You could put the word "super" in front of pretty much anything and make it sound slightly more exciting than it actually is but in this case, it doesn't do justice to these two station wagons.
You probably know pretty much everything there is to know about the Audi RS6 Avant as it is the first model most people think of when the words "performance" and "wagon" are used in the same sentence. That's probably a big win for Audi's marketing department because despite BMW dropping out (hopefully for the moment), the four-ringed car is definitely not alone in that segment.
It's joined by the Mercedes-AMG E63 S Estate, a car so evenly matched with the RS6 (but just fractionally better) you might suspect it was developed specifically to steal the Audi's thunder. And it most definitely was. If Mercedes-AMG were to make an advertisement featuring these two, the soundtrack would be Irving Berlin's "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)."
They both have 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engines, yet Affalterbach technicians managed to squeeze a little more oomph out of theirs (not that Audi's unit can't be milked for a lot more horsepower through a bit of tuning). In stock form, then, the Mercedes-AMG E63 S develops 604 hp (612 PS) and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm), whereas the Audi RS6 Avant has to settle for 592 hp (600 PS) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm).
It's not a massive power gap, but it's enough to have an impact on their performance, which is one of the three things that matter with super wagons: acceleration/speed, handling, and interior space—a combination you won't find in any other segment. The Merc just manages to blip the RS6 by 0.1 seconds in the 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) sprint, though the test in the video below shows a bigger gap presumably caused by the fact the Audi was on winter tires.
However important they are, having the superior performance figures actually make the Mercedes-AMG E63 S the better choice. Watch the in-depth analysis (the plastic engine covers are taken into consideration, so you know it's thorough) in the clip below and make up your own mind. As for us, we simply can't get over just how perfect the RS6 Avant's exterior design is (not something we thought we'd say about an Audi ten years ago), so we'd probably have it even if it came with a 1.0-liter turbo under the hood.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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