I was driving down the highway in the E55 today and I saw a RS6...so I pull up next to this guy and I punch it, slow down, and get back next to him. I look over and the guy looks back and I tell him to go. The guy does nothing. I was really dissapointed, I wanted to see what that car is made of. What a frickin *****.

 

dont be so harsh on the RS6 owner, Give him credit for backing down; He knows whos King of the Luxo Missile Sedans , and he didnt wana mess with him, good on him! E55

 

So it was a nice Friday afternoon, at intersection, this debadged Boxter tried to overtake me from the right when the light turned green.

As I slowly accelerated to minimize wheel spin, we were neck to neck to 5mph before I hammered it. Obviously it was not even close.

Poor guy he should have been more careful seeing the V8 kompressor badge and gave up before I blew exhaust deposits all over his convertible.

I guess I was partly responsible slowly accelerating away giving him the illusion his Porsche could actually beat the Mercedes in a straight line.

This is officially my first kill as the other times I moved so quickly away from others I could not be 100% certain they were trying.

 

If the road were to become twisty or have a series of 5 braking zones from 100 mph followed buy a increasing radius corners the RS6 would be the winner. Different cars with different strengths.

In a straight line or on a "freeway pull" the E55 will win but we all have fun in different ways. I saw an RS6 drive on the road once and we both gave the look of respect and went about our business. We had no need to "compare" right there and then .

I my self think the old A6 chassis is fairly "unsafe" and the W211 is one of the safest on the road. With crazy drivers here in so-cal I like to know my car is fairly strong. Trouble is the new A6 is so ugly it makes the E60 5-Series look great. And the new A6 is even worse in person than in the photos. That front end...oh dear....looks like MB will gain market share with each new competitor that comes to market!

 

It the real world straight line rules. I don't know about you guys, but trying to race another car through the twisties is plain stupid and dangerous. But a quick 10 second stop light grand prix is harmless.

 

You just gotta love this line. Not a W211 e55 owner yet, but hoping to own a used one next year

 

Mad props to you!

 

if i had an E55, i'd debadge the hell out of it.. take every badge off and then just **** with people day and night.

 

The RS6 with a chip would give us a run for the money but I would rather lose and look good doing it. Stock vs Stock the E55 just pulls. The RS6 just doesnt strike me as that great looking either.

 

So an impromptu stop light drag race to 100 + mph is something you consider safe? Have you missed the countless street racing car wrecks by people who felt such racing was nothing to worry about? I have images of cars in two pieces after being split in half by a tree or telephone pole!

Of course any type of aggressive or dynamic driving is more risky than conservative moderate driving but I think assuming a straight line race is safe is slightly off base.

I feel safer driving with people I know on a canyon road where I have every turn memorized and where I know the location of every turn-in, apex, track out, bump, camber change, rock slide area, blind corner etc. Two cars following each other up a well known road at a safe distance is still VERY risky but doing 100 mph in a congested area is equally as bad IMHO. The minute a driver begins to exceed the ability of his car I back off 100% and let him to his own damage being that I need no part in someone else’s ego boost.

Driving on a canyon road has a 10/10th scale and this scale is much lower than a 10/10ths scale on a race track. 8/10ths on a canyon road still leaves a sizable safety zone for unexpected changes in line due to unplanned objects.

In the above described situation the RS6 would check out from an E55 and never look back. Putting 470-500 hp to the ground in a rear drive car with no LSD is an equation for wheel slip! But which car did I purchase? the E55 for it is a better every day car for what I do more often -- freeway driving. I took a test drive in an RS6 up in my local canyon roads and yes the RS6 is a wonderful car but its dated chassis, styling, and poor crash test ratings made me realize that the RS6 was an example of to little to late in the high hp 4 door race. Take the 4wd, brakes and exhaust note from the RS6 and put that in the E55 and you have one amazing car!

Crash Test Data: IIHS 40 MPH Off-Set Frontal Crash Test (first used by who? Mercedes Benz!)
Audi A6 (V6)
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_rat...html/99017.htm
W211 E500
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_rat.../html/0308.htm

 

Again, racing through canyon roads lasts, what, a few minutes? And you can't see how that is more dangerous than and impromptu stop light grand prix? Get a grip, most of those wrecks you reference they were not just drag racing, they were street racing, probably trying to prove they can out handle the other. And note to you, you can't stop light grand prix if there are cars in front of you so you're not exactly racing in traffic, it doesn't work that way.

Take it to the track. But in the real world the E55 rules.

