MuffinFlavored

I’ll swap you mine if you want. $1,788/mo at 7% sales tax

media636

I looked at the Panamera GTS today. The heads up was really nice, you could drag/drop configure it with 6 areas. Sound better than the 4s for sure. Not as visceral as the e63 wagon, but I could learn to love it.

cjmk1982

I drove the turbo s ehybrid and im thinking about the turbo s ehybrid turismo if I go the Porsche route myself. It's just hard to compare since both cars are such bad freaking a...
Still, I dont know though, I thought the Porsche was nice but still liked the e63 better. I just like the interior of the Mercedes so much more. Less complicated and cleaner lines in the Mercedes (especially with carbon fiber trim) IMO.
Drive wise, smooth and more comfortable than the Mercedes, but it just felt like a boat that steered really well. Kinda looks like a boat too, once again IMO. Lol.
I did however loved, I mean really loved the electric version of the car which also recharges every time you brake. The gas mileage on that thing is ridiculous.
Cost wise, not so fond of the porsches cost over the Mercedes. Almost 200k with options added for the porsche just seems ridonculous, buuuut since you get close to 7k in government rebate and since you'll save some money on gas over time and just because it's cool as f. Annnd it probably won't depreciate as much (guessing).... is it worth the 200k price tag....? maaaaybeeee?
So, for me, I still liked the e63s better. For me the drive and the overall feel of the car is more in tune with me than the Porsche. I also just feel safer in Mercedes and that's especially important with kids. Just never seen or heard of someone in a Porsche that's been totaled like my previous e63s and to walk away unharmed to really compare, but man after I saw the tree my friend hit with my car at really high speed, i realized the e63s is built like a tank. Any other car, I think my friend would've been seriously injured or even worse. Not saying the Porsche isnt safe but that I KNOW that the e63s is safe as heck.
Man I miss my car....

MuffinFlavored

e63s, cool and physically attractive
panamera, not so much...

how did your friend lose control

cjmk1982

Agreed. I dont know how he lost control. He says he was avoiding a deer but who knows. Could've been just dumb driving.

Wolfman

We have front/rear dash cams in every car. They could have come in handy...

E634Me

A lot harder to avoid deer in drift mode than in normal AWD or even sport handling mode ;-)

I've taught my daughters to brake as necessary, but otherwise just plow into / over any wildlife that runs out into the road. A lot of people have died trying to mis a squirrel or bunny, which half the time turn around and run back off the road anyway.

MuffinFlavored

very true. do you let your daughters drive your e63s?

E634Me

Not yet, one is on her provisional license for another couple of months and the other is 14. In fact, my wife has only driven it once. I tried for some time to get her to drive it, but she was a bit afraid of it - especially launch control. But I finally convinced her that comfort mode would be OK. She quickly realized that it was in fact quite drivable but hasn't really wanted to drive it again right away.

The daughters been driving my jeep off road since they were around 8, initially sitting in my lap with me running the peddles and later on their own. Have been giving them pointers along the way as opportunity has presented itself. The older one is doing great as a result so far.

Once she's gotten her unrestricted license and a bit more experience I'll let her take the car out when I'm with her - wouldn't turn her loose on her own in it.

One of the things we talked about two weeks ago while driving out to Borrego Springs to do some dirt bike riding was about a sign on the Interstate about no stopping or parking on the shoulder and why the sign was there, and how dangerous it is to stop on the shoulder of highways due to the risk of being hit by an inattentive or impaired driver. Little did we know that the previous night, one of her friends since grade school was driving with her family on the 405 around 11 PM on the way to visit family and ran out of gas while they were in the HOV lane. She stopped the car (2016 Honda Odyssey) on the left shoulder and they called for service and alerted the highway patrol. Shortly after that they were struck by a man in his mid 20s driving alone in a pickup truck in the HOV lane, and (allegedly) under the influence. Her 13 year old brother was killed, and both her parents sustained injuries - her mother six broken ribs and a broken pelvis.

My daughter's friend and her other brother were OK. She and my daughter went hiking with some other girls yesterday and have been doing some other activities as well. The community has really responded to help the family and my daughters friends have done what they could to help spirts, but it is a tough thing. The funeral was last Saturday and attended by pretty close to 1000 people I guess, knowing the size of the church.

