These are the sedans that stir mens souls. Yeah, yeah, thats not quite what Thomas Paine said in 1776. But if hed been with us while we were putting this threesome through its paces, he might have been tempted to devote his literary talents to something other than revolutionary pamphleteering. Might even have signed up for a blitz course in German, to put a finer point on the subtleties of these four-door bullets.
The German language would certainly be appropriate because, when it comes to sedans capable of simultaneously indulging a drivers hedonism and transporting the spirit, nobody does it better than the denizens of Deutschland. Is it the influence of the autobahn, which continues to be the worlds most demanding high-speed-driving development crucible? Or the handling demands of the Nrburgrings Nordschleife, the fabled circuit used by German carmakers to test their cars, a track that magnifies any dynamic shortcoming a car may have.
In a word, ja.
The names here will be familiar to faithful readers Audi, Mercedes, and most particularly, the BMW M5. Since the arrival of the first M5 20 years ago, this Bimmer has been the benchmark in luxury sports sedans and as such has been the centerpiece in four previous comparison tests, where it has prevailed three times, including a first place in another three-way duel just over a year ago [Bahn Burners, Episode 39, C/D, January 2006]. That M5 was fresh off the boat, giving us a first opportunity to record formal test data with BMWs new V-10. Another M5 carried your humble narrator to an easy luxury-sedan class victory in the 2006 running of One Lap of America, and even though we carped about the irritating quirks of the sequential manual gearbox, it was hard to imagine some other contender upending the champ, particularly this early in its latest renewal.
But the status doesnt remain quo in this high-powered game for long, and soon we found ourselves planning yet another bullet-sedan, uh, shootout. BMW had yielded to the persistent U.S. market clamor for a manual-transmission option for the M5, Audi had added V-10 power to the A6, yielding a new S6, and AMG had massaged the new Mercedes E-class, creating an E63 AMG.
With November grays and snow squalls descending on Ann Arbor, we arranged to rendezvous with our three superkrauts in L.A. From there we rumbled up to Willow Springs, in the high desert near Edwards Air Force Base, for instrumented testing, then spent the next two days on gorgeous back roads to and from Monterey, a trek that included the 137-mile run down California Highway 1, a collection of curves, cliffs, and Pacific views that has few equals anywhere.
When the brake pads cooled and the ballots were tallied, there were surprises, and a verdict that was not quite unanimous. But if we differed on whos No. 1, we were united on this: In the world of bullet sedans, its still Deutschland ber alles. In this rarified price-and-performance category, any member of this Teutonic trio is superior to anything offered by anyone anywhere else.
Third Place: BMW M5
<TABLE class=cdbgtext cellSpacing=10 cellPadding=0 width=560 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top><TABLE width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=5 cellPadding=3 width=255 align=right bgColor=#cccccc border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>2007 BMW M5
</TD></TR><TR><TD>Highs: BMW competence and grace, V-10 top-end power, crisp six-speed gearbox.
Lows: Relentless stability-control meddling and, of course, iDrive dementia.
The Verdict: Outstanding dynamics diluted by tyrannical electronics.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Youve heard the old maxim about being careful what you wish for, and heres another vindication for its persistence. When the latest M5 came along, we were properly awed by its 500-hp V-10 but critical of its seven-speed sequential manual gearbox (SMG), an automated manual transmission. On a dry racetrack, its lightning shifts are beyond reproach. But on public roads, in full automatic mode, its a different story, with big lags between upshifts. A logbook commentator reported that he tried to leave it in auto mode but just couldnt stand it.
So BMW responded with a six-speed manual-gearbox option, which weve been anticipating for a year. Yes! Thisll push the bad-boy Bimmer a big step closer to perfection. We thought.
Uh-oh, not so fast. This M5s shift-for-yourself six-speed is consistent with others weve experienced from BMW. In fact, its the same six-speed employed in the previous-generation M5. And therein lies the rub. The new M5s V-10 was designed to be allied with the seven-speed SMG. Bolting the same engine to the six-speed entailed a proviso. With the SMG, the driver had the option of disabling the dynamic stability-control (DSC) system. When you opt for the manual, you dont get that option. A little dashboard button labeled MDM for M Dynamic Mode raises the DSC intervention threshold, but unlike the SMG version, it cant be completely shut down and is always on guard. When wheelspin is detected, DSC goes to work, damping the throttle, sometimes squeezing the big cross-drilled brake rotors.