 

Your real world in Texas is clearly different than my real world in Southern California. I have hundreds of miles of canyon roads in my back yard. My canyon drives don't last a few minutes and in fact some last several hours. One time comes to mind where a friend and I rented a 330i Sport and a Cooper Mini S for the day and drove 500 miles in 8 hrs through the canyons. I don’t go out driving to chase people down and prove who has the bigger "****." Instead I go out for a nice drive (or maybe with ONE other car -- a person equally as skilled and often far more skilled than my self) to enjoy the art of motoring. This seems different that playing the game of "hey check it out...my car is faster than yours." For me a canyon drive is an early morning drive as the sunrise or a mid day reprieve from work. Some drive to prove something and others drive to enjoy beautiful day and to put a smile on their faces. When I drive I have NOTHING to prove and I often back down and let people go...no need to race!

I don’t get any fun out of blasting in a straight line with an auto box for frankly a trained chip could do that.... WOW push foot to floor and watch Speedo sweep to 100 mph! It is just too simple to do that!

As for your quote about having cars in front of you...this shows how you are fairly detached from reality. The cars you SEE are the ones that don't cause a problem! It is the car that TURNS out in front of you or the PERSON that steps off the curb.

I think it is great that you feel the E55 is such a wonderful vehicle. Maybe if you lived in the middle of the finest canyon roads around you would feel differently. In Texas I would agree the E55 has few cars it needs to worry about keeping up on the freeway!

And yes the track it there when I want to push the car to the maximum...

 

It all depends on ones priorities.

It's a shame, I just don't have the time to spend enjoying the art of motoring, looking for that challenging and fun road. When I drive, it's from point A to point B, I never find myself having the luxury of going for a drive just for the sake of driving.

Track is definitely out of the question and when I go for long driving trips (>2 hours), comfort and luxury rule over a car's handling, to a large degree. No, I'm not resorting to mini-van or SUV, but I would take a E55, M5 or 545i perhaps even the LS430 or S600 over a 996, M3, R6, S4 or any Ferrari any day.

Instead of going out there to prove my driving skills to anyone or to myself, I go out to enjoy the car's engineering when going from point A to point B. Not only do I appreciate effortless acceleration, a car's handling, solid chassis, quietness, safety, telematics and electronics all play a role.

And with my impatient personality, often when in a rush, nothing is more convenient than a powerful and good handling car. The ease in merging, the power, the quiet cabin, the luxury, it's therapeutic..

 

hahahaha,

The Rs6 driver probally thought your car was a Taxi, where's the thrill in racing a Taxi?

 

Hey wow that's great that you live in the great state of California, but if you bought your RS6 to cut up mountain twisties, then the guys in Miatas and M3's would probably laugh at you. If you spend hours and hours carving up twisties, I suggest you buy a car that is more purposeful in that area. Or are you just cruising on the twisties? You like to drive slow on the twisties? If not, then you must be going full out because where is the fun in driving twisties unless you're going fast, challenging youself? If you are then you can't see how dangerous that is? I'm thinking these are two lane roads? Where an on coming car might be around the next corner? I'm farily certain the CHiPs is always trying to stop people from racing the canyon roads, right? Again take it to the track.

And before you start pointing fingers about me thinking I'm big **** in an E55 you my friend are doing the same thing saying the RS6 is such a great mountain carver.

 

Many people seem to have something to prove on these message boards and act as if the car they drive is the end all (both cars are "beyond great" and both deserve respect)! Incase you missed something I OWN A 2004 E55k (Pewter Silver/Black/Merlot -- Navi, V60, Voice Control, Lighting Pack, Drive Dynamic Seats, Parktronic, KeylessGo, Side Blinds, Rear Shade, CD changer, Trunk Closer, Tire Pressure Monitoring - looking to get another E55 and maybe sell this car to a relative). I did not buy the RS6 for it, is dated, has a big tumor in the trunk for a battery, fairly unsafe, ugly, and at the end of its life cycle. But at the same time I have no reason why not to stand back and say that it has some redeeming qualities. Car nuts tend to discuss cars from an objective standpoint and well there are places the RS6 exceeds the E55 and places the E55 exceeds the RS6. But a ask again which did I purchase?

Now a popular fallacy is that you need a tiny car to go for a drive in a canyon. Driving is about driving and not about what you drive. I could take a C240 loaner out for a drive and have the same amount of fun as in an E55 or 996. I enjoy driving so as long as the car is not skittish and dangerous I am more than happy to take it for a drive. M3's are not that great in the canyons for in stock form they understeer with the best of them (have driven many -- in all states of tune).

