Is The Electrified Mercedes-AMG E53 Better Than The Original Petrol-Only Saloon?

Last chance saloon? The plug-in Mercedes-AMG E53 is the ultimate E-Class but may be the final model with a petrol engine. Jeremy Taylor and Jessica Talbot-Ponsonby take a test drive.

Long-Term Test: Mercedes-AMG E53

First Impressions

Jeremy Taylor: The venerable Mercedes E-Class has a timeline dating back to the 1950s and is famed for its reliability and robustness. Bomb-proof build and supreme comfort are two qualities that follow this distinguished saloon everywhere.

Older models were the taxi of choice in Germany for decades. Many ended up on the African continent, running as dependable workhorses trouble-free for hundreds of thousands of miles.

Indeed, if you are currently watching hit series The Night Manager on BBC1, watch out for these old Mercedes in the back streets of Cairo, as Tom Hiddleston’s character Jonathan Pine tracks down the bad guys! Looks warmer there than in icy England this week.

Current versions of the E-Class are rather more advanced, with a mind-boggling array of equipment in the cabin to pamper driver and passengers alike. However, as EV usage continues to increase, the new E53 may be the last performance model that uses a petrol engine.

Fast and comfortable, the E53 we are driving is the ultimate version of Mercedes’ long-distance cruiser, made in collaboration with the brand’s in-house performance division AMG. This one features a 3.0-litre petrol engine mated to an e-motor, together producing a punchy 577bhp.

Former AMG versions of the E-Class just used a powerful V8, one that roared into life and sounded sensational. Capable of up to 57 miles on battery power only, can our new, electrified E53 come close to those kinds of thrills?

First impressions from our long-term test car are mixed. Mercedes has tried to make the E53 grumble like a V8 by pumping exhaust noise into the cabin via speakers. Lots of other marques do this too but a five-year-old on the back seat could make a better impression of engine sound.

Thanks to a weighty battery pack, the E53 also feels heavy on the road and nowhere near as nimble as its main rival, the BMW M5. Both cars are roughly 2.3 tons but the M5 saloon uses a superior suspension system to sharpen the steering and offer a more enjoyable drive.

And while the pop-up door handles can be infuriating, plus the technology overload has occasionally had me slapping my head in frustration (more on that in our next report), the E53 is slowly becoming the car of choice on our freezing driveway. It has its foibles but as a comfortable, long-distance cruiser, this is a handsome performer oozing refinement.

The E53 may not boast the charisma of former AMG models but plug-in battery power has benefits – not least the ability to run silently on everyday commutes. It also offers tax breaks to business buyers trying to keep running costs to a minimum.

The E53 also looks the part, with muscular wheel arches, an aggressive front end and 20-inch alloy wheels. Equipment levels are off the scale too. Our Patagonia Red test car cost just over £100,000, although strangely, the paintwork was a £695 option.

There’s lots to unravel in the E53 – apart from the complicated technology! This may not be the most exciting AMG offering but the electric motor does add a new kind of appeal.

Jessica Talbot-Ponsonby: You don’t need to be a car nerd to enjoy driving this Mercedes but it might help. The E53 may infuriate those who loved previous, petrol-guzzling AMG models but once you’ve mastered the screen controls, the low carbon emissions and plug-in technology make this an executive car for the modern age. Effortlessly quick on the road and efficient around town, the electric-only mode just adds to the air of sophistication and refinement.

Our test car also features the complex MBUX touchscreen system, which sweeps across the dashboard and offers both driver and front seat passenger tons of information at their fingertips. The software is fast and intuitive, but an alternative is the ‘Hey Mercedes’ voice system, which puts an AI assistant beside you in the car to answer all your ‘must-ask’ questions!

2 Month Review

Jeremy: They say you can choose your friends but not your family. Well, if the current Mercedes’ E53 saloon was a close relation, it would be the sensible uncle: multi-talented, reliable but not the life and soul of a party.

Which may sound good, except the E53 (previously known as the E63) used to be something of a tearaway – the black sheep of the E-Class family. Fast and furious, it was a car for the connoisseur, folk who enjoyed driving a well-engineered German cruiser with a serious burst of speed.

Nearly everything about this latest E53 is very good indeed, except it lacks the character and charisma normally associated with Mercedes’ venerable saloon. Still the most powerful E-Class on the road, the 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine and combined electric motor just can’t quite live up to the E63’s barn-storming reputation of old – when it packed a brute of an old-school V8 petrol engine.

Fortunately, working together with AMG – Mercedes’ in-house performance arm – our hybrid test car was built with a much stiffer body, firmer suspension and rear-wheel steering. All contribute to the E53’s astonishing handling, ensuring that once you have adjusted the drive settings, this Mercedes can still be an absolute beast of a machine.

That magic dial is on the steering wheel. Turn from ‘Electric’ to ‘Sport+’ to boost the thrill levels, although I suspect once the battery empties of EV miles, most drivers will be happy enough with ‘Comfort’ for everyday motoring.

In fact, perhaps the biggest clue to the E53’s true purpose in life is that it starts in Comfort, if there isn’t enough battery power left to travel in Electric. That rather suggests this big Merc is not an out-and-out racer.

Capable of carrying five adults in comfort, the E53 is loaded with tech. At first, I thought this might be an issue but it soon became apparent the latest Mercedes technology is now much easier to live with.

Best of all, it was incredibly easy to turn off some of the driver aids that blight modern cars. All those bleeps and warning sounds must be deactivated every time the car starts, which is very straightforward on the car’s main, 14.4-inch infotainment screen.

The passenger also has a 12.3-inch screen of their own in place of a glovebox, which has been shifted underneath instead. Pointless? Possibly, except on a long drive across country with Jessic at the wheel, I was able to watch a film using my headphones. The screen is pixelated at an angle, so the driver can’t be distracted.

And to make the in-car media experience even more interesting, the E53 is fitted with a system called 4D surround sound. The 17-speaker set up includes four ‘exciters’, which make the front seat backs vibrate to the pulse of music! Whoever thought you needed that…

Add the ‘Hey Mercedes’ virtual assistant, always on hand with useful information and some very bad jokes, and the E53 is a thoroughly modern car. I even forgave the annoying, pop-out door handles and the odd feel to the brake pedal by the time I handed the keys back. 

Jessica: Impressively agile, with great handling, the fastest E-Class on the road is effortlessly fast and refined. In some ways the hybrid is just like its V8 predecessor – although very different in others. The electrified powertrain adds a versatility and capability the old V8 couldn’t hope to replicate but there’s no ignoring that the E53 doesn’t inherit the old car’s charisma and personality.

Find out more about the Mercedes AMG E53 at mercedes-benz.co.uk

Jessica Talbot-Ponsonby is Director of Programmes at London College of Fashion, studying for a PhD in sustainable e-textile design.