Relocating. New M5? M6GC? CLS 63AMG 4MATIC S? Panamera Turbo?

[singularity]

Hi fellow enthusiasts,

I'm about to relocate due to my work and can't take my M5 with me. I love the car, but I'm at a difficult situation on what to buy on my new semi-permanent residence. Better performance and tuning potential than M5 F10 is my preference. Also I have M6 (E63) so I won't be losing the real-wheel-drive, S85 and steering pleasure. Please help me decide based on following criterias:

(LCI) M5 F10 with Competition Package
At first I was considering buying another M5, but I must admit that 2014 LCI and significant non-retrofittable changes discouraged me from buying another M5 on a principle, after all losing 50% of a 1.5 year old car's value just to buy an LCI is unwise and I will not be the dumb customer with cash that ///marketing aimed for.

M6 Gran Coupe with Competition Package
After that I was thinking about buying M6 Gran Coupe, but from some research that I've done it seems to be heavier than M5, better performance oriented chassis and to my surprise it is faster from 0-100 km/h due to a closer gear ratio. Another reason I am very hesitant to buying M6GC is because I don't want to repeat the same 'mistake' I did with M5, buying the latest and greatest only to see an LCI one year later. I'm guessing 6 series facelift is only a year away and dishing out $200k only to have another outdated car a year later is not in my book. Else I would be buying a used car in the first place, pay almost half the price and maintenance expenses would be marginal compared to the value loss of a new one. I honestly do think that they might come out offering xDrive option for M5/M6/M6GC in a year or two, I don't believe there is anything holding ///M back ideologically from any drastic changes, especially seeing how the customer base contently 'swallowed' the big changes in M5 F10 LCI.

On a side note I feel bad for anyone who pre-ordered the "new flagship" M6GC and now learned that they've been left out without the new competition package that was recently added as an option for new M5/M6/M6GC.

(LCI) Porsche Panamera Turbo
I haven't test driven this car. I like its formidable road presence, I like that it's AWD because meeting another performance car at a traffic light is more frequent for me than being able to power slide fun in a city with traffic. I've sat in a Panamera 4's interior (I know it's not top) but after a fully optioned M5 F10 I wasn't impressed at all and a more luxurious version won't be enough to impress me to make a decision. I didn't like the visibility, hood was too high, windows were too high for my taste, rear window was bad and overall the interior ergonomics weren't to my taste. It will receive a slight power boost with LCI due to +20 hp bump.

CLS 63 AMG 4-MATIC S Model
A friend of mine has a CLS63 AMG (without performance package), I've driven this car and sat with him during some spirited driving sessions. I wasn't impressed with interior again, but to each his own, I guess M5's interior is indeed very good. I was impressed with this car's acceleration and to my surprise the steering and suspension weren't all that bad as Mercedes/AMG's reputation has been in the past. I love the exhaust note, it is undeniably better than M5's (and I have Eisenmann Sport-Race), in fact the exhaust was so good that it adds to an everyday driving pleasure as the sound becomes an audible feedback of your driving. It was less spacious and tighter compared to M5. The 2014 model I'm considering would be an AWD and 585 hp stock. I like this car's proportions too from every angle, especially profile.

(LCI) E63 AMG 4-MATIC S Model
This car's looks are enough for me not to consider buying it.

Used 'outdated' M5/CLS63 Performance Package/Panamera Turbo
Considering BMW trade-in offered me a disrespectful 50% of my 1 year old car's original price motivating as "this is the current realistic market price", I would be happy to buy some other unfortunate fellow's car for that price knowing that it will devaluate at 5%-7% every year, not 50%.

Thanks very much for reading my long post and any advices or insights you may have to help me decide are much appreciated.fun.

[BC87]

Sounds like you've picked the cls63 just from reading your post.

[nugent]

regarding exhaust note, did you have eisenmann sport AND race exhausts? and you still think the race is not as good as stock cls63?

[Vic55]

Concur as BC87 stated... you want a better tuning opportunity and already have rwd--- the CLS AWD is your choice. The M157 engine was easily cracked in 2011 and the tunes yield huge hp and tq gains.


As for exhaust notes- the M157 in stock format is deeper and throatier than my M5 with E-Race. A 100 dollar resonator removal mod and the M157 is a beast!!!

[bobblehead]

what about Audi RS6 or 7. In Europe, the RS6 Avant is a really hot looking car. Too bad, it's not available in North America

[PatrickC23]

Based on prior posts about the '12/'13 M5 being out of date, Id say the non-LCI M5 shouldnt even make your list

[clar]

You are spot on with the M6 GC. I am pretty interested in the GC, but only with the comp package. Like u said it, i fear it becoming obsolete within a year with a LCI. The CLS would be a good choice for u!

[Rob///M5]

Drove the M6 GC on track today. For the road, it's nice. For track, stick with the M5 or M6. Huge difference. M6 GC = M7

M5 LCI steering changes are significant. Go LCI for sure.

[Bokke]

Originally Posted by Rob///M5

Drove the M6 GC on track today. For the road, it's nice. For track, stick with the M5 or M6. Huge difference. M6 GC = M7

M5 LCI steering changes are significant. Go LCI for sure.

COTA FTW

It was great to see all of the fellas.......

[RPiM5]

Originally Posted by Rob///M5

Drove the M6 GC on track today. For the road, it's nice. For track, stick with the M5 or M6. Huge difference. M6 GC = M7

M5 LCI steering changes are significant. Go LCI for sure.

I too drove the M6 Gran Coupe yesterday. They concentrated more on comfort than performance with the M6 Gran Coupe. The one that I drove also had the Carbon Ceramic Brakes on it as well and as far as stopping power and performance goes, I couldn't tell much difference between them and the regular steel rotors. I'll be doing a short review on it sometime soon.

[Rob///M5]

Dave, all I can say to you re the CCBs is: wrong

They are night and day on track. No question my next M3/M4 will have them

[Bokke]

^^ +1

Dave, remember the Amazonite M5 at the PDC?? It was a COTA today, so I had seat time in the M6 GC with CC brakes and the "green" M5 with "Blue" calipers and there is a serious difference!!

Cheers,

[M54ccibo]

RobM5 and Bokke beat me to it. M6GC = M7. Looks stunning in frozen colors and is a fantastic touring car. If that is what you are interested in, go for it. Surely a worthy competitor to the CLS. I don't know about being faster than the M5...that might be ///Marketing. Suffice to say I would not trade my non-LCI M5 for it! And COTA, well...just EPIC.

Oh, and CCB. On the track, better. On the highway under braking, better. I will not own another car without them if they are offered. That good. Call it what you will, I'm drinking the Kool-aid. Drive CCB and steelies back to back and instantly see what all the fuss is about...that's it, I'm out!

[Tylerstar]

I would go with the LCI M5, it's gonna be even sexier in stock format. If you need AWD then go CLS.

[singularity]

In the end I ordered another used MCB. May be a record of having 2 M5 F10s after a lot of test driving and cost calculations, shows how good this car is

btw don't know where all the good reviews came about Panamera Turbo, but after M5 F10 that car's interior didn't surprise me at all and I don't even want to mention its sluggish performance and gearbox

[RPiM5]

Originally Posted by singularity

In the end I ordered another used MCB. May be a record of having 2 M5 F10s after a lot of test driving and cost calculations, shows how good this car is

btw don't know where all the good reviews came about Panamera Turbo, but after M5 F10 that car's interior didn't surprise me at all and I don't even want to mention its sluggish performance and gearbox

I think you made the right choice out of all the choices you were considering. My cost calculations revealed that the M5 is by far the best bang for the buck even with the Comp Package and CCB's included.