C&D: BMW M5, Cadillac CTS-V, AMG E63, Porsche Panamera

[kevm14]

https://www.caranddriver.com/comparison ... rison-test

M5 seems like it is properly back on its game.

CTS-V probably still the most pure driver's car of the group but probably the worst luxury car. Do I care? No. CTS-V tied for best lateral grip and also had the best slalom. Points wise the top 3 were pretty close with the Porsche kind of a distant 4th.

Also this whole German horsepower thing is getting really annoying. The CTS-V has the lowest weight and most HP and is the slowest. I believe the CTS-V is SAE certified. The Germans could SAE certify for US sales, but then everyone else would bitch and be like "why does the US get more power?" because people don't understand anything. And I don't see the Germans rating their domestic production using an SAE standard so that's out.

Also remember that the CTS-V is the only one that starts under $100k (in fact under $90k) and barely breaks 6 figures as tested. The Porsche was offensively expensive, imo. $173k. The BMW was $127k as tested which is still like $25k more than the CTS-V. But it is significantly faster, so there's that. I mean 10.9 @ 129 is serious business, and in a big, comfortable sedan that handles.

But again, with the CTS-V, you get a discount for being a "worse" luxury car. All I guess I'd really want is for them to offer a price-competitive model to the others that is also competitive in luxury, as an option. I think the luxuriousness of the CTS-V is less important than the CT6 top trim, or whatever car may follow the CT6 that is even more upmarket.

[kevm14]

CTS-V choice quotes:

HIGHS
The way it steers, the way it turns, the way it rides.

But we’d happily trade straight-line acceleration to move so swiftly through corners. The Michelin Pilot Super Sports cling to mountain asphalt, providing aggressive turn-in bite and dogged grip. Helped by what is perhaps the purest steering in a four-door, this long and narrow dart of a car lands at the apex corner after corner. At the track, the CTS-V’s dynamic excellence delivered the best handling numbers, with 1.01 g’s of cornering stick and a 46.4-mph run through the slalom.

[kevm14]

M/T test of the M5:
http://www.motortrend.com/cars/bmw/m5/2 ... D3B3745B43

11.1 @ 126.7, on 91 octane (they specifically mention this).

More importantly, it's actually engaging to drive, unlike the rest of the 5-series line.