By no means earlier than has an excellent wagon comparability take a look at between Mercedes-Benz and Audi been attainable in america. Mercedes has offered a hell-raising property automobile right here for practically twenty years, however Audi has often declined to deliver its spiciest wagons right here, citing foolish issues like “gross sales” and “monetary sense.” That’s now not the case, because of the 2021 Audi RS 6 Avant.
It’s the newest in an extended line of gorgeous, asphalt-demolishing Audi Sport wagons, and People are lastly getting a style of a car meant to be the final word one-car resolution for automobile fanatics. It guarantees to not solely demolish race tracks and be as fast as supercars from a decade in the past, but additionally eat up freeway miles in consolation and ferry a complete household and its baggage. You already know, the very factor Mercedes’ AMG wagon has been for years. And for the 2021 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon, these mad lads in Stuttgart have greeted the Audi’s arrival with an replace of its benchmark uber wagon. What a impolite welcome.
Each longroofs are propelled by 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engines. The RS 6 Avant is aided by a 48-volt mild-hybrid electrical system, however don’t be fooled. There may be nothing inexperienced about both it or the Mercedes. The AMG E 63 S manages to eke out extra energy with remaining output touchdown at 603 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. Audi trails shortly behind at 591 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. Based on producer estimates, the dash to 60 mph requires 3.4 seconds within the Mercedes, and three.5 within the Audi. On paper, the 2 engines could seem a bit copy-paste, however they’re something however that from behind the wheel.
A low, bassy grumble steadily will increase in quantity contained in the Audi as much as redline, whereas the Mercedes’ revs zing upward with a fairly, mechanical-sounding trumpet of V8 nastiness. The noise is simply the primary trace that the AMG wagon is rawer than the Audi. Mercedes transmits each pound-foot of torque by way of your bones with the proper pedal pinned. Energetic engine mounts stiffen up on the twist of the mode dial, giving the AMG a good higher sense of immediacy. Every throttle enter is met with an on the spot response, beckoning to your will so shortly that it masks the turbocharged nature of this engine. It shortly begins to really feel like an extension of the driving force.
The Audi is numb and distant as compared. It’s masking the identical quantity of floor on the similar speeds, nevertheless it’s doing so with a filter. The place the Mercedes’ engine is alive and dancing, the Audi’s V8 simply feels prefer it’s going by way of the motions. Sure, our heads are pinned to the headrest, however we really feel additional away from the wagon’s beating coronary heart. Responses aren’t as sharp, both. There’s a split-second extra turbo lag and shifts aren’t fairly as crispy or scintillating.
Utilizing the ZF eight-speed transmission, because the Audi does, is often a foolproof technique to deliver each efficiency and refinement to a powertrain (even BMW M vehicles use it lately), however Mercedes’ nine-speed multi-clutch transmission is a superior accomplice in spirited driving. Every upshift is met with a firecracker bang, and each downshift is invigorating, encouraging you to maintain pulling the down paddle whereas braking into corners to listen to the guttural (and barely infantile) pops and bangs. The Audi shifts are stupid-quick in a vacuum, however its responses appear dulled when pushed back-to-back with the Mercedes. To not point out that the Audi has tiny, hard-to-reach paddles with middling motion versus Mercedes’ giant, clicky shift paddles. Finally, the Mercedes is way extra entertaining to shift your self, however each are completely good and able to placing you in the proper gear in automated mode on a rustic street.
However can they go left and proper, too?
After all. Much like the engine story, although, the E 63 S has the sting. Each these wagons are fitted with air suspensions which are totally adjustable from pillow-soft to racetrack-stiff. Fidgeting with the settings returns completely different outcomes and opinions every time we swing round to the identical stretch of pavement. However it doesn’t matter what mixture the Audi is ready to, it nonetheless can’t contact the good chassis tuning on show within the Mercedes.
It’s hardly plausible that the AMG wagon is using on an air suspension, as a result of it displays not one of the typical springiness or bounce. It’s pinned to the pavement, forgiving and secure on poor street surfaces, however scissors by way of clean roads like a bayonet by way of cloth. The steering is excellent in Sport+ mode, offering a pure degree of suggestions and correct weighting to instill confidence within the chassis. It’s a pure athlete, springing from corner-to-corner with spunkiness and functionality we are inclined to affiliate with Porsche. After two straight hours of dancing round our favourite roads within the Mercedes, we’re left questioning, what extra are you able to need?
