I’ll absolutely admit that I’ve by no means paid an excessive amount of favor to Mercedes-Benz. I’ve all the time been extra of a fan of the corporate’s cross-town rival Porsche, and even BMW has delivered extra dynamically spectacular and, um, stylistically attention-grabbing automobiles within the current previous. But the brand new Mercedes-AMG E53 is likely to be the automotive that turns me round on the three-pointed star.
It’s a good-looking sedan, and the present crop of company aesthetic matches properly on this kind issue. The inside is a bit busy for my tastes, however that’s true of virtually any new automotive. This is a 600-horsepower sedan that takes the usual E-Class and pumps it up an entire lot, and nonetheless manages your day by day commute with out burning a single drop of gasoline.
The already spectacular E450 makes do with a easy turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 engine making 381 horsepower, paired with a puny 23-hp electrical motor and mild-hybrid system. In order to AMG-ify the automotive, Mercedes kicked up the increase to over 21 kilos per sq. inch, giving the engine 443 horses by itself. Add in a way more highly effective electrical motor with 161 hp and 354 pound-feet of torque, and also you’re actually cooking with out fuel. In regular driving the E53 makes 577 hp and 553 lb-ft, however that’s bumped as much as 604 hp when launch management is lively — 1 hp greater than the previous V8 E63.
The PHEV E300 and E400 variants of the E Class use a 25.4-kWh lithium-ion battery stack, reaching round 70 miles of all-electric vary. The new E53 has a bigger battery stack at 28.6 kWh, and whereas Mercedes hasn’t launched official vary estimates, you possibly can anticipate it to do at the very least the 70 miles (on the admittedly optimistic WLTP scale) of its little brothers.
In “Race Start” mode, which unlocks the utmost output from each the engine and electrical motor, Mercedes says the E53 will run from 0-60 in 3.7 seconds, virtually a second faster than the previous 429-hp mild-hybrid E53. When correctly optioned the brand new E53 will high out at 174 miles per hour; in the event you’re in electric-only mode, the highest pace lowers to 87, however that’s nonetheless a lot to deal with your day-to-day grind.
To assist this highway-eater’s pace habits, Mercedes-AMG has fitted it with commonplace rear steering, an inch-wider monitor, larger 14.6-inch brakes, and stiffer (however not too stiff) suspension. There’s additionally the requisite bigger AMG grille, bigger bumper intakes, quad exhaust ideas and new wheels, plus obtainable efficiency seats and carbon-fiber trim
The E450 4Matic upon which this AMG’d 53 relies begins at $66,700. For reference, the previous-generation E53 value $82,450 in 2022, and Mercedes claims this one will solely be “modestly more expensive.” Deliveries within the U.S. market will doubtless start in Q3 of this 12 months. If you may have 1 / 4 tank of fuel in your new E Class, don’t fear, you’re nonetheless fly.
Source: jalopnik.com