It seems like plug-in hybrid is the way forward for high performance sedans. There’s the Volvo V60 Polestar, the Porsche Panamera, the new M5 and now this Mercedes-Benz E53 AMG PHEV. So where does it stack up in this new world of performance sedans?
Performance
Engine – Unlike the Mercedes-AMG C63, the E53 does not use a 4-cylinder engine. It has a 3.0L twin-turbocharged inline-6 engine which produces 443 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque (330 kW & 560 Nm). It is augmented by an electric motor which can provide up to 161 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque (120 kW & 480 Nm). The combined system output is 577 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque (430 kW & 750 Nm). However, if you option the E53 AMG with the Race Start function as part of the AMG Dynamic Plus package, then it will momentarily produce 604 hp (450 kW). That’s 1 hp more than the previous generation E63 S AMG. Mercedes-Benz claims a 0-100 km/h of 4 second, 3.8 with the Race Start function.
From behind the steering wheel, the car’s acceleration feels brutal. The seatbelts tighten up and keep you locked in place as the car bangs through the gears on its way to 100+ km/h. However, the time it gets to that speed isn’t really that quick. It’s slower by almost a second than the old E63 S AMG and a Mustang GT can accelerate in roughly the same time. So why is the E53 AMG slower despite having over 600 hp? It’s the weight. It is 2,390 kg (5,269 lbs), 55 kg (121 lbs) away from being the same weight as the BMW M5 sedan, but the M5 gets over 700 hp to play with.
Performance figures aside, the engine in the Mercedes-Benz E53 AMG is fabulous. It has power from low rpms right up to the redline. Of course the electric motor aids it in masking some of the turbo lag. Sadly, it’s no longer a loud and exciting engine. Almost nothing from the engine bay can be heard in the cabin and engine noises are enhanced by the stereo system.
Battery, Range, & Charging – Under the trunk floor is a 28.6 kWh battery pack that is rated to provide up to 69 km (43 miles) of electric-only driving range. However, if you’re gentle with the throttle and limit climate control usage, you can squeeze more juice out of it. I managed to get 88 km (55 miles) of electric-only driving range with an observed efficiency of 25 kWh/100km (2.49 miles/kWh).
The E53 AMG has two primary electric drive modes. EV mode allows the car to drive nothing but electricity at a speed of up to 140 km/h (87 mph). If you press on the throttle all the way to the floor, then the engine will turn on in this mode. But you’ll know when you get closer to that threshold as the pedal has more resistance the harder you press on it. Should you want to save the battery charge, the Battery Hold mode allows for just that. It behaves more like a traditional self-charging hybrid mode where at parking lot speeds, the engine remains off. But at higher speeds, the engine turns on to provide power and momentarily shuts off for brief periods. There’s also Comfort mode which will use the electric motor to provide propulsion as much as possible but harder applications of the throttle will turn on the engine however, it does not require full throttle like the EV-only mode. As for driving with just the electric motor, it has plenty of power to get the heavy sedan going from a stop or to overtake a vehicle on a highway.
Recharging the battery from a level 2 charger can take up to two and a half hours. But the E53 is available with a DC 60 kW fast charging option that will replenish the battery from 10% to 80% in as little as 20 minutes.
Fuel Economy – When the battery is depleted or the car is driven in the Battery Hold mode, the 2025 Mercedes-Benz E53 AMG is rated to return up to 11.2 L/100km (21 MPG) in a city and 9 L/100km (26.1 MPG) on a highway. But again, if you’re gentle with the throttle, you can get better fuel economy numbers. On one trip with a depleted battery, I managed to get as low as 7.3 L/100km (32.2 MPG). With consistent charging and 42% of my overall drive cycle for the week with the E53, I averaged 5.8 L/100km (40.5 MPG).
Transmission – The E53 AMG uses a 9-speed TCT automatic transmission. Unlike higher performance MCT transmissions, this one uses a torque converter to transfer power from the engine to the transmission. The AMG enhanced software allows for quick and responsive shifts in the Sport and Sport+ modes but smooth shifts in the Comfort, Electric, and Battery Hold modes. The electric motor also helps in hiding some of the rougher shifts and with momentary torque loss between each shift.
Braking – As standard, the E53 AMG receives 4-piston front brake calipers with 370mm discs and single piston floating rear calipers. With this demo E53 having the AMG Dynamic Plus package, the front brakes get upgraded to 6-piston calipers and 390mm discs. The brakes have tremendous stopping power and they very quickly bring the car to a stop without any fuss in emergency situations. But the brake pedal could use a bit more fine tuning in city traffic.
In the Comfort, EV, and Battery Hold modes, the E53 uses regenerative braking to help slow down the car and recoup some energy for the battery. However, when lightly pressing on the brake pedal in one of these modes, there’s a disconnected feeling between regenerative braking and the physical brakes. There’s very little feedback provided by the brake pedal to your foot unless you press harder on it. But once you do that, the car behind the E53 may hit it because the brakes are so strong. In the Sport and Sport+ modes, the brake pedal feels a bit more normal with a decent amount of feedback even under light brake applications.
Handling – The 2025 Mercedes-Benz E53 AMG has sharp and responsive steering with a hefty feel. It also comes equipped with 2.5 degrees of rear wheel steering as standard. However, it doesn’t quite feel as athletic through corners as the BMW M5. That car hides its hefty weight very well but this E53 feels as heavy as the spec sheet suggests. Perhaps this is so because the E53 is not a top AMG model whereas the M5 is. But despite the heavier feel through corners, the adaptive dampers keep the body roll in check and it feels planted with mid-corner bumps not upsetting the balance of the car.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – Being an AMG model, the Mercedes E53 has a firm but not back-breaking ride. It doesn’t match the feeling of isolation that the E450 provides but in Comfort mode, the suspension effectively absorbs most bumps in the road. You’ll definitely want to swerve around larger potholes or uneven manhole covers. In Sport and Sport+, the ride is not too discernable from the Comfort mode but there is a bit more jitteryness from the suspension.
