When coupled with the eight-speed automatic, the Audi’s prodigious power is measured out precisely to ensure maximum forward momentum, seemingly on any road surface. Shifts happen quicker than you can even think them and are dispatched with crisp authority either with the paddles or on their own. While a traditional manual transmission would be more engaging for those of us who prefer them, the ability of this autobox to eke out maximum performance from the brilliant engine cannot be denied.
By most standards the CLS’s AMG Speedshift sport transmission (seven-speed automatic) would feel responsive and sufficiently brisk, but when compared to the Audi’s unit, the Benz seems to have had the sharp points polished off its shifts. Less crisp, more relaxed.
Here the Audi is the decisive victor.
   2014 Audi RS 7. Click image to enlarge |
On the Road
Independently, each of these cars provides a balance of blistering performance and luxurious comfort inconceivable even a decade ago. Each one is intensely gratifying to drive and would provide any driver with countless miles of grins and a quickened pulse, yet can also be called upon to deliver VIPs to a black-tie soiree at the finest venue.
In driving them back-to-back and then back again on a variety of divided highways, urban streets and lightly traveled, twisty country roads, each car’s distinct personality shone more brightly.
  2014 Audi RS 7 & 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG-S 4MATIC. Click image to enlarge |
For formal duties, the CLS is the better choice. Its ride is noticeably more supple than the Audi’s. Bumps are better absorbed and the ride is simply calmer in the Benz. And yet, this does not mean the Mercedes is a floaty, sofa on the back road twisties. Not at all. For such a sizable vehicle, the CLS always feels planted and surefooted, thanks in no small part to its all-wheel-drive setup, for sure.
The superior ride-versus-handling tradeoff of the Benz versus the Audi can be traced to its adaptive air suspension. The only downside to this set up is the somewhat undignified exhale from the car’s rear suspension once it’s been parked for a moment and settles down.
Still when driven on the same back roads immediately following the Audi, the Benz’s more serious demeanor begins to just feel weighty by comparison. Each test driver came away certain that the CLS was the larger and heavier car by a decent margin. In fact, the Mercedes is lighter by 125 kg – a fact I could not believe until double-checking the specs myself (1,995 kg for the Audi, 1,870 kg for the Benz).
The RS 7’s steering feels quicker and livelier which also contributes to its comparative lightness on the road. The Audi seems happier being aggressively handled in tighter curves than the bigger-feeling CLS but again, this is not to diminish the incredible grip and maneuverability of either of these sizable machines.
The RS 7’s ride is noticeably stiffer than the CLS 63’s, so if your sensible super car needs to settle down and relax from time to time, the Mercedes is your better bet.
Brakes on both cars are out of this world in terms of their power to halt so much mass so quickly and with such precision.
But if a luxurious ride was the number one priority, a Mercedes S-Class would do a better job than the CLS. These cars are appealing because of their performance capabilities without sacrificing space.
And for that, the Audi takes this category.
   2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG-S 4MATIC. Click image to enlarge |
Inside and Out
Each of these cars embodies the corporate design language at its best. Not as overtly sporting or extreme as Audi’s R8 or the Mercedes SLS, but bold, aggressive and arresting.
Normally when I see A7s on the road, I’m drawn to them. I love the angry front end, the LED strip light treatment and the squat hatchback tail swept down fluidly from the roofline. In fire engine red, however, this RS 7 is downright obnoxious next to the Benz.
Even though the CLS wears “only” 19-inch wheels, their design and dark finish look right-sized on the Mercedes, highlighted further by the red AMG brake calipers. The Mercedes finished in our tester’s deep grey hue looks expensive instead of gaudy.
Inside the Audi cannot be matched. From its exquisite quilted-pattern leather seats to the dark oak trim layered with aluminum pinstripe inlays and the exceptionally clever touchpad associated with Audi’s latest infotainment interface, the RS 7 is a visual and tactile treat throughout.
