All wheel drive luxury super sedan shootout - 2014 Audi RS7 vs. Porsche Panamera Turbo vs. CLS63 AMG S

[Sticky]

Here is a hell of a comparison between some of the best all wheel drive twin turbo V8 powered cars on the planet. They also just happen to be luxury German sedans. The lucky fellows at MotorTrend get their hands on the 2014 Audi RS7, Porsche Panamera, and CLS63 AMG S. Unfortunately, the BMW F10 M5 was not invited to play along. MotorTrend tried for the M6 Gran Coupe but apparently there was not one available to them. A bit of a shame.

Oh well, what we have here is still epic. The only question PorscheBoost has is why the Panamera Turbo instead of the Turbo? The AMG S was chosen so it would only seem fair to bring the highest performance sedan each company has to offer. Well actually they did ask for the Turbo S but once again it was not available. Damn it! One day we will get our epic comparison with the best from BMW, Audi, Porsche, and Mercedes all playing along.

MotorTrend did a very good job in this comparison. They even took the cars to the track and did timed laps. The track they choose is the Streets of Willow which is a fairly tight course. Here are the laptimes from quickest to slowest:

Porsche Panamera - 1:22.68
Audi RS7 - 1:24.30
CLS63 AMG S - 1:24.71

Check this comment regarding the Porsche Panamera handling prowess:

'When we had the cars at Streets of Willow, we also had the Aston and the hyper-rare Jaguar XKRS-GT. While the hard-core Jag was marginally faster than Panamera Turbo (1:22.53 versus 1:22.68), the consensus was that the Porsche was the best car at the track. I repeat: The heaviest car of the group, the one with heated/cooled rear seats and powered sunshades, was more satisfying to whip around a road course than an RS product, an AMG, a V-12 Aston, and a blistered, Nürburgring-birthed Jag. That, my friends, is incredible enough.'

That is some serious praise. The Mercedes CLS63 AMG S on the other hand was said to be the most boring to drive of the bunch. While the Panamera despite being the heaviest (not by much, all three are above 4400 pounds) was said to feel the sportiest, the CLS63 was said to be underwhelming. The Audi RS7 was said to suffer from serious understeer. The same problem Audi's have suffered from for ages. Randy Pobst said the following about the Panamera on the track, "This is it! This is the best car here. Those other two aren't even in the same league!"

Additionally, the CLS63's transmission was picked as the worst of the bunch while the Panamera's was picked as the best. MotorTrend stated it felt like the Mercedes engine and transmission had never met. Ouch.

What about the straightline? The highest trap speed goes to the Mercedes at 122. The quickest ET goes to the RS7 at 11.6. The choice for the best car of the bunch? The Panamera Turbo.

The full numbers and comparison video are below. If only the BMW M6 Gran Coupe or even the M5 was included. Regardless, very well done comparison by MotorTrend.

Third Place: Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG
It sounds crazy, but the world's third-quickest sedan feels dull compared with the others. Tough crowd.

Second Place: Audi RS7
One of the greatest engines on sale today. One of the pushiest, most understeering chassis, too.


First Place: Porsche Panamera Turbo
The shift paddle travel is too long. Oh, who are we kidding? If you can afford it, you should buy it, because its one of the world's best cars.

