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Honda NSX vs. BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63: Drag Race Is Close

2018 and early 2019 were dominated by the competition between these performance sedans, the BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63 S. Sometimes, the Porsche Panamera cut it, but today, the Honda NSX wants a piece of the action.
Honda NSX vs. BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63: Drag Race Is Close 3 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot/Top Gear
Honda NSX vs. BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63: Drag Race Is CloseHonda NSX vs. BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63: Drag Race Is Close
Honda, not Acura - that's right, this is a British drag race. Try as they might Top Gear, and The Grand Tour can't seem to distance themselves completely. We think that the platform will be the real decider here, with Amazon Prime being really popular right now.

Anyway, in the past few weeks, we've seen both shows reviewing the M5 and E63 in some way. Likewise, James May had a go in the Honda NSX, and because no official 0 to 60 time was provided, he did an acceleration test of his own.

Usually, you wouldn't put the NSX in the same context as the M5. But the results of Top Gear's race prove the performance is quite similar. If you're after a unique supercar with electric torque vectoring and that legendary Honda ingenuity, it's incredible. But for pure drag racing, it's not all that.

If losing to an M5 is your main concern, then consider a McLaren 570S or Porsche 911 Turbo. But something tells us the NSX will have collector's car status.

If you look at the situation upside down, you could say that the M5 is amazing for being faster than a supercar. Of course, it has more cylinders and a whole lot of extra power to compensate for two extra doors and more weight.

What's puzzling here is where the E63 S finished. We're not disputing that the M5 Competition has a bit more power. But in other races, its launch control system proved less reliable, so the Merc won. But if all the planets align, the BMW is the superior sprinter.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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