KMII
[Montblanc Moderator]
51389
They are certainly still one of the most versatile and useful car categories…
Sadly the SUV is slowly but surely killing them off. Such a shame, as you get a much less efficient vehicle that’s worse to drive as a result 🤷🏻♂️ I understand why some find it appealing but would have preferred a higher choice 🤞🏻
Transporting the family at speed
As we have two kids and both of us occasionally take them to school, and as we are not that fond of SUVs (OK, that’s primarily me and I would make an exception for the Stelvio), a fast estate is the default choice. The current roster is an E63S and an M3 ...
Great cars.
With the preponderance of brilliant luxury trucks, and crucially, ample driving space for them here in the US, I don't anticipate considering an estate, but I've always admired them so your review was highly interesting and informative for me to read. I'v...
Black…
The green exterior is a lot more intense than on the pics in the configurator - I thought it would be more like the Merc in the sense that it is subdued unless in intense sunshine but turns out not to be the case live🌞
I know!
I've seen a number of non-estate M cars in that color in LA - I like it a lot . Cheers, Filip
It really works 👍🏻
And I would most likely go for the same color again, even knowing it. Maybe with a brown interior for the full forest experience 😂👍🏻
Oddly though....
I've seen some people pair it with an orange color interior, and somehow it ends up working really well! Would not have believed that had I not seen it myself....
Haven’t seen that combination yet 🧐
And would want to see it live first before ordering it off a configuration blind 😉👍🏻
Sweet rides!
I owned an E63 wagon for 5 years, the engine is phenomenal and the handling beautiful. I would have purchased the M3 Touring if it was available a couple of years ago ( I guess it is coming to the US ) ended up with the Audi RS6 Avant, which I really enjo...
In the sense of AWD certainly…
As for AMG estate, that came a bit earlier, already in the S124 generation. And there were 14 or 15 AMG55s made with AWD from the S203 one, too. As for mass production, the RS6 was the first with AWD and estate body.
Isle of Man green 🌳
The RS6 was another option when I chose the E and is one of the remaining few choices for some short months to come 👍🏻
I am sure…
Not both needed to be so speedy but I was keen on trying the M3 (after the C43 and CLA 35 before) 😊👍🏻
Generally…
The E for me and M for my wife. But I do have reasons to need to do it the other way around on occasion 😉
I’m actually happy with both…
One surprise is that in spite of being quite a bit larger the Benz is a lot easier to park, having a dramatically smaller turning circle (the BMW is like a lorry in that respect 🤷🏻♂️).
interesting statement about twitchiness and aquaplan
the E63S is using PZero and the M3 is using PS 4s? is it 4S* or 4S? personally I always love and have better experience with PS more than P0 regardless of car and generation.
Correct 👍🏻
And that has been my expectation, too (was fully intending to switch the Merc to the PS4S M0 when the Pirelli’s wore down) so that came as a real surprise. Especially at how stark the difference was. Will play with tire pressures a bit but I can hardly im...
These were the OEM fitting…
Will see what’s available when these wear out - regular PS5 will most likely not be offered in the size (and they would not do), not sure if they have the 5S in the right sizes yet 🧐
Double checked…
No PS5S yet in the sizes but there is the Conti SC7, which won the recent test in the size, so might give that a try instead 👍🏻
Wow you have 2 of the best “family cars” in the business dear KM!
Looks wise, the E is a little under the radar which works for me. I test drove seveal including the M5 and the M felt more edgy and louder (from the inside) compared to the E63 and the Alpina B5 and B7. Since you have both the E and the M in the garage, y...
What then happens 😁
For longer journeys with the whole family it’s the E, as there’s hardly space in the M boot for more than a weekend’s worth of luggage 🤷🏻♂️
Interesting comparison …
I’ve driven several M series cars in the wet with different makes of tyre and they all require a degree of restraint and respect in wet conditions, the point of snap oversteer can be quite exciting especially for your passenger ! In these conditions I wou...
If you look at tests…
Especially in English car magazines, they praise the current AWD M3 as an all weather unflappable tool. Judging by my experience so far that works in the dry but it gets quite exciting in the wet 😉 Not having tried the new AWD C63, I would say if you’re n...
7 or 8?
Have you tried the small AMGs? A and CLAs of the current generation are a lot of fun. Not as stable on an autobahn run above 220 or 230 as the larger ones but a blast on a country road, no matter the weather 👍🏻
I had a C Class AMG …
The engine sounded good but traction was always the issue. Electrical gremlins and a very poor service from the AD killed ithe ownership experience.
That’s not fun…
At least on the service front I seem to have no problems and the current generation are almost all AWD, making the traction a non-issue (but the engine sound is less glorious 🤷🏻♂️). Meant more the CLA and A - with the highly strung 4 cyl engines, i.e. mo...
You need a third one !
Audi RS6 Avant In your case the M3 is my preference, although it is waaaaaaay too fast .. at least where I live. But for the German autobahn these cars are simply perfect. So in a perfect world where I live in Germany my choice would be a BMW 340d with so...
Fuel consumption is what it is…
Overall average on the E is 14l/100km. So the 80 liter tank is a necessity. The M basically means stopping at every second petrol station 😂 As said in terms of all weather suitability I was surprised at the difference between the two. In a rain, where I w...
I can imagine the M3 being difficult in the rain.
I once remember seeing 285 on the clock of a friends AMG in the pouring rain ... no problem whatsoever. Although doing 200+ (let alone nearly 300) in the rain isn't something I really long for . Btw .. I bought an extra car ... I hope to take delivery in ...
Very excited to see what you went for this time 🤞🏻
Your choices tend to be delectable 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
They are certainly still one of the most versatile and useful car categories…
Sadly the SUV is slowly but surely killing them off. Such a shame, as you get a much less efficient vehicle that’s worse to drive as a result 🤷🏻♂️ I understand why some find it appealing but would have preferred a higher choice 🤞🏻