As I'd explained to my daughter as she started driving and going out on her own, cars are fun and offer a lot of freedom, but it only takes an instant of inattention to change all that.

Dunga

That’s absolutely terrible. I’m sorry to hear about the young man. Don’t know what else to do but pull over to the shoulder if you have a mechanical problem or run out of gas or something. Everybody is driving distracted texting on their phone these days. I’ve seen it at the field as a passerby and have pulled kids out of a wreckage once. Seen lots of aftermath in my line of work at the hospital. Just awful.

E63guy

I love my Panamera obviously, but I think the most important thing is to be honest with yourself. I wasn't honest with myself and spent a year+ in a car I couldn't love despite every effort (Volvo V90 CC T6) before stepping up to the car I love. The planets aligned for me to do so financially, but for a while there it looked like I'd have to ride out the final 2 years of the Volvo lease. Obviously the Volvo vs the E63 or Panamera isn't a remotely fair comp, but the point stands that life is too short and these cars are way too freaking expensive, so buying anything that will elicit in you any sense of remorse, regret, or bummer, is definitely not the way to go. Follow your heart.

amgliturbo

I have had my 2019 E63s now for 2 months. When making my decision back in Nov/Dec I started out thinking I was going to buy another M5 (having owned 2 M5s in the past that I tracked and loved). I have a Porsche Turbo which I love but wanted a fast 4-door that was going to have the power and handling that in many respects would rival it. What got me thinking about having another fast saloon was an article I read about the M5 Competition. It is a fabulous car but the looks just leave me cold as does the interior. I then considered the Panamera Turbo but am not a fan of the looks and as a hybrid it just doesn't get high marks--its also considerably more expensive. I love Porsches having raced a 1991 3.3L 985 Whale Tail (500 hp) Turbo and a 996 Turbo both of which I still own. I then decided to take a look at an E63s and felt that it looked better than the M5 both in and out--just higher quality looks, materials and workmanship in my opinion. BMWs in the northeast have become way too ubiquitous and homogenized--they all look alike from the 3 series to the 7 series and every housewife, soccer-mom, secretary and non-car guy country club dad owns one. A friend recently bought a new M5 Comp and we have taken multiple drives together with both cars and often park in the same lot. He was the first to note that everywhere we go my car gets all the attention--I am regularly coming out of a restaurant or store only to find people walking around my car wondering what it is and when encountering folks that are car knowledgeable they are drooling on it. His M5 gets literally little to no attention--everyone thinking it is just another 5 Series. That said, BMW just does a better job than Mercedes when it comes to combining ride comfort with great handing. Case in point, my X5 had much better ride comfort/handling than my ML550. Don't get me wrong I love my ML550's engine-faster than my X5 and a better interior. All Mercedes, short of the S class, have a harder abrupt edge when hitting bumps than BMW or Porsche and this is true to an even greater extent when comparing the new M5 to the E63s. I think the M5 clearly is the better all around car (more comfortable suspension,and marginally faster) but it just does not excite me. I am not a fan of the rear end of the E63s but the M5's doesn't look a whole lot better. The front and sides of the E63s in my view are more aggressive and more to my liking. The E63s interior just exudes a quality and luxury that I feel is seriously missing in the M5. The upgraded Burmester is also better in my view than the B&W upgraded system in the M5. The M5 wins hand down regarding electronics (the E63s menus and confusing, infuriating operation/control is an accident waiting to happen) I find that for the most part you have to set most functions before starting off on a drive and just live with most of your choices. In conclusion if I didn't already have a high end comfortable SUV and my primary mode of transport with passengers was going to be a super saloon the M5 is the car I would own no question. The E63s on the other hand is angry, loud and special. Just what I wanted; i.e, a car close to my Porsche in capability but able to carry 3-4 passengers that I can scare the S#&! out of.

tonecas

great post @amgliturbo

i agree with all what you have described. just add two cents: the M5 with comp package is more harsh and gets similar to E63S.

but cars are emotion, and the E63S tops it when it comes to a family sports car.

the rear end is really a miss on the E63S, but then again, the alternatives are not that much better.