	2014 Audi RS7	2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 S AMG	2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo
POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS
DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT	Front-engine, AWD	Front-engine, AWD	Front engine, AWD
ENGINE TYPE	Twin-turbo 90-deg V-8, aluminum block/heads	Twin-turbo 90-deg V-8, aluminum block/heads	Twin-turbo 90-deg V-8, aluminum block/heads
VALVETRAIN	DOHC, 4 valves/cyl	DOHC, 4 valves/cyl	DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
DISPLACEMENT	243.7 cu in/3993 cc	333.3 cu in/5461 cc	293.3 cu in/4806 cc
COMPRESSION RATIO	10.1:1	10.0:1	10.5:1
POWER (SAE NET)	560 hp @ 5700 rpm	577 hp @ 5500 rpm	520 hp @ 6000 rpm
TORQUE (SAE NET)	516 lb-ft @ 1750 rpm	590 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm	516 lb-ft @ 2250 rpm*
REDLINE	6600 rpm	6400 rpm	6500 rpm
WEIGHT TO POWER	8.0 lb/hp	7.6 lb/hp	8.7 lb/hp
TRANSMISSION	8-speed automatic	7-speed automatic	7-speed twin-cl auto
AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO	3.08:1/2.05:1	2.65:1/1.93:1	3.15:1/1.86:1
SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR	Multi-link, air springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, air springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar	Multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, air springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar	Control arms, air springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, air springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar
STEERING RATIO	15.9:1	14.1:1 (near center)	17.1-13.8:1
TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK	2.8	2.5	2.5
BRAKES, F;R	15.4-in vented, drilled disc; 14.0-in vented, drilled disc, ABS	14.2-in vented, drilled disc; 14.2-in vented, drilled disc, ABS	15.4-in vented, drilled ceramic disc; 13.8-in vented, drilled ceramic disc, abs
WHEELS	9.0 x 21-in, cast aluminum	9.0 x 19-in; 10.0 x 19-in, forged aluminum	9.5 x 20-in; 11.5 x 20-in, cast aluminum
TIRES	275/30R21 98Y Pirelli P Zero	255/35R19 96Y; 285/30R19 98Y Continental ContiSportContact 5P	255/40R20 101Y; 295/35R20 105Y Michelin Pilot Super Sport
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE	114.8 in	113.2 in	115.0 in
TRACK, F/R	64.3/64.0 in	63.3/64.1 in	65.2/65.2 in
L x W x H	197.3 x 75.2 x 55.8 in	196.7 x 74.1 x 55.4 in	197.4 x 76.0 x 55.4 in
TURNING CIRCLE	39.0 ft	38.5 ft	39.3 ft
CURB WEIGHT	4493 lb	4402 lb	4510 lb
WEIGHT DIST, F/R	56/44%	55/45%	53/47%
SEATING CAPACITY	4	4	4
HEADROOM, F/R	36.9/36.6 in	36.9/36.1 in	38.0/38.2 in
LEGROOM, F/R	41.3/37.0 in	42.1/35.0 in	41.9/33.3 in
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R	57.2/55.9 in	57.1/56.5 in	51.9/51.7 in
CARGO VOLUME	24.5 cu ft	15.3 cu ft	15.3 cu ft
TEST DATA
ACCELERATION TO MPH
0-30	1.3 sec	1.4 sec	1.2 sec
0-40	1.8	2.1	1.7
0-50	2.5	2.7	2.5
0-60	3.2	3.4	3.4
0-70	4.2	4.4	4.5
0-80	5.3	5.4	5.6
0-90	6.5	6.5	7.1
0-100	8.0	8.0	8.8
PASSING, 45-65 MPH	1.7	1.6	1.8
QUARTER MILE	11.6 sec @ 120.4 mph	11.7 sec @ 122.7 mph	11.8 sec @ 116.4 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	101 ft	106 ft	104 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.95 g (avg)	0.97 g (avg)	1.03 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	24.2 sec @ 0.83 g (avg)	23.9 sec @ 0.85 g (avg)	23.7 sec @ 0.87 g (avg)
1.6-MI ROAD COURSE LAP	1:24.30 sec	1:24.71 sec	1:22.68 sec
TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH	1900 rpm	1500 rpm	1400 rpm
CONSUMER INFO
BASE PRICE	$105,795	$107,425	$142,275
PRICE AS TESTED	$125,595	$116,985	$195,510
STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL	Yes/yes	Yes/yes	Yes/yes
AIRBAGS	Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee	Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee	Dual front, f/r side, f/r curtain, front knee
BASIC WARRANTY	4 yrs/50,000 mi	4 yrs/50,000 mi	4 yrs/50,000 mi
POWERTRAIN WARRANTY	4 yrs/50,000 mi	4 yrs/50,000 mi	4 yrs/50,000 mi
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE	4 yrs/unlimited	Unlimited	4 yrs/50,000 mi
FUEL CAPACITY	19.8 gal	21.1 gal	26.4 gal
EPA CITY/HWY ECON	16/27 mpg	16/22 mpg	15/24 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY	211/125 kW-hrs/100 mi	211/153 kW-hrs/100 mi	225/140 kW-hrs/100 mi
CO2 EMISSIONS	0.99 lb/mi	1.06 lb/mi	1.08 lb/mi
RECOMMENDED FUEL	Unleaded premium	Unleaded premium	Unleaded premium

[Hha103]

The RS7 and panamera, both amazing cars!!!! but wheres the cls 63?. If they could have added the m6 gran coupe aswell to that comparison it would have been great.

[Sticky]

The RS7 and panamera, both amazing cars!!!! but wheres the cls 63?. If they could have added the m6 gran coupe aswell to that comparison it would have been great.

What do you mean where's the CLS63?