It brings us great pleasure to report that performance wagons are making a comeback and, with the unveiling of the M5 Touring, Canadian car buyers are spoiled for choice when it comes to high-power family haulers.
While that’s unassailably good news, it also means that it hasn’t been this hard to buy the best model in years. Should you go for the M5 Touring, which is being offered to Canadian consumers for the first time ever, the only recently discontinued Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon, or the Audi RS 6 Avant? Let’s compare the cars’ spec sheets to see which comes out on top on paper.
Power
Although all wagons are cool, by definition, a good performance wagon needs a lot of horsepower. As the latest addition to the segment, the 2025 M5 Touring has a big advantage in this area. Not satisfied with a twin-turbocharged 4.4L V8, BMW provided the car with a plug-in hybrid system that pumps total system output up to a staggering 717 hp. That’s nearly 100 more than the 2024 Audi RS 6 Avant Performance, whose 4.0L twin-turbocharged V8 makes 621 hp, and well over 100 more than the 2023 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon, whose 4.0L twin-turbocharged V8 makes just 603 hp. The Merc is a little more impressive when it comes to torque, generating exactly as many lb-ft as the Audi (627), but the BMW has them both easily beat, with 737 lb-ft.
By the Numbers
Audi RS 6 Avant: 621 hp, 627 lb-ft of torque
BMW M5 Touring: 717 hp, 737 lb-ft of torque
Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon: 603 hp, 627 lb-ft of torque
Performance
Unfortunately, we won’t be able to provide readers with full driving impressions of the M5 Touring for a little while (you should definitely read our reviews of the RS 6 Avant and E 63 S Wagon, though), but there are a few data points that we can look at until then.
It will come as no surprise that, thanks to its surplus of power, the M5 Touring has the highest top speed. In its fastest trim (at time of writing) it can reach 305 km/h, outpacing the E 63 S Wagon, which tops out at 290 km/h, and the RS 6 Avant, which only has the legs to reach 280 km/h.
Somewhat surprisingly, though, the BMW is not the quickest in terms of acceleration, at least not as far as automaker estimates are concerned. Despite its 717 hp, the BMW is actually the slowest to 100 km/h, taking 3.7 seconds to complete the sprint (though it should be noted that BMW has a habit of overestimating how long it takes its vehicles to accelerate). Meanwhile, the Audi and the Mercedes are equally matched, completing the sprint in just 3.4 seconds in their quickest trims.
By the Numbers
Audi RS 6 Avant: 0-100 in 3.4s; Top Speed 280 km/h
BMW M5 Touring: 0-100 km/h in 3.7s; Top speed 305 km/h
Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon: 0-100 km/h in 3.4s; Top speed 290 km/h
Weight
The BMW’s relative lack of pace in the 0-100 km/h sprint may be explained by its surprising weight – batteries give and batteries take. The M5 Touring tips the scales at a pavement-straining 2,550 kg. By comparison, the Mercedes and the Audi are relative lightweights. The E 63 S Wagon tips the scales at 2,124 kg, but the RS 6 Avant Performance is the lightest, weighing in at just 2,090 kg in its lightest guise.
By the Numbers
Audi RS 6 Avant: 2,090 kg (4,982 lbs)
BMW M5 Touring: 2,550 kg (5,622 lbs)
Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon: 2,124 kg (4,683 lbs)
Luggage Capacity
The duality of a performance wagon is a big part of its appeal, so luggage capacity is a pretty big deal. Whereas the BMW and the Audi are quite closely matched (with the RS 6 Avant just edging out the M5 Touring by a few litres) the Mercedes-AMG is the clear winner in this contest. According to the automaker, the E 63 S Wagon can haul up to 991 litres of stuff behind the second-row seats, and can carry a whopping 1,812 litres when the bench is folded flat.
By the Numbers
Audi RS 6 Avant: 565 L behind second row; 1,680 L behind first-row
BMW M5 Touring: 500 L; 1,630 L
Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon: 991 L; 1,812 L
Fuel Economy
Although fuel economy and performance tend not to make great bedfellows, people who like to go fast may still care about conservation, and that’s where the M5 Touring has a huge advantage. BMW’s decision to go for a plug-in hybrid drivetrain may have cost it on the scales, but it pays off at the pump. With a fully charged battery it’s not only good for 40 km of silent, electric-only driving, but it also delivers 2.0 L/100 km of combined fuel economy on the European test cycle. That’s a huge improvement over its rivals. The E 63 S Wagon consumes 12.8 litres of fuel for every 100 km it traverses, and the RS 6 Avant burns 14.2 litres of fuel over the same distance.
By the Numbers
Audi RS 6 Avant: 16.9 / 11.0 / 14.2 L/100 km cty/hwy/cmb
BMW M5 Touring: 2.0 L/100 km combined with charged battery; 10.9 L/100 km combined with depleted battery
Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon: 14.7 / 10.4 / 12.8 L/100 km cty/hwy/cmb
Price
Although the Mercedes is technically no longer available, it was the most expensive when it was on sale, starting at $142,000. The Audi is a little cheaper with a base price of $138,665, but the newest of the bunch is the least expensive. Despite its complicated powertrain, the BMW has a starting price of $138,000.
By the Numbers
Audi RS 6 Avant: $138,665
BMW M5 Touring: $138,000
Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon: $142,000
Conclusion
So, what have we learned? Well, our look through these German performance wagons’ spec sheets has provided us with some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that each model has its strengths and weaknesses, so finding a clear winner is difficult. The good news is, that means that there are also no clear losers, so you can’t really go wrong if you’re lucky enough to be in the market for one of these models.
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