Which German supercar-killer wins a game of top trumps?

The Audi RS6, BMW M5 Competition, and Mercedes-AMG E63 S are all ready to land in Australia (or have already landed in the case of the RS6).

These three German ’bahn-stormers pack some serious firepower, and have most supercar owners sweating at the traffic light grand prix.

But which of this all-wheel-drive turbo trio gets your V8 vote?

Let’s run through some key specs.

ENGINE

German power cake recipe: Take two turbos and eight cylinders, mix into a vee at skunkworks, slap into a sedan or wagon body. Enjoy!

• E63 S: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
• M5 Competition: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
• RS6: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, 48v mild-hybrid

OUTPUTS

BMW’s turbos spool quickest, with smaller peak torque figure arriving lowest in RPM range and spread across most revs. AMG has widest peak kW band.

• M5 Competition: 460kW / 750Nm
• E63 S: 450kW / 800Nm
• RS6: 441kW/800Nm

WEIGHT

Wagon-bodied RS6 is heaviest of the bunch. Complex all-wheel-drive systems bring bulk kegs, but lightweight Competition pack helps BMW shed heft

• M5 Competition: 1865kg
• E63 S: 1955kg
• RS6: 2150kg

0-100KM/H

BMW has a new habit of underquoting acceleration figures, so the difference here could be even larger. Munich easily wins the war of power-to-weight, too

• M5 Competition: 3.3 sec
• RS6: 3.4 sec
• E63 S: 3.6 sec

TOP SPEED

While the ‘slowest’ of the trio, AMG E63 S is the only one capable of reaching 300km/h without aid of an option pack

• RS6: 306km/h
• M5 Competition: 304km/h
• E63 S: 300km/h

ECONOMY

All three like a drink. Audi only car with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system to help reduce fuel consumption but can’t escape its extra weight

• E63 S: 9.3L/100km
• RS6: 9.7L/100km
• M5 Competition: 10.5L/100km