Best Super Saloons 2026

The third-generation CTS-V established Cadillac as a genuine rival to BMW M and Mercedes-AMG on the world stage: 640bhp from a supercharged V8 derived from the C7 Corvette ZR1, delivered with American directness and surprising finesse.

The E60 M5 housed a 5.0-litre V10 engine derived from BMW's Formula 1 programme, an engine that sang to 8,250 rpm and produced 717bhp in a four-door body. It remains the greatest naturally aspirated super saloon ever created.

797bhp from a supercharged 6.2-litre V8, rear-wheel drive, and a four-door body that seats five. The Charger Hellcat Redeye is Detroit's most extreme expression of muscle car logic applied to the family saloon format, and the result is magnificent.

The E63 S is the quintessential AMG weapon: 612bhp, a drift mode that disables the front axle for rear-wheel-drive hilarity, and a rear seat so civilised that your passengers will remain entirely unaware of what you are doing with their car.

The CT5-V Blackwing is Cadillac's masterpiece, a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 producing 668bhp, a six-speed manual gearbox, and handling calibration developed at the Nürburgring. The finest American super saloon ever created.

The F10 M5 marked BMW M's transition to turbocharged power with seamless results: 717bhp from a twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8, with an AWD system that kept the power manageable while a drift mode allowed it to be abandoned when the mood required.

The RS6 Avant proves that estate cars can be deeply desirable objects. At 600bhp with a mild-hybrid 4.0-litre V8, it carries the maximum European estate car load allowance while posting supercar 0-100 km/h times. The practical choice that feels anything but.

The GT 63 S 4-Door is AMG's most powerful four-door car: 630bhp from a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, delivered through a 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive system and a 9-speed multi-clutch gearbox that fires off gear changes with sporting intent.

AMG's most controversial decision, replacing the C63's V8 with a turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid, produced the most powerful C63 in history at 671bhp. The plug-in system delivers silent electric performance when required and explosive combined output when unleashed.

The standard Hellcat Charger pairs 717bhp with a supercharger whine audible three streets away. It is the most American car on this list in the most American sense, uncomplicated, enormous, and deeply committed to its single performance objective.