Watch a pair of German sedans race another German station wagon in this latest drag race video.
This is a bit of an unusual scenario. The BMW M5 is a consummate racing sedan that we’ve seen outperform a Dodge Demon in a road race, so seeing this in the lineup is no surprise. The Mercedes-AMG E63 S is a fine car, but not the Mercedes we see racing very often. That honor goes to the GT R, which has trounced cars with many more horses under the hood.
But strangest of all is the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo, and not just because it has a name that requires its own zip code. It’s a station wagon and no amount of European car magazines calling it an “estate car” are going to convince us otherwise.
On the other hand, it might just be the most powerful station wagon ever made. Under the hood is a 4.0-L twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 550 hp. But then there’s the “Hybrid” part of the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo’s name, which includes another electric motor that produces a separate 136 hp. Combined, the Panamera Turbo whatever produces 671 hp and 626 lb-ft of torque.
Zero to sixty is done in just 3.4 seconds. Power is routed to all wheels all the time thanks to an 8-speed dual clutch transmission. Total weight is a somewhat chunky 5,125 lbs.
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Admittedly, that weight doesn’t bode well for the Porsche in a drag race. There are some SUVs that weigh less than that.
The BMW M5 is both lightest and least powerful thanks to a 4.4-L twin-turbo V8 producing 591 hp and 553 lb-ft with a total weight of just 4,090 lbs. That’s basically a ton less than the Porsche. The Mercedes-AMG E63 S has a middle-of-the-road 604 hp thanks to a 4.0-L twin-turbo V8, and weighs 4,300 lbs.
All have all-wheel-drive. All can do zero to sixty in around 3.4 seconds. But which one’s the fastest?
The BMW. It’s always the BMW. As soon as we find a BMW M5 getting beaten by anything other than a Bugatti Chiron, we'll be sure you let you know.