There’s been a lot of arguing among comment sections and forums about which of these two cars is fastest. The new F90-gen BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63 S are so closely matched that it seems as if every drag race or comparison test ends up with a different answer. It’s almost impossible to choose between the two. And, let’s be real, both are sensationally good cars that literally anyone would be happy to own and live with everyday, regardless of brand alliance. I’m a big BMW fan but if you handed me the keys to an AMG E63 S I’d jump up and down like a little kid.
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In a recent drag race from Carwow, the AMG E63 S won, sparking a seemingly endless amount of arguing among the comment section. Much of the reason for that is the fact that the M5 beat the AMG in a previous drag race. So fans of each brand were up in arms about which was actually faster. In this new drag race video from The Motorist in South Africa, we get to see what their results are.
There seems to be a bit of an issue with launching the M5 in drag races, as there’s a certain way to launch it that allows it to use all of its potential but it seems that some journalists fail to do so during videos. In this video, they seem to get the launch right, as the M5 spins its tires just a bit before launch, which is what it’s supposed to do. So what happened in this race?
On the first run, the BMW M5 jumps off to a quick start, launching harder than the AMG. While the big AMG holds on to the gap between them, not allowing the M5 to really increase its lead, it never really catches back up, so the Bimmer wins. However, the M5 shifted up on its own even though it was in manual mode, which it must be for a proper launch. We haven’t tested the M5 thoroughly enough to know if the M5 will automatically shift up whenever you hit the rev limiter or it only does that during launch control to maximize speed, but it did so in this race so they try it again.
In the second race, they try it again and it still shifts up into second gear on its own. However, in the second race, it seems as if the M5 got a nanosecond of a head start, so it wins by an even bigger margin than the first race.
Either way, that’s two heats where the BMW M5 beat the Mercedes-AMG E63 S in a straight line. It seems as if The Motorists nailed the launch and that allowed the M5 to be quicker. Although, we have no doubt that there will be another drag race video between the two where the AMG wins. And the back and forth will likely never end.
Not only was the launch way better than on the Carwow video but the M5 was also pulling harder. The E63 S couldn’t close the gap and it was in fact slowly increasing, while on Carwow when the M5 got the jump on the first race, the E63 S stil won. I think their car had some issue with its power.
But this wasn’t a perfect comparison either, because now the M5 had an advantage. The driver in the M5 obviously has a better reaction time. It wouldn’t be a problem if there was a timer, but there isn’t. That’s a shame, i really would’ve liked to know what they did since both had a good run
Anyway it’s obvious as you say Nico that these cars are pretty damn close, which makes sense since on paper they should be. Looking forward to what the Competition Pack will change, and if the GT63 S and the M8 GC will be this close too
M5 also had an advantage because the AMG driver was fat ;)
I feel better now.
Just do a damn roll race from 30-155…enough with this traction and launching bullshit.
m5 will still win
Both cars are AWD, so non of them is disadvantaged.
BMW go try this in F1.
thank you so much for posting this saves me from sending the link to 1000 people lol
///M POWER
When you launch using launch control the car DOES shift up by itself. It’s meant to do that, it keeps going as long as you keep your foot mashed through the floor.
I feel like this time it comes down to a personal preference if we want a Bimmer or some AMG. One F90 M5 for me please
Don’t really care which one is faster, both are insanely fast for luxury sedans. 3 seconds to 60 mph in an M5? That’s very, very impressive. Although I prefer M5 over the E63, E63 in my opinion has a better exhaust note, better-looking interior, and it looks more aggressive. M5 though as we see is a little bit faster, interior is better made, and as a drivers car it’s great.
I remember 20 years ago reading C&D R&T and such and looking at the 0-60 times. Then, under 5 secs was the wow number. I imagined the day in the future when these cars will show 2.x to 60 and we are there now.
M5 for me, that design will hold up longer than the E class IMO. The Merc has too much jelly bean in style, and the inside will look silly in the future.
STOCK M5 is quicker than fastest E63, that’s a fact. And I’m sure not just in a straight line, but also around the track. On top of that, and this is of course my personal opinion, the F90 is much more beautiful, more aggressive, has a gorgeous interior with (just like the E63) spot-on built quality and the nicest materials, but I just like BMW interiors better. 2 great cars, that is for sure. Amazing all rounders. I’d take the F90 every day of the week. I think it might be the most perfect M5 as it’s über fast, extremely luxurious, very fun to drive and the M xDrive is great. Let’s see how much the M5 CP and CS will DESTROY the E63. Even if they bring out an even faster one as well, the CP and especially CS will demolish that as well.
https://www.topgear.com/videos/top-gear-drag-races/drag-race-bmw-m5-vs-merc-amg-e63-s-ice
Awesome! Can you imagine doing this in an F10 M5 lol