FIRST DRIVE Hottest version of new E-Class put through its paces
Jordan Katsianis
MERCEDES-AMG has once again diverged from ‘business as usual’ for one of its core models, introducing a high-performance plug-in powertrain for the new flagship of the E-Class range. The E 53 4Matic+ is destined to be the most powerful edition in this generation, but as the name suggests, this is not a full-fat 63 S model with cars like the BMW M5 or Audi RS 6 in its crosshairs. Instead, it’s a new kind of powerful, efficient and rounded model sitting below the old flagship’s rivals.
The new E 53 4Matic+ can come across as a little bewildering, because under the bonnet is a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine mated to an electric motor and a 25.4kWh battery pack. Peak power is 585bhp, but if the car is fitted with the AMG Dynamic Plus package, this figure can be raised to 603bhp for short periods of time when the Race Start function is running.
The petrol engine’s torque is rated at 560Nm, and an extra 480Nm is generated from the electric motor. However, these two peak figures are never produced at the same time, so it’s not a simple sum to calculate a combined peak figure. In any case, the power and torque are routed to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission, which adjusts the way it operates, depending on the available grip and selected driver mode.
AMG claims an EV range of up to 60 miles, and because the car runs on a 400V electrical system, it can be charged on a DC fast charger at up to 60kW. This allows a 10 to 80 per cent fill in just 20 minutes. However, the compromise of having a relatively large battery is weight, so this saloon tips the scales at 2,390kg – an astonishing, and frankly worrying figure.
Given that the car has such a complicated powertrain, it’s no surprise that the chosen driving mode completely changes the way the E 53 feels. Comfort mode is the kick-off point, and in this the electric motor takes up a majority of the strain, happily driving the car across the entire spectrum of UK speed limits with a good amount of pace and urgency.
When awoken, the engine provides serious levels of performance. You can build some significant speed as the electric motor gives the petrol engine some added bulk to its torque curve in the mid-range. On sections of derestricted autobahn, the E 53 keeps pulling up to, and over, 120mph easily and calmly, revealing a chassis that unsurprisingly feels total