As for my driving style in the canyons.... Lets see I tend to wear tires and brakes out fairly quickly so I doubt I am cruising around the canyons. Fast enough to have fun slow enough to keep it safe! I do value my life and the lives of all others on the roads. Not driving Ms. Daisy but I am not trying to be Kimi either.

Yes canyon roads are two lane roads and I never get near the double yellow line. When you can't keep the car on its intended line you are clearly going to fast on a road you do not know well enough. There is little room for error so it is best to keep it safe and know what you are doing.

The CHP does patrol some canyon roads but I know where they hide and when they are there! Saturday is a bad time to canyon drive for the CHP is out looking for sport bikes that are ripping it up. To be honest I have come across the CHP 3x where I deserved a ticket (speeding -- tires yelling) but guess what they let me drive right by and never even thought to bother me. If I were so whacked out and crazy something tells me they would chase me down. I watched a group of 30 EVO VIII's get pulled over one Saturday morning and I must say they had that one coming. Some roads are so empty there is no reason to patrol them for speeders (1 car every hour is hardly worth waiting for). Two CHP guys I know have sport bikes and, guess what, they enjoy a nice mountain drive as well!

I am not pointing fingers at anyone but comments like "E55 is king" are pointless. Every person has a different version of being king and I enjoy discussing cars objectively for any car with 450-500 hp would be fun to own.

If I belong on a track...you should be on a drag strip...

Enjoy your car and believe me I will enjoy mine.

 

The cars are better suited for different things.

The E55 is a monster in the 1/4 mile...some of the stock and modified times I have seen posted on this board are amazing. I know that given a free road ahead that an E55 will pull on me....but I know there are other qualities about the E55 that made you buy the car. Hell if you were worried about 0 to 60 and 1/4 mile times only you could go and get a Z06 and modify the hell out of it and get better #'s. The cars are about more then the 0 to 60 and 1/4 miles. I really like the E55, the styling is fantastic but it is just not for me....doesn't mean I can't appreciate it though.

BTW, I think that just an ECU upgrade in the RS6 would give you a run, but I still think the E55 1/4 mile would be slightly faster. It would take more mods then the ECU upgrade...IMO.

 

Folks,
I do not want to enter the debate of curves versus straight line, however, please see the May 2004 issue of Popular Mechanics, no matter how hard PM tried they could not get the RS6 under 13.5. No ECU mod alone will make up a full second. They are not even close in acceleration.

 

Well if you dont want to enter the debate then why pick the slowest number out there for an RS6 done by a magazine that occasionally tests cars?

I have seen as low as 12.6 and as high as 13.1 by auto mags....these are guys that do this ALL DAY LONG not once in a while.

BTW, it is a bit tricky getting the proper launch for the RS6 on the 1/4 mile. It is not just hold the break and mash the gas...this will cause the car to go onto a safety mode that you might not recognize (it is hard to notice unless you know what you are looking for it and know what it is doing)....and PM may not have known that because they are not strickly car guys.

 

Again, I did not want to debate which is more desirable handling or straight line performance. I was just trying to state facts. Based on specs, 13.4 sounded about right. By the way, I just looked at road and track and they listed 13.2 in the June 2003 issue. Just the facts, no opinions

 

8 hours/500 miles in a Mini Cooper or 330i is a cruel punishment in my real world, friend.

 

We are all different. The Mini was a true mini sports car but the brakes were no where near what they needed to be. They were smoking after running up hill for 10 miles!

The 330i was fun but clearly not equal to an AMG benz. DCS does work for more smoothly than ESP.

Not sure why you would be against a day of driving but that is something I consider fun. I alway enjoy seeing what cars I could have purchased and what makes my car unique. There is only one way to respect cars and that is to drive them and learn what the strong and weak points are. Im sure I sound odd but I love to drive!

 

I am just posting facts.

The RS6 has been raced at the 1/4 mile by many owners on RS6.com and they all got from 13.1-13.5 because of he fact that its hard to launch because of the rev limiter. and PM is way off on all there cars. And for car and driver that was a Estimate there actual test was 12.8 and motor trend tested 12.9 and those are the two top magz out there. (btw both were tested with the E55) about a chipped RS6 my dads chipped RS6 did 12.4 at the track. I still think a E55 still has a slight edge over a chipped RS6 but a Stock RS6 now way the E55 will take it all the way. Except for like to 60 because E55 is rwd and needs traction.

EDIT: i just want to say that about c&d and MT being the best mags is a opinion and not a fact, however most car guys agree that they have the most acurate test numbers and have experienced drivers, and have been around for 40 years or soo. ( and rather then most mags know what they are talknig about)