The seats have large side bolsters to keep you planted in them through corners. They have lumbar support with various different positions to target a specific area of your back along with thigh extensions. But I personally found the bottom cushion to be a tad on the hard side. My butt got numb towards the end of my commute to work.
Interior Space – The Mercedes E-class has always been a spacious sedan with just the right amount of space for occupants in both the front and back rows of seats. Starting in the front, legroom and headroom is good for my above average height of 6’4”. Visibility is equally good with the b-pillars not impeding too much of the blind zone area. In the back seats, there’s just enough legroom behind my taller than average driving position. My knees brush the back of the front seat but they don’t feel squished at all. Headroom, however, is a bit tight in those back seats with my hair being right up against the headliner. If you do need to carry three individuals in the back, the person sitting in the middle will not have a whole lot of space as the center hump for the driveshaft and exhaust is quite tall.
In the trunk, the E53 has 370 L (13.1 cu-ft) of cargo space. The rear seats can be folded 40/20/40 with release buttons to either side of the trunk area. The trunk is power operated and it can be foot activated. Unlike the E450, the trunk floor cannot be lifted to access small item storage space. The hybrid battery takes up that space.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – The cabin of the Mercedes E53 AMG can get quite noisy. In everyday driving, road noise from the performance summer tires is obtrusive while driving on highways with porous asphalt or concrete. On city streets, it’s not too bad. As mentioned earlier, the engine noise is quite muffled even in the Sport+ mode. The Burmester surround sound system provides a great engine noise but at the end of the day, it is fake.
Being powered by an inline-6 engine, the powertrain is smooth. There are no unwanted vibrations and the transition from electric driving to the gas engine turning on is seamless.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – The 2025 Mercedes-Benz E53 AMG starts at $105,000 CAD ($88,000 USD) with this demo vehicle having an as-tested price of $128,600 CAD ($110,155 USD).
Gadgets – For the 6-figure price tag, the 2025 E53 AMG is equipped like a proper luxury sedan. It has leather upholstery almost everywhere that you touch. The front seats are heated, ventilated, & massaging with the center armrests and door armrests also being heated. There’s also a heated steering wheel and heated rear seats. The dual-pane sunroof lets in plenty of light and the 64-colour ambient lighting system dazzles at night. Other features on the E53 AMG include a head-up display, four-zone automatic climate control, a power operated rear sunshade, soft-close doors, a wireless phone charging pad, in-car WiFi, and a selfie camera. I don’t really see the point of that last one because I doubt that too many business people will be taking selfies with it. It would be great for security if the E53 is being used as an Uber, but again, I don’t see many Uber drivers using a car like this.
Another interesting convenience feature is the Burmester 4D surround sound system. The 4D refers to the ability to “feel” the bass of a song. Depending on the set intensity, you can feel vibrations through the front seats every time a deep note is hit when a song is being played.
Interior Design – The new Superscreen is the first feature that you’ll notice upon stepping inside the new generation E-class. It consists of a 14.4” infotainment screen and a 12.3” passenger screen. This is not to be confused with the Hyperscreen that is found in EQ vehicles such as the EQE SUV. The digital driver display is separated from the Superscren in the E-class and the main infotainment touchscreen is smaller. But just like in the EQ products, all of the physical buttons and toggle switches are gone. The only physical buttons in the E-class are the engine start /stop and the window controls. Everything else is either embedded into the touchscreen or is a capacitive touch control. I don’t like these new controls as I find them too finicky and distracting to use while driving.
Exterior Design – The exterior styling of the 2025 Mercedes-Benz E-class remains elegant although not too dissimilar from the outgoing generation. The adaptive LED headlights have a single LED blade on top along with two LED lights under each LED projector. The grille has the signature vertical slats of AMG models and there’s Mercedes-Benz stars in the taillights. The negative space in the center is the Mercedes logo. But the exhaust pipe surrounds are fake as the real exhaust pipes are completely separated from the tips. The E53 also has a subtle lip spoiler on the trunk. Along the side, it has pop out door handles, which will presumably freeze in sub-zero temperatures, side vents with “Hybrid” badging, and the standard 20” AMG wheels add to the overall elegance of the E-class’ design.
Safety – The 2025 E53 AMG comes equipped with a lot of basic safety & driver aids such as automatic emergency braking, blind spot sensors, lane departure warning, and adaptive high beam assist to name a few. Unlike other E-class models, this AMG comes equipped with every advanced version of the driver aids. In the E350 and E450, they are part of the Driver Assistance package.
Warranty – Just like every other Mercedes-Benz vehicle, the 2025 Mercedes-Benz E53 AMG comes with a 4 year / 80,000 km new vehicle warranty. It also comes with 4 years / unlimited km roadside assistance, 4 year / 80,000 km surface corrosion, and 8 year / 130,000 km warranty for certain emission parts. For more information on Canadian warranty, click here. For U.S.A. warranty information, click here.
Conclusion – In the end, I’m left feeling a little bit stumped by the E53 AMG. On one hand it has the economy of a PHEV with quite a lot of performance. But on the other hand, it obviously doesn’t have the comfort of the E450 and it’s actually a little bit slower than the old E63 AMG despite having nearly the same power. The weight hampers its performance. As a result, it’s stuck in the middle where it’s Ok at some things but not quite good enough at others. Perhaps it’s leaving room for the upcoming E63 AMG…
Thank you to Mercedes-Benz Canada for providing the vehicle. www.Mercedes-Benz.ca
2025 Mercedes-Benz E53 AMG Gallery
