Naturally-aspirated V8 engines are a dying breed because of ever stricter emissions regulations, and this trend is most obvious in Europe. In recent years, German carmakers have been gradually replacing naturally-aspirated V8s with turbocharged V8s and V6s in their flagship sedans and sports cars, but there are still a handful of models that use “old-fashioned” V8s.
The latest episode of Head 2 Head features two of the last German coupes powered by naturally-aspirated V8 engines, the Audi RS5 and the Mercedes C 63 AMG Edition 507.
Right from the start, some may say that the comparison is unfair for the Audi, given that the Mercedes is a special edition model featuring 50hp more than the standard C 63 AMG Coupe.
Furthermore, there are more differences: the Audi is all-wheel drive, while the Merc is rear-wheel drive, the former features a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the latter a seven-speed automatic. But in essence, these are similar machines.
Find out how they are to drive and which one wins the comparison test from the video posted below.
By Dan Mihalascu
VIDEO