Mat Watson reviews the Mercedes-AMG E53: fast and luxurious, but I wouldn’t buy one

This is the new Mercedes-AMG E53, a faster and more sporty version of the E-Class saloon. It’s a plug-in hybrid with 612hp and all-wheel drive, and it gets some visual upgrades both inside and out.

I’m going to walk you through the things I like and don’t like about the new E53, and explain why I would buy a BMW M5 instead.

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Mercedes-AMG E53: things I like about this performance saloon

There’s plenty to like about this new performance saloon, here are a few things which stood out during my time with the car.

1. The interior is properly posh

Mercedes knows how to make a good-looking interior, and the E53 has a lovely cabin. The upgraded sports seats in this car hug you in place without being too tight, and I like the carbon fibre steering wheel on this car – even if the touch-sensitive buttons are annoying (more on that later).

You get open-pore wood on the centre console as standard, although this car has the carbon fibre option at no additional cost. It even has a webcam on the dashboard which you can use to join remote meetings while you’re parked up.

2. It’s quick

The new Mercedes-AMG E53 is powered by a 3.0-litre straight-six engine which is paired to an electric motor. As standard it puts out 585hp, however this car has the Driver Performance Pack which boosts power to 612hp. That’s actually the same as the old V8-powered Mercedes-AMG E63 S.

Mercedes says it’ll do 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds, but my specialist timing gear recorded a 3.7-second sprint when I tested it myself. That’s only 0.2 of a second off the much more powerful BMW M5.

3. I like the way it looks

I already quite liked the shape of the new Mercedes E-Class, but this AMG version looks even better with its sporty upgrades. This car is riding on 21-inch alloy wheels, although you get 20-inch rims as standard, and it has the Night Package which blacks out a load of the trim.

You also get a more aggressive-looking front bumper with functional air intakes, although I’m not so sure about the grille on this car with its sort of egg crate horizontal and vertical slats. Other than this though, the Mercedes-AMG E53 is a pretty good-looking thing.

Mercedes-AMG E53: things which got on my nerves

There were a few things which really annoyed me during my time with the Mercedes-AMG E53, and there’s one element which would put me off buying it completely.

1. It sounds naff

Fake engine noise is an epidemic in new performance cars, and the Mercedes-AMG E53 sounds terrible. BMW knows how to make its straight-six engines sound nice, but this car has a horrible fake sound pumped into the cabin.

It even sounds fake from outside the car – I thought for a while that there was a speaker under the rear bumper. If you like your sporty saloon car to have a nice engine note, avoid this one.

2. The door handles are infuriating

I’ve always had a problem with Mercedes’ pop-out door handles, because they’re completely unintuitive. You’re meant to swipe them one way to lock the car and the other to unlock it, but it seems to be completely inconsistent.

They don’t feel very nice to use either, which is especially disappointing on a car costing over £90,000.

3. Irritating tech

There were a couple of features on the E53 which proved really annoying when I was reviewing the car. The first was the touch-sensitive steering wheel buttons, which are fiddly to use and too easy to brush when you’re driving.

The other was the “Hey, Mercedes” voice command system. It’s really over-sensitive and pipes up every time you say a word vaguely resembling Mercedes, so you end up shouting at it to just shut up and leave you alone.

Mercedes-AMG E53: Why I would buy a BMW M5 instead

Finally we come to the biggest problem – have with this car, and that’s the way it drives. It’s not bad by any means. You get plenty of grip, the steering feels nice and it’s easy to drive quickly down a country road.

However, it just feels heavy. That’s mostly due to the fact it is – the E53 tips the scales at around 2.3 tonnes. A BMW M5 weighs around the same, but it has much more clever suspension which does a better job of hiding it.

The E53 also feels firmer and more lead-footed than the BMW, and you get quite a lot of tyre noise at speed. It’s not the most comfortable performance car out there.

Now I know what you’re thinking – the BMW M5 is in the class above the E53 – and you’re right. However, the Mercedes-AMG E53 starts from over £92,000, and this car has almost £11,400 worth of options fitted to it.

That brings it within £15,000 of the M5, and if you lease or finance your car that’s not going to be a huge jump up in monthly payments. Using Carwow’s PCP finance calculator, I estimated the jump up from the Mercedes to the BMW to be around £400 per month, going from approximately £2,100 to £2,500 with £12,000 up front and a £20,000 balloon payment.

All things considered, I’d rather pay the extra for the BMW M5. It feels just as posh inside, and it’s much better to drive. The Mercedes-AMG E53 is worth considering. It’s quick, has loads of grip and it’s posh inside. It’s just lacking a bit of fun factor, which is why it’s not one for me.

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