We’ve already seen the Audi RS6 Avant featured in a comparison test against the Mercedes E 63 AMG T-Modell. But how does the fast Audi wagon stack up against the more stylish interpretation of the E63, the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake?
Chris Harris decided to find that out and took the two cars for a ride. Only available in rear-wheel drive in the UK (an AWD version is offered elsewhere), the Mercedes obviously loses when it comes to sheer speed and acceleration, under all situations. The slower responding gearbox doesn’t help its case either, whereas the RS6’s 8-speed Tiptronic transmission is praised by Harris for its instant response.
To demonstrate the impressive pace of the all-wheel-drive RS6, Harris also set up a drag race between them, with the result being that the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake was badly bruised. That’s not surprising, though, given the Audi’s grip advantage.
So what are the Merc’s strong points? Harris says it has more character (the muscle car-like sound of the engine is mostly responsible for that), a better interior (take that, Audi!) and is more fun to drive thanks to its rear-wheel drive setup.
Curious to see which car won? Scroll down to watch the video.
By Dan Mihalascu
VIDEO