Audi absolutely knew it might be tough to finest the AMG’s dealing with, however engineers positive did attempt. With zero trace of understeer, the RS 6 Avant eats up corners. It turns in faster than the Mercedes (thank the all-wheel steering system) and has a faster, lighter steering rack typically. All that’s completely wonderful for scything by way of the native roundabouts, nevertheless it’s a step behind the E 63 S in every single place else. There’s no hiding the air suspension beneath right here, because the RS 6 Avant struggles to retain its composure over tough stretches of street that had been merely shrugged off by the Mercedes. You progress round within the seat extra as the massive 22-inch wheels skip and bounce by way of street undulations. Much like the engine state of affairs, the Audi is essentially succesful past anybody’s street wants, nevertheless it speaks again by way of a thick layer of insulated glass. Take away it, punch up the environment, and also you get the Mercedes. AMG made its wagon extra enjoyable to drive than Audi Sport. Interval.
If this had been a two-seat sports activities automobile comparability take a look at, Mercedes would probably have clinched this already. However not so quick. These are wagons, and to be the perfect, in addition they must do wagon issues.
Which means they must be comfy to drive day-after-day, maintain all of your baggage and accommodate backseat passengers. The query of consolation is the place all of the Mercedes’ high-performance traits come again to chew it. The place the Audi is whisper quiet inside, a not-insignificant quantity of street noise intrudes into the Mercedes’ cabin. Each suspensions soften of their respective consolation modes, however the E 63 S Wagon’s stiff chassis that’s so pretty on a backroad imparts a smidgen extra influence harshness on the freeway. Even with the worryingly skinny spackling of rubber wrapping the Audi’s 22-inch wheels versus the Mercedes’ 19-inch rollers, the RS 6 Avant is the extra comfy cruiser.
Hanging out within the Audi’s again seat is marginally extra nice than the Mercedes, because of a small benefit in legroom (about an inch). Nevertheless, each are spacious sufficient for adults and provide devoted local weather zones separate from the entrance seats. The Mercedes takes a marginal win in cargo area (35 cubic-feet), because the Audi’s closely angled rear window cuts into most cargo capability to the tune of 5 fewer cubes. Extra baggage will in the end match within the Mercedes, however you may nonetheless stack 4 full-size suitcases into the Audi, and that’s the bogey for this dimension of automobile.
Each these wagons impress and annoy from the driving force’s seat. Audi’s trendy architectural inside design is trendy and oozes wealth, however Mercedes appeals to our wishes for elegant and exquisite design. The touchscreen-heavy Audi setup appears and feels fancy now, however we had been craving for bodily controls to regulate the drive modes and local weather management system virtually instantly.
Mercedes manages to frustrate in a brand new and completely different means this 12 months, because the E-Class’ new contact delicate steering wheel controls are downright nightmarish to make use of. The splendidly tactile scroll wheels and solid-feeling switches of earlier than had been changed with shiny black surfaces that solely responded to our swiping inputs a part of the time. Dropping even a fraction of finger placement precision by utilizing gloves on the touchpads would shortly drive us to madness. Even with that annoyance, Mercedes retains us on its good aspect with perfectly-molded seats (better-hugging than Audi’s sport seats), a decrease sprint top for higher visibility, and someway, much more efficiency devices and gizmos hidden within the infotainment system.
The one space the place Audi pulls a convincing victory is in exterior design. There’s merely no better-looking household automobile on sale right this moment. Its hips flare out way more aggressively than the AMG’s. The Audi even has laser lights with a warning to not look instantly at them … as a result of they’re freaking lasers. That’s a dub within the Audi column. Mercedes could have upped the drama within the E 63 S this 12 months with the big, radiator grille, nevertheless it’s nonetheless meek and timid-looking when parked subsequent to the RS 6 Avant.
Selecting one over the opposite primarily based on value elicits zero benefits. The RS 6 Avant begins at $110,045, whereas the E 63 S Wagon begins at $113,500. Each our take a look at vehicles had been optioned to just about similar specs — the Audi ended at $131,645, and the Mercedes at $137,850. Deleting the beautiful $3,950 designo Good Blue Magno paint choice from the AMG can be unhappy, however a free paint choice just like the Audi’s Nardo Grey would deliver the totals a lot nearer. Mainly, you may both afford it, or you may’t. There isn’t a finances choice.
With value out of the equation, our hearts do the deciding, and the 2021 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon has stolen ours. This wagon has the utility of a household truckster and the beating coronary heart of a sports activities automobile. A litany of smile-inducing parts imbued within the Mercedes in the end put it over the sting. From the way in which it squirms so fortunately as you squeeze onto the throttle exiting a nook, to the unpredictable barks and bangs emanating from the quad exhaust, the Mercedes is only a couple rungs increased up the efficiency ladder. Its negatives aren’t practically persuasive sufficient to sway us within the path of the shiny, new RS 6 Avant.
However props to Audi for lastly coming into this brutally tough and tiny discipline in america. The Mercedes’ victory shouldn’t be learn as a suggestion to not purchase the Audi. It’s the higher wagon for slogging forwards and backwards to the workplace in serenity, nevertheless it simply gained’t make your hairs stand at finish on a twisty part of street. For that degree of driving satisfaction, Mercedes will get the nod.
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