The 2019 Mercedes-AMG E53 Sedan Is a Gem of a Sporty Four-Door
This review has been updated with test results.
Although the 2019 Mercedes-AMG E53 sedan isn't shy about announcing its AMG pedigree, it leads a more nuanced existence. With AMG's GT53 four-door and the single-minded AMG GT63, with its 577-hp twin-turbo V-8 on offer to indulge four-door buyers seeking performance above all else, the E53 sedan, like its E53 coupe and E53 cabriolet siblings, is free to focus on easing some heightened excitement into the traditional E-class social structure.
All E53 models come with a reasonably comprehensive level of standard equipment and a host of AMG signature touches to differentiate them from plebeian E-class models. Benzophiles will likely pick up on subtle E53 exterior distinctions, such as the chrome twin-blade diamond radiator grille, the AMG-specific side-sill panels, and the black accents on the chrome front splitter and outer air intake fins. Along with AMG badging on the decklid, the E53 gets redesigned bumpers and round chrome exhaust tips; the rear lip spoiler is finished in body color but can be ordered in carbon fiber. Interior updates are equally restrained. Mercedes-Benz's widescreen digital instrument cluster and infotainment interface, as well as a Burmester audio system, are standard in the E53, along with sport seats and an AMG sport steering wheel. Material quality and fit and finish are at the top of the class and up to the standards we've come to expect from the current E-class models, including our long-term E450 wagon.
Despite the Mercedes-AMG E53 sedan's $73,545 base price, those with a taste for life's finer things will have a hard time exiting the company store without picking up thousands in options. The 2019 E53 sedan has too many cosmetic, safety, and performance options to itemize here, but the highlights of the car we tested include a nappa leather interior ($2990), massaging front seats ($1320), a power sunroof ($1000), 20-inch AMG twin five-spoke wheels ($750), an AMG performance exhaust system ($1250), the top-level Burmester 3D audio system ($4550), and the Driver Assistance package ($2250), which includes all of Mercedes-Benz's familiar active safety technology. The $98,310 as-tested price is perplexing. On one hand, that's a lot of bread for a less-than-full-blown AMG, but on the other, well, that's still a lot of bread any way you look at it. The AMG GT53, for example, starts at just $2K more and features the same sublime 429-hp version of Benz's boosted 3.0-liter inline-six, although the GT is more of a road scalpel, whereas the E53 is a versatile, multipurpose kitchen knife.
A High-Tech Soul
We've already experienced the new inline-six engine in several E53 variants, but the sedan is the latest to join the U.S. range. (Mercedes-Benz says it has no plans to bring the E53 wagon here, but as with the tint of guacamole, this could change without prior notice.) For those who missed our multiple memos on the M256 turbocharged and supercharged 3.0-liter inline-six, here's a quick refresher: back around the turn of the century, when Mercedes-Benz announced V-6 engines would replace the venerated inline-six in most of its passenger-car applications, it consoled traditionalists with claims of the V-6's improved packaging and manufacturing efficiency due to product commonality.
Now, two decades later, Mercedes is citing the same reasons for the inline-six's return. While it would be fun to credit nostalgia for the renaissance, credit belongs in large part to the introduction of a 48-volt hybrid system, known as EQ Boost, which helps make the inline engine nearly as compact as the V-6. There are no belt-driven rotating assemblies on the front of this engine; the water pump, A/C compressor, power steering, and even the electrically driven supercharger run on DC voltage. The integrated electric motor sandwiched between the engine and transmission can provide up to 184 lb-ft of torque and 21 horsepower, for total outputs of 429 horsepower and 384 lb-ft of torque.
That technology translates into loