 AMG hviser 4,7 men bilen klarer å akslere i 4,4s og jeg selv så en SL55 AMG som akslererte i 4,3s der ewr jeg enig med dere om at bilen ikke akslererer som fabrikken hviser.

Men i dag så er AMG den råeste sedan bilen som finnes det har jeg selv lest i flere tester. Jeg kan ikke stole på bar en test det kan hende den testen vi leste nå her,hviser at M5 er best men hva med de andre testene de viser jo noe annet.

M5 var konge i sin tid det husker jeg den var mye bedre enn w210 AMG ,jaguarbilene og RSbilene men i dag er det E55 AMG som er kongen deres det må vi innerømme tjaaa E60 M5 er ikke ute i markedet derfor vi bør nok vente til den er ute i markedet,men da får den også sikkert en veldiiig sterk motstand som W211 E60 AMG.

[///M power]

Håper jeg ikke blir kastet ut av BMWguiden.no pgv. jeg støtter Mercedes.

[Gunnar]

Joda. AMGene er sikkert flotte biler, men det imponerer meg at en "gammel" bil fortsatt kommer ut som den beste kjøremaskinen - totalt sett.

Angående vekta på AMGen; Hva inkluderer vekta du har, da?

I Norge veies f.eks biler med fører og full tank, andre steder gjøres det nok forskjellig. Testen er fra England, så vekta er nok oppgitt etter Engelske regler, og reglene er like for alle tre bilene...

[Gunnar]

Håper jeg ikke blir kastet ut av BMWguiden.no pgv. jeg støtter Mercedes.

Selvfølgelig ikke.

Trenger aktive brukere, og synspunkt fra andre enn BMW-fanatikere er alltid greit å få.

[///M power]

Jeg selv kjører i en BMW E36 1,6 og synes den er råå bil,når det gjelder sportlig kjøring.Jeg kan tenke meg når en 1,6 fra BMW kan være så rååå hva med en 5,0liters ///M motor den råeste bilen jeg har testet er jo E36 M3 den var råååååå og den råeste,kuleste,agressive bilen jeg noen sinne har testet i live mitt men komfortabelt det var'n ikke.

[///M power]

tjaa vekten jeg har her er

Totalvekt 2360 kg

Egenvekt 1835 kg

egenvekt det er snakk om og det er 1835 kg

[///M power]

M5 har altid vært en av de beste og den er det forsatt.

[Gunnar]

Jeg selv kjører i en BMW E36 1,6 og synes den er råå bil,når det gjelder sportlig kjøring.Jeg kan tenke meg når en 1,6 fra BMW kan være så rååå hva med en 5,0liters ///M motor den råeste bilen jeg har testet er jo E36 M3 den var råååååå og den råeste,kuleste,agressive bilen jeg noen sinne har testet i live mitt men komfortabelt det var'n ikke.

Jeg har aldri fått testa noen M3, og det er jo ganske kjipt. Får håpe jeg får ordna meg en prøvetur i en slik en gang om ikke så altfor lenge. E36 316i har jeg heller ikke prøvd, og kan ikke tro den er så rå når man snakker aksellerasjon eller topphastighet, men er sikkert en god bil. Bakhjulstrekk, BMWs deilige og presise styring, bra vektfordeling etc.

Men ellers, hvordan har du fått 122hk i 316ien din?

[///M power]

Kjøpte bilen i 95 tror jeg men det var ikke meg som kjøpte det var fettern min og bilen hadde M3 baklys hvite blink lys foran,M emblembak,og 122hk jeg vet ikke hvordan menn det jeg vet at den har 122hk som står i vognekorte,men litt rart vognkorte hviser at bilen er 318i nårsom slagvolem er 1587cc eller noe sånt 1,6. da er bilen 1,6 men vet ikke det oplegge selv, har testet bilen med å kappe med andre bmw 318i og bilen min dro igjen dem og en standard 318 har jo 113-115hk og 316 har tror jeg 103 eller noe sånt men min har 122hk.og veldig fet lyd ikke så høøy og ikke så grei nok. sånn at når jeg gasser da hører man wrooom wrooom fra BMW motor.Jeg fikk jo vite at når en bil importeres settes det en turteller sperrer. og jeg fikk den opptil 5,7=5700rpm tror jeg.

[///M power]

Jeg selv eier ikke noe bil.

store broren kjøpte seg en Mercedes W210 E200 136hk får noen år tilbake kjøpte den i 2000 sammen med en annen venn som kjøpte en E39 520 150hk. Og da hadde jeg så lyst på en 5serie når jeg så kamraten til broddern sin 5serie. Jeg sa jo til broddern kjøp en BMW istedenfor, men nei han vill ikke jajajja. Men han fikk aldri tid til å kjøre den Mercedesen.

Hele tiden i Taxi og bilen var jo 24timer parkert inni garasjen og jeg somm ikke hadde lappen da, tok nøkkelene til bilen og begynte å kjøre runt,sån sakte sakte ble nesten avhengiig av bil, når han trengte Mercen så gikk jeg og stjel Bmw'en til fettern som var bortreist.Jeg hadde jo nøklen til bilen pleide å øvelsekjøre med den Bmw er første bilen jeg har kjørt i livet.Sån hverdag kjørte til skolen uten lappen i lomma men en fet bil .

En dag Jeg kræsja med Mærsja.....broddern tålte ikke det og solgte bilen han sa nei du har ikke lappen og kan ikke kjøre, jeg bruker aldri bilen derfor den må vekk.

Etter det så fikk jeg lappen og ingen bil utnom bilen til fettern BMW'en så jeg harn avogtil.

Men snart så blir det bil på meg oppps glemte kjøpte en bil får et år tilbake og det var Toyota Camry 85'' grei bil. skal kjøpe en bil snart bilene som er ønske listen min er Mercedes C124,W124,S124 E36 cupe

[Marjusen]

Kjøpte bilen i 95 tror jeg men det var ikke meg som kjøpte det var fettern min og bilen hadde M3 baklys hvite blink lys foran,M emblembak,og 122hk jeg vet ikke hvordan menn det jeg vet at den har 122hk som står i vognekorte,men litt rart vognkorte hviser at bilen er 318i nårsom slagvolem er 1587cc eller noe sånt 1,6. da er bilen 1,6 men vet ikke det oplegge selv, har testet bilen med å kappe med andre bmw 318i og bilen min dro igjen dem og en standard 318 har jo 113-115hk og 316 har tror jeg 103 eller noe sånt men min har 122hk.og veldig fet lyd ikke så høøy og ikke så grei nok. sånn at når jeg gasser da hører man wrooom wrooom fra BMW motor.Jeg fikk jo vite at når en bil importeres settes det en turteller sperrer. og jeg fikk den opptil 5,7=5700rpm tror jeg.

Heia, kanskje vi kan teste bilene vår mot hverandre...jeg har 318

si hvor og når du så er jeg der

[///M power]

why not.

det ser ut som du likte filmen 2fast and 2 furios.

De disser Bmw bilene i den jooo jeg likte ikke filmen. den fine E36 bilen og tapte fra eclips og lancer. drit fil asss men hvis du mener med løp når jeg har bilen kontakter deg liker utfordninger jeg ass