Luxury and performance may seem mutually exclusive but in truth you can have extravagance and speed in one package.
The folks at both Audi and Mercedes-Benz are happy to supply you with a vehicle that meets these disparate requirements. Each firm offers a sport-tuned version of its flagship sedan with enough horsepower to take your breath away.
Starting with the four-ring brand, Audi’s S8 Plus punches like an MMA fighter thanks to a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8. This little dynamo provides an astonishing 605 horsepower and 517 lb-ft of torque. It’s matched to a Tiptronic eight-speed automatic transmission that sends power to all four corners through the company’s celebrated quattro all-wheel-drive system.
That powertrain can accelerate the sizable S8 Plus to 60 miles an hour in just 3.7 seconds. Top speed is 155 miles an hour, or, if you want even more, it can be increased to 190. Not bad for a car that weighs around 4,700 pounds.
The Mercedes-Benz in this mini comparison features a few more cylinders and a little more oomph. The 2017 AMG S65 is motivated by a twin-turbo V12 that measures 6.0-liters. That force-fed displacement provides 621 horses and an astonishing 738 lb-ft of torque!
The S65’s specially tuned Speedshift transmission feature seven forward ratios, which help get this massive sedan to mile-a-minute velocity in as little as 4.2 seconds, a little off the Audi’s claimed pace. This is probably because the Mercedes is a good bit heavier, clocking in at just shy of 5,000 pounds.
Any way you slice it, both of these cars provide an over-the-top luxury experience with plenty of performance to boot, but which one would YOU rather own? Well, compare them here and make sure to vote in our latest poll!