All of this is attributable to product-liability issues, specifically, concerns about axle tramp, a.k.a. wheel hop, during full-throttle launches, which could break expensive drivetrain bits and irritate the well-heeled owners BMW would prefer to keep happy.
On the other hand, when those owners want everything their M5s can deliver, DSCs relentless vigil is going to be pretty irritating, too.
There are other M5 elements that arent exactly endearing. You might expect another iDrive diatribe here, an expectation we could cheerfully fulfill, but well confine ourselves to saying that this maddening secondary-control collective is still a good reason to consider another car. Beyond that, we recommend avoiding the $1900 multifunctional bucket seats with their movable torso bolsters, which deliver low-speed, high-torque hugs at the slightest hint of lateral g; we think the steering, although accurate, underdoes the power assist at high speeds; the cowl height is high compared with the two other cars, inhibiting forward sightlines; theres a shortage of small-object storage in the cockpit; and the as-tested price, tops in this test, is intimidating.
At core, this M5 has the same virtues as its predecessors fluid responses, superb brakes, abundant power, athletic good looks, and the grace of a gazelle. But this particular gazelle isnt quite up to pacing the herd.
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-->Second Place: Audi S6
<TABLE class=cdbgtext cellSpacing=10 cellPadding=0 width=560 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top><TABLE width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=5 cellPadding=3 width=255 align=right bgColor=#cccccc border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>2007 Audi S6
</TD></TR><TR><TD>Highs: Unflappable poise on backroads, sweetest voice in a great choir, snazzy styling.
Lows: Underpowered for this mission, transmission has a mind of its own.
The Verdict: A fast and sexy sweetheart priced to near irresistibility.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Hey, whats up with this? Second place, and crowding the Benz for first? Were just as surprised as you. On paper, the S6 didnt figure as a top contender. At 435 horsepower, its engine output trailed the Bimmers and Benzs by a bunch. Its curb weight 4540 pounds was highest by a substantial margin (the inevitable consequence of all-wheel drive), and pretty much every millimeter of its 5.2-liter V-10 engine hangs out beyond the centerline of the front axle, yielding a 59/41 forward weight bias.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but this isnt an ideal prescription for agility. Yet thats precisely what the S6 delivered. Some logbook comments: Im astounded at what a cool operator the S6 is on the track. Really fun and confidence-inspiring in the twisties. Im not sure if Id have more fun in a 911 on some of these stretches.
The S6 surprised us by laying down a lane-change speed that was a mere 0.2 mph off the best (although speeds of all three cars were close), followed that up with the best skidpad number (all the cars wore low-profile Continental ContiSportContact2 tires), and then really won our hearts during the two days of challenging back roads that followed track testing. Unlike the Audi S8, the S6 rides on conventional steel springs, with a multilink suspension and hefty anti-roll bars at both ends. The bars kept the Audis cornering attitudes impressively level and also allowed the suspension guys to keep the spring rates relatively civilized, which paid off with all-day ride quality.
The S6s feline responses were magnified by its speed-sensitive power rack-and-pinion steering, which was quick just 2.5 turns lock to lock light, and accurate to thousandths of an inch.
So why didnt the S6 top our charts? It nearly did, but in the end it lost out in a power struggle. The irony is that all hands were impressed with the Audis 5.2-liter DOHC 40-valve V-10. As an aside, heres Audis official party line concerning this powerplant: It is not the Lamborghini Gallardo V-10. Hey, check the displacement: 5204cc compared with 4961. Check the output: 435 horsepower versus 512; 398 pound-feet versus 376. No similarities, right? Yeah, right.
Be that as it may, for all its thrust and a celestial exhaust note, the Audis not-a-Gallardo V-10 was upstaged by the Benzs superb AMG V-8, trailing the Stuttgart missile by substantial margins in every acceleration category. That, plus a paddle-shift six-speed manumatic that tended to make its own upshift decisions, kept the S6 off the top step on the podium.
Still, if money is important when is it not? and nosebleed thrust isnt absolutely essential, this Audi delivers an unbeatable level of fun for the euro.
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