Audi RS 7 Sportback v Mercedes-AMG E 63 S 2021 Comparison

The luxury performance car landscape is a hive of activity at the moment.

BMW has recently updated its M5 with a fresh Competition variant, Maserati has joined the executive fray with the Ghibli Trofeo and Quattroporte Trofeo, and Porsche’s evergreen Panamera has taken on even more potency with the latest update.

Separately, there’s an entire electrified segment coming in hot and fast, too.

Germany has held a mortgage on the executive performance segment for decades. Here, we’ve assembled two of the freshest offerings in the 2021 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S 4MATIC+ and the 2021 Audi RS 7 Sportback quattro.

BMW M5 Competition, you ask? We asked the question, but there wasn’t one available.

There’s some serious V8 performance on offer with the Audi RS 7 Sportback and Mercedes-AMG E 63 S – not surprisingly, with price tags to match.

Officially, the RS 7 undercuts the E 63 S by almost $30,000: the Benz at $253,900 versus $224,000 for the Audi, both before on-road costs.

This comes after Audi lopped a not-insignificant $34,000 off the RRP of the RS 7 Sportback last year.

Beginning with the slightly newer of this pair, the scintillating AMG makes subtle changes to its ride and comfort for 2021 – adjustments that notch up the price by a couple of thousand bucks.

The most obvious change to the E 63 S is the look. The front-end adopts the more aggressive AMG corporate ‘Panamericana’ grille that separates it from the mainstream E-Class.

Inside, there’s a new twin-spar steering wheel with capacitive buttons, as well as a touch pad for the COMAND system rather than a rotating dial.

Other new equipment includes the MBUX interactive infotainment touch-screen system incorporated into the spectacular widescreen cockpit (which actually debuted with W213). It will do things like set the radio station and roll back the sunroof cover by voice control.

There’s also a new augmented reality package for the satellite navigation system that shows live pictures from the forward-facing camera as well as graphic assistants such as arrows as a turn or obstacle is approached.

Those changes are over and above 20-inch alloys, an ionising tri-zone climate control system, front seats that independently adjust their bolstering in corners, Nappa leather trim, a Burmester sound system, ambient interior lighting with 64 colour choices, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration plus wireless charging.

On top of its giant price cut for 2021, the Audi RS 7 Sportback ushers in numerous nip-and-tuck measures which amount to a sharper, more purposeful appearance. Its $8000 cheaper Audi RS 6 Avant sibling underwent similar changes, but there wasn’t one available for this test.

New flared guards add 20mm in width over the standard A7, now totalling a broad 1950mm overall, and the RS 7 officially measures 5009mm in length and tips the scales at 2140kg.

For the record, that compares with 4984mm in length for the AMG, 1868mm wide and a 2094kg kerb weight. It’s smaller in every measure except for the wheelbase, which is 5mm longer than the Audi’s.

Standard equipment includes 22-inch wheels, HD Matrix LED headlights, an electric boot, tinted windows, power-assist door closure, RS front sport seats, Nappa leather interior, a panoramic glass sunroof and metallic paint.

Audi’s ‘virtual cockpit’ digital instrument cluster and ‘connect plus’ media systems are standard, along with wireless Apple CarPlay and phone charging, digital radio, four USB outlets and 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system

The RS 7 likewise gets front seat heating and cooling, although unlike the AMG its system won’t heat or cool the surrounding front arm rest, and rear seat warmers are part of an optional package.

On the maintenance front, the AMG trumps the Audi with a more generous warranty: five years/unlimited kilometres versus three years/unlimited.

However, the Audi is almost half the price to service over a five-year plan, at $3910 compared with a staggering $7050 for the AMG. The Audi’s logbook is based on 12-month/15,000km intervals, while the AMG stretches to 12 months/20,000km.

Both vehicles here are fitted with inflation kits rather than spare tyres.

As you’d expect given the outlay, there’s a serious amount of safety on offer in the 2021 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S and the Audi RS 7 Sportback.

Beginning with the Merc, that includes nine airbags, pre-safe crash preparation for front, rear and side impacts, a head-up display, multi-beam LED headlights and a five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2016.

An already comprehensive driver assist system (DAS) is supplemented by one brand-new feature: active stop and go assist. At speeds up to 60km/h, this feature can maintain a pre-set distance even in traffic that comes to a stop and is stationary for up to 60 seconds.

The existing DAS package has had its calibrations updated and the active brake assist (autonomous emergency braking) now has a turning manoeuvre function to reduce the risk of collision with oncoming traffic when cornering (into a side street, for example). That’s in addition to its existing cross traffic detection function.

Other current systems include active lane change assist, active blind spot assist, evasive steering assist and route-based speed adaptation.

That all adds up to semi-autonomous driving capability in certain conditions such as freeways – and it’s a similar story for the Audi.

Though the Audi RS 7 Sportback doesn’t come with a specific independent safety rating itself, its second-generation A7 donor car was awarded five ANCAP stars in 2018.