Agent-A01

Just wait for your perfect E63.

If you buy something else you'll eventually regret it and wished you had waited in the first place.

Ralcbah

I'm on the hunt too. There just isn't another car in this class that does it all as well as the amg. Spent another two hours in the m5 this weekend. Got the price down 10% and then left to think About it....not gonna do that deal. While it's a nice car, and is fast, it just doesn't compare to the e63, especially emotionally...the package is too calm, and too muted, aesthetically and when driving. Porsche did a good thing, but it feels big, bit too big. If I get rid of the e63, gonna have to be for a gt3 or baby McLaren.

E63guy

The Panamera is indeed a very big car. That said, it's worth trying in a model with the rear wheel steering system option if you've not done so. Opposite turn at low speed, parallel turn at high speed. It makes the car incredibly nimble. U-turns feel almost as if the car is pivoting. And, many reviewers have remarked that at speed the car feels smaller the harder it's pushed. I would concur, and I suspect the RWS system is the reason. It's really remarkable, though at the end of the day you're still driving a 199" car and that brings with it some considerations like street parking, garage space, etc.

amgliturbo

For that kind of money I would likely opt for the GT-4 door. You basically get the E63s with rear wheel steering, more power and a higher level of exclusivity/cool factor.

JODE63

This just came up... Looks like a pretty good spec -

https://mbworld.org/forums/w213-amg/...2019-e63s.html

AMG 17GT

Have a 19 Panny Turbo here. Car has to have all the right options to make it comparable to E63, where the suspension really shines with Porsche’s RWS and PDCC, which is a torque vectoring roll bar wonder at its weight. What turned me off with the 63 was the horrible on road suspension, whereas the Panamera Soaks up everything in every suspension mode.

I Had to take a break from the Mercedes interior et al. Loving the CarPlay as well.

Ralcbah

That makes sense man, and seems to be the majority opinion. I'm the opposite I guess. I don't like these cars to have super smooth suspensions. I want the race car feel in any performance car I drive. If I want smooth, I'll take the Volvo.

E63guy

Haven't followed market pricing on the GT-4 door (which I agree is super cool) but one thing to note about the Panamera is that there is still a lot of still-new (i.e. warranty not punched) and also very low mileage 2018s (often demos or executive cars) sitting on dealer lots, especially in Sport Turismo form. Dealers are extremely aggressive about moving these. I'm talking 20%+ off MSRP for Panamera Turbo Sport Turismos. New with full warranty. Ask me how I know So if you can find one with the options you want the pricing equation becomes different.

I concur.

Funny about the Volvo. I traded my V90 CC toward my Panamera. Best of all worlds - for me - in 1 car.

b0rderman

I’d jump ship in a heartbeat if Alpina started importing the b5 touring, or b5 anything for that matter. The B7 is just too much car.

amgliturbo

See if you can find UK Top Gear Series 26 Episode 2. Chris Harris tests the M5 and E63s. At the end he says that there is very little to distinguish the performance of each but he clearly picks the E63s based on its overall character, sound, it's more immediate and faster revving and shifting.

Here is a you tube clip of the test--it is a little hokey/ meant to be comically scripted . I am sure it underwent a lot of editing but his preference is quite clear--shame it wasn't a real head to head comparison but fun none-the-less:


See his post-review summary at:


Enjoy

chiromikey

I know looks are subjective but there was a new blue M5 at the track last night and in person it looked really damn good! It actually looked sporty and compact next to my RS7. The interior wasn’t lacking in quality, luxury, or sportiness in the least bit and I wouldn’t have any problem saying it was as good as anything else in its class. If tuning and reliably prove themselves it will easily become my next daily.

FYI: track prep was terrible and it was bone stock but when we ran he still ran an 11.2 @ 126 in over 3000ft DA. He said he had run 10.9x a few weeks prior and I have no reason not to believe him. After our run he said he wanted to race again after he gets his Burger tuner so I hope I get to see what it can do.

MuffinFlavored

what’d your rs7 do?

i’m only partially torn i didn’t get the m5

if it was a dct, i think i would have done it. i know vic says you can’t tell the difference, and maybe it was placebo, but it was clear which car had the better sound/shifts when i test drove