Have you ever looked at a drag race and thought "that's not the way that goes"? Well, you're going to do that when you see the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid lose to a BMW M5.
2018 has been all about putting these three cars together on a track, to the point where they've become generic super-powerful cars. Yes, this isn't the first time we've seen the drag race, and it's probably not going to be the last either. Let's examine the contenders!
The Panamera is present in its most expensive configuration ever, a shooting brake body with the complicated Turbo S E-Hybrid powertrain. Like the other two, it features a V8 engine, but also some electric assistance.
Unusually for a Porsche, it's also the heaviest car in the race, by nearly about 400 kilos we might add. But it's got more power and way more torque than the 600 HP BMW M5 or the 612 HP E63 S.
While all the cars have all-wheel-drive, we think the Panamera's should have had the advantage here. You've got the instant torque from the electric motor as well as the super-fast PDK helping out too.
Watch this older race from Autocar, and you will see the same kind of Panamera was way quicker off the line. In short, Top Gear either screwed up the launch or there was something wrong with the car because a more powerful Porsche losing something is almost unheard of.
Still, we have to acknowledge how fast the AMG and M have become. It is downright amazing. And the models in the class below aren't that far off either. You have to wonder what Audi is cooking up right now because they too are known for fast executive cars. The RS6 will have pretty much the same engine as the Panamera, but with less weight and more power.
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. Full profile
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