Standard features on the performance model include eight airbags, adaptive cruise assist with stop-and-go and traffic jam assist – translating to similar capability to the AMG – autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian, cyclist detection and intersection assist, active lane assist and 360-degree cameras with kerb view.

Additionally, there’s tyre pressure monitoring, a head-up display, intersection crossing assist, lane change assist including exit warning, and rear cross traffic alert.

The 2021 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S and Audi RS 7 Sportback took on more common ground in 2017 when the former adopted all-wheel drive for the first time.

All-paw grip isn’t the only similarity here, either: both vehicles employ a turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine to ply their performance wares.

Officially, the Merc’s bent-eight takes the cake on paper: the M177 ‘hot-vee’ biturbo 4.0-litre V8 engine produces 450kW at 5750-6500rpm and 850Nm between 2500-4500rpm – better than the RS 7 on both counts.

It also wins the all-important 0-100km/h stoush – an official 3.4-second claim versus 3.6sec for the RS 7.

Overseas, this engine has had a petrol particulate filter added, but that hasn’t come to Australia. The MCT 9 Speedshift transmission is an AMG-modified version of the nine-speed Benz auto with the torque converter replaced by a start-off wet clutch.

It delivers power via an on-demand all-wheel drive system dubbed 4MATIC+. It can pay homage to past E 63s and be set up as rear-wheel drive only with a drift mode, however, given the conditions at play, we didn’t venture into that setting…

An electronically-controlled limited-slip diff helps corner turn-in, while the chassis package is completed by active engine mounts, three-stage air-sprung multi-link suspension, a widened track, 390mm/360mm front/rear composite brakes with six- and four-piston callipers respectively (ceramics are optional on the front), and 20-inch forged alloy wheels.

Adjustability is one of the AMG’s key strengths over the RS 7, with umpteen different settings for the engine, chassis, exhaust and traction control system. Engineers have also quietly made efforts to soften the E 63’s ride in default Comfort mode.

The RS 7 has likewise undergone some subtle underbody changes for 2021.

Updated with 3mm-larger twin-scroll turbos delivering 0.2-bar more boost pressure, the TFSI 4.0-litre engine now produces 441kW at 6250rpm and 800Nm at 2050-4500rpm.

Unlike the AMG, a petrol particulate filter is fitted – so 98 RON unleaded isn’t a suggestion, it’s firmly recommended.

Paired to an eight-speed ‘tiptronic’ torque-converter automatic transmission and a rear-biased all-wheel drive system as standard, the RS 7’s engine works in concert with a 48-volt mild-hybrid electrical system that Audi claims can recover up to 12kW of power while coasting under light throttle.

Audi claims the hybrid system saves a 0.8L/100km on the combined cycle, amounting to an 11.6L/100km average. That compares with a 12.3L/100km claim for the AMG.

A new feature debuting in the RS 7 is dynamic all-wheel steering, which turns the rear wheels in either the same or opposite direction as the front wheels depending on vehicle speed to deliver “dynamic handling with unshakeable stability”, according to Audi.

Adaptive air suspension has also been added, while an RS sports exhaust and 22-inch Audi Sport alloy wheels are standard now too.

The Audi RS 7 Sportback comes with two new configurable driving modes for 202 – RS 1 and RS 2 – alongside Audi’s standard Drive Select options.

Stopping power comes from large 10-piston callipers up front gripping huge 420mm front discs, and 370mm rear discs.

Our test car was fitted with an optional $2850 Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) with cross-axle hydraulic damping, which is designed to offer better control during corner approach and exit.

We can safely tell you the 2021 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S and Audi RS 7 Sportback safely qualify as all-weather sports cars, such are the conditions on our day of back-to-back testing.

The weather was flat-out miserable. Cold temperatures, persistent rain and occasional wind gusts.

During our test at the popular Wakefield Park Circuit in Goulburn, standing water was another constant issue after an estimated 150mm rainfall total across the day.

Ordinarily, you’d be forced to call it and postpone, but we took it as an incentive to put these all-wheel drive rockets to the ultimate test.

Either cabin is a fantastic place to be on a cold, miserable day. Furnished in quality leather, lashings of Alcantara and faux carbon-fibre highlights, the RS 7 and E 63 are on par for their cabin fitment and finish, the functionality of their infotainment and displays, and their overall interior proportions.

The Audi wins points for its actuated door handles, and we liked the E 63’s bolstered chairs from a performance sense.

Layouts are much the same. Whereas the Audi’s 535-litre boot is easier to access than the Merc’s 540-litre layout – thanks to an open lift-back tailgate design – the Audi pays a heftier price for its sloping roofline, which dictates less rear headroom than in the Mercedes-AMG.

Similarly, there are pros and cons to each infotainment system. The AMG’s climate control suite is easier to navigate thanks to hard-wired buttons in place of the Audi’s haptic-style screen controls, while the Audi’s virtual cockpit display feels more intuitive and is accessed via more contemporary steering wheel buttons rather than the E 63’s fiddly new capacitive steering wheel controls.

