Wonder wagons

19 December 2005 :: Filed under Estate/Wagon, Audi, Audi A6, BMW, BMW M5, Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz E-Class, Europe & UK, US

Germans prepare a trio of heavy-hitting estates for Geneva

(Click for super-size image)

In an age of crossover vehicles, cab-forward architectures and out-of-the-box thinking, the traditional estate seems like a rather frumpy concept. But as the original Audi RS4 Audi proved, if it’s the ultimate combination of practicality and performance you fancy, a souped-up wagon is very tough to beat. So, we’re pleased to see that all three of Germany’s heavy metal car makers are preparing hardcore performance versions of their full-sized estate models.

Of the three, BMW’s M5 wagon is the best-known quantity, being a fairly straight forward five-door rejig of the awesome 5.0-litre V10, 507bhp M5 saloon. Details on Mercedes’ monstrous new E63 AMG estate, however, are a little patchier. It’s certain to use a version of M-B’s all-new 6.3-litre quad-cam V8. But it’s not yet known whether power will match the slightly silly 510bhp total this beast of an engine knocks out as fitted to the ML, S and R Class models or whether the desire for a more civilised, shopping-friendly power delivery will result in a few lost horses.

Rounding out this smorgasbord of saucy station wagons is Audi’s upcoming S6 Avant. Power is expected to come from a detuned variant of Audi’s Lamborghini Gallardo-derived V10 (probably down to 440bhp vs 450bhp as fitted to the S8 uber-limo). Of course, Quattro four-wheel drive is a given.

All three cars are likely to be shown at the Geneva motor show in March. Hop on over to WorldCarFans for a round up of pics.

Linkage:
WorldCarFans
(Via Eurocarblog)