Car review: Mercedes-AMG E53 is a three-in-one luxe beefcake

SINGAPORE – There are all-in-one shampoos, three-in-one coffee mixes and multi-action medication. So, why not a multi-faceted car that caters to your whims?

The Mercedes-AMG E53 plug-in hybrid super saloon is one such car. For work-home trips during peak hours, the 4,961mm-long, 2,065mm-wide and 1,472mm-tall car with a 2,971mm wheelbase can deliver the noiseless commute of an electric vehicle (EV) if you are relatively light-footed.

Its 100kW motor does the bulk of the hauling here, with its 3-litre straight-six engine rarely stirring.

In the Comfort mode, which is good for around 100km if the car’s 21.2kWh battery is fully charged, the E53 is adequately torquey and fuss-free, if a tad clinically cold. The 2.4-tonne car consumes around 24kWh/100km and as little as 0.9 litres/100km in this mode.

For non-work trips, switch to Sport mode, which keeps the engine awake to deliver an engaging and emotional drive. The car feels suitably sporty here, but far from maniacal. There is a veneer of civility to keep things sane and your palms dry.

But a different animal emerges in Sport+, which is where the full AMG experience is accessible. Sport+ combines the maximum outputs of engine and motor to deliver 585hp and 750Nm, allowing the big saloon to hit the century mark in four seconds flat and attain a top speed of 250kmh.

This mode is best appreciated in a place like Malaysia, where the E53 can stretch its legs on open highways. The usual ensemble of AMG characteristics surface, namely stiffened suspension, aggressive gear changes and a noticeably louder and bassier exhaust note.

How long this full output remains realisable depends on how much charge is left in the battery and how enthusiastically you are driving the car. There is obviously no opportunity to put this to the test in Singapore. For the duration of the test drive, the battery does run down to zero, but recovers fairly quickly to retain around 5km worth of charge.

So, in essence, the E53 is really three cars rolled into one. It may not be perfect in delivering each of its personalities (I still hanker for the beastly and soulful E63, for instance), but this three-in-one perspective is useful if you need to rationalise the car’s half-million-dollar price tag.

There are two other modes. Electric employs only the motor, while Battery Hold lets the engine do most of the work and maximises energy recovery to keep the battery in as high a state of charge as possible.

If you plug the car in to charge daily, you are unlikely to need these two modes. The car is naturally in electric mode if you are light on the throttle. And it does not fire up its engine when you hit the ignition button like in other AMG cars. So, there is little chance of getting on the nerves of testy neighbours or frightening the neighbourhood strays.

Since a full charge lets you have around 100km of electric range under Singapore’s driving conditions, Battery Hold is largely unnecessary.

For a big car with a big performance, the E53 has decent fuel efficiency, averaging 7.5 litres/100km in this three-day test drive which starts with a full battery with no recharging. This figure will improve vastly if you plug in daily. But at a tested 24kWh/100km, it is not exactly thrifty with electrons.

The car’s only shortcoming pertains to its brakes. For a 2.4-tonne car which accelerates almost as quickly as a Porsche 911 Carrera, its brakes feel unnaturally soft and are often unpredictable. This robs you of confidence and makes driving in Sport and Sport+ less enjoyable.

Modulating speed while creeping – such as when easing into a parallel parking space – unleashes a banshee. The brakes shriek and screech so loudly that pedestrians turn to look.

Meanwhile, a warning flashes on the infotainment screen to say that speed is “heavily limited”. So, even though the car comes with rear-axle steering – which makes manoeuvres such as parallel parking easier – the funny brakes negate this advantage.

This strangeness may have to do with the car’s overly protective collision avoidance system, which engages the brakes if you inch too close to parked vehicles. If so, it is befuddling, since the Mercedes does not come with a number of similar safety-enhancing features – such as adaptive cruise control (part of a $16,700 assisted driving pack), AMG brakes (part of an $18,800 Dynamic Plus pack) and rear side airbags ($2,500).

Otherwise, the E53, with distinct and selectable personalities, is a unique carriage with the usual trappings on an E-class. Notable differences include a shallower boot – because of a lithium battery beneath – front seats with heating and cooling, as well as memory seat settings which do not trigger heating, unlike in many other latter-day Mercedes.

More significantly, its paddle shifters can temper brake energy recuperation force when the car is in Electric mode and effect gear changes when the engine is in play. And a mega screen, similar to what the electric Mercedes-Benz EQE has, takes centre stage.

The car is the only of its kind here, as there are no like-for-like challengers available in Singapore now.

Mercedes-AMG E53 Hybrid 4Matic

Price: $542,888 with certificate of entitlement (COE), before applicable discounts
Engine: 2,999cc 24-valve inline-6 turbocharged paired with electric motor and 21.2kWh battery
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic with paddle shift
Power: 585hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 750Nm at 2,200-5,000rpm
0-100kmh: Four seconds
Top speed: 250kmh
Fuel/power consumption: 0.9 litres/25.6kWh per 100km
Charging capacity: 11kW AC; 60kW DC
Agent: Cycle & Carriage
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Comparable considerations

Maserati GranTurismo Modena ($688,000 without COE)

About the size of the E53 but 600kg lighter, the GranTurismo has the appeal of an old-school grand tourer. The all-wheel drive does not have electric assistance, but outguns the Mercedes with a 3-litre turbocharged V6 that takes it to 100kmh in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 302kmh. Fuel consumption is double that of the E53’s, though. And it costs quite a bit more.

Audi RS3 Sportback ($440,999 with COE)

This highly caffeinated number is powered by a 2.5-litre turbocharged inline-5 which spits out 400hp and 500Nm. It takes 3.8 seconds to get from 0 to 100kmh, and peak velocity is electronically capped at 250kmh. There is no similarity to the E53 except for its price, which is in the general vicinity of the Mercedes’.