AMG E63 S Goes Head-to-Head with Porsche Panamera
AMG E-Class wagon faces off with the Porsche Panamera Turismo in a heated set of challenges, including a drag race, roll race, and brake test.
Mercedes’ wild, growling wagon is an absolute monster. The AMG E63 S is a crackling and snarling 612 horsepower twin-turbo V8 powerhouse, and if that isn’t enough to get you excited, you can get it in wagon form. There’s a whole lot of stuff to love about this thing, but how does it hold up to its competition?
One could argue the E63’s primary target is the BMW M5. However, when considering the wagon format, a more reasonable comparison is the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo. Yes, that is its actual name. Porsche seems to have nothing against putting entire sentences on the back of their cars. Silly name aside. The Panamera sports an electrically assisted twin-turbo V8 and 680 horsepower. To see which one is truly the best, Mat Watson and Carwow put them to the test head to head.
The first test is precisely where all good comparisons start: a drag race. While the Porsche does have more power and gets some assistance off the line with its electric helper, it weighs a good bit more than the AMG. The stated curb weight of the AMG is 4,515 pounds, while the Porsche comes in at a staggering 5,126. All things considered, they stack up for a pretty good race.
“The electric motor really helped the Porsche get off the line quick. The Mercedes never quite caught up after the Porsche’s lightning start,” says Watson
The Panamera crossed the line at 11.1 seconds, while the AMG took 11.3. Not a monumental difference, but an unfortunate loss, nonetheless.
The story changes when it comes to the rolling race, though. Much to Watson’s surprise, the electric assist doesn’t do much in the way of an additional pickup while rolling. From 50 miles per hour, things initially seem pretty well balanced. However, the AMG starts to run away with it down the road. The story is the same when they repeat the test but switch from comfort mode to sport mode.
“Eventually, if we were on the autobahn, the Mercedes would have come past as it did then at 130,” says Watson.
In the final test, a full panic brake stop from 70 miles per hour, the AMG once again comes out on top. Though they were again quite close, the Merc manages to stop shorter.
“It means that overall the Mercedes wins this contest,” says Watson.
The AMG E63 S Wagon and the Porsche run-on sentence are a close match, but we have to side with Carwow and Watson on this one. In this epic battle of Mercedes vs Porsche, the AMG is the obvious choice.