Which ride rules as the ultimate factory Terminator? The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG tops the trio in power and in base price, starting at $87,475. In return you get an unfailingly civilized executive's express with a handsome (if conventional) cabin, classic Mercedes good looks, and a powertrain worthy of Zeus himself. But the rivals offer even more. Third place.
The BMW M5 may well be the planet's closest thing to a four-door Formula 1 car. But like an F1 machine, the M5 demands a lot in return for its extreme capabilities. Base price ($85,595) is high, and the extras quickly push the as-tested price to a stratospheric $94,965 (imagine buying a car in this rarified realm and having to shell out an extra $3500 for black perforated leather). And while the M5 offers an immersive driving experience, the question remains: Do you really want to be that immersed? The all-intrusive iDrive controller is only one of countless buttons and switches that must be twirled, pushed, mastered. To love the M5, you must be prepared to deal with its omnipresent HAL 9000 personality. And sometimes, all you want to do is drive. Second place.
Which brings us to our winner, the ultimate Terminator sedan. In the S6, Audi has created an automobile of power, beauty, and-most important-consummate balance. The S6 cruises on the highway with poise and grace and attacks twisty roads with electrifying V-10 sizzle-and to switch modes the only thing the driver needs to adjust is his mind-set. Performance is extreme but never overbearing. Quattro all-weather stability dramatically extends the useability envelope (quick blast to Aspen, anyone?). The cockpit is artful (stylish carbon-fiber accents add just $400 to the tab), thoughtful (shift into reverse and an optional rearview camera feeds the central display), cutting-edge but user-friendly (unlike iDrive, Audi's standard Multi-Media Interface is an intuitive pleasure to operate). And the S6 delivers all the above at an as-tested price ($78,320) that uncuts the Benz and the Bimmer by roughly $16K.
Hasta la vista, baby.
1ST PLACE
AUDI S6
Effortless V-10 power, unfailing quattro stability, supreme comfort and style. Frankly, far more entertaining to drive than we expected. Makes $74K seem like a bargain.
2nd PLACE
BMW M5
Enjoy race-car moves-if, that is, you can deal with the cyborg interface. The Terminator sedan for those who like to tweak and fiddle.
3rd PLACE
MERCEDES-BENZ E63 AMG
What Zeus would drive. Fast, rowdy, thunderously powerful, though a bit of a blunt instrument compared with 1 and 2. The choice for rocketing across Germany at V max.
RIVER'S EDGE
Once a free-flowing waterway that charted its own course through the plain that is now Los Angeles, the L.A. River that forms the backdrop for these pictures has been a flood-control channel ever since the Army Corps of Engineers paved over most of its 51 miles following a disastrous flood in 1938. The resulting urban conduit, mostly dry except during heavy winter rains, quickly became a favored hangout for drifters, taggers-and Hollywood. Among the many movies featuring scenes filmed within the L.A. River's dramatic cement walls are "Blue Thunder," "Grease," "Volcano," "Repo Man," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," and "The Gumball Rally" (see Motor Trend Classic, July/August 2006). If you have access to Google Earth, take a virtual visit to our shooting location, just north of the 1st Street Bridge, at: 34 03'10.00"N, 118 13'44.00"W.
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