On our way to the circuit via a sopping Hume Highway, the Audi gains a slight edge for everyday road manners. Quieter, better insulated from external noise and offering smoother passage over highway miles as well as B-grade roads alike, the Audi is a consummate all-rounder in regular road driving.

On 22-inch wheels, it skims over small-amplitude imperfections and recovers quickly from larger hits alike, with only a slight thud emanating through its sleek body.

The rear-wheel steering system is a boon at low speeds, helping mitigate the RS 7’s larger size in car parks while also keeping those gorgeous five-spoke wheels off kerbs. Save for some lurchiness upon take-off, there is very little sign you’re in something with so much firepower.

The AMG wears its performance origins with a little less subtlety. There’s a bit more intent to its soundtrack (however, the driveline does seem quieter under the latest sound emissions standards) and more weighting to the steering at low speeds.

That said, the AMG’s driveline resists the urgency to lurch upon applying the accelerator. However, our test car’s all-wheel drive system was prone to noticeable binding or crabbing at tighter car park turns – a symptom many AMG owners or all-wheel drive performance car owners will relate to.

The AMG has made some important advances in terms of outright comfort, but in this comparison the E 63 cannot quite take the edge off bumps in the same manner as the RS 7, nor does it insulate occupants from the outside elements as effectively. So points to the RS 7.

Testing 600hp four-door supercars (really, that’s what these two are) in the wet is challenging. But for this comparison, we enlisted the help of Tim Brook, a champion in the Toyota 86 Racing Series and a current front-runner in the V8-powered TransAm category.

First out is the AMG.

There’s no hiding the E 63’s extroverted character, and that trait is only accentuated in the wet. The AMG’s rear-biased all-wheel drive system and grabby electronics make for a very busy opening few laps on the sopping Wakefield layout.

There are several occasions where it feels as though the rear wants to swap ends with the front over standing water, and the Pirelli P Zero tyres struggle for adhesion against the might of the AMG’s bustling 4.0-litre turbo V8.

Even the car’s front-end purchase and braking distances are cause for concern on occasion – a virtue of narrower 265-section front rubber and different tread blocks than the Audi’s equivalent Pirelli P Zero rubber, according to Brook.

The AMG’s meatier steering, tauter body and added adjustability bodes well for track driving in the dry, where we reckon it would really show its wares. However, in this comparison we can only compare what’s in front of us, and unfortunately for the AMG, its added power is mostly nullified and its lack of grip is hard to look past.

Eventually, warmer rubber and faster hands and feet mean you become more comfortable with the AMG’s wet weather traits. It is clearly a vehicle that likes to be grabbed by the scruff and commanded around a wet circuit, responding with more confidence and intent.

Brook noted that you had to work harder in the AMG, especially when on the racing line. But he, like your correspondent, found it the more rewarding and enjoyable combatant of these two when pushed and with the electronics reins loosened.

Over to the RS 7 Sportback, and in wet conditions the Audi immediately feels the more approachable and confident of these two.

The electronics suite is far more linear and benign with its interventions, there is more grip on hand (courtesy of a wider 285-section front tyres and a different tread block compared to the AMG’s rubber) and the underlying stability is more consistent over the conditions tested.

Although the RS 7’s all-wheel drive system feels more neutral with its front-rear spread, it is still a machine that will happily slide its way through an apex, performing long, lurid sequences that are easy to regather and control.

The RS 7’s small power deficit here is swiftly compensated by its electronics and the efficacy in which it plies down its power. It is undoubtedly the faster of the two lapping the wet Wakefield Circuit, and it poses fewer ‘moments’ in doing so.

Our tester’s all-wheel steering system is another key ally in navigating Wakefield, aiding in high-speed lateral stability while also shrinking the car’s turning radius at lower speeds. Importantly, the system feels direct and intuitive in its interventions, and in no way artificial.

The RS 7’s steering feels relatively inert compared with the meaty AMG tiller, with less convincing weight and feedback. That said, it is still accurate and direct with its movements and easy to get to speed with.

Brook said the Audi’s shorter braking distance, additional grip and superior wet weather driver aids made it more manageable over standing water and slippery corners.

It meant the RS 7 came away with a faster lap time and with a more confidence-inspiring vote.

If money, circuit access and time were no issue, we’d take both these vehicles back to Wakefield Park to test them in dry conditions. The outright result could potentially be different.

However, testing both vehicles on their merits and in the conditions available, it is the 2021 Audi RS 7 with a slight edge over the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S.

Its huge pricing advantage is one aspect that is hard to overlook, ditto the considerably cheaper aftersales provisions and better balanced on-road demeanour.

Until you have a dry circuit to unlock the true hot-rod potential of the brutish AMG, it’s brains over brawn that lend the RS 7 Sportback a small advantage.

How much does the 2021 Audi RS 7 Sportback cost?
Price: $224,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol
Output: 441kW/800Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 11.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 256g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2018)

How much does the 2021 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S 4MATIC+ cost?
Price: $253,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 turbo-petrol
Output: 450kW/850Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 12.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 280g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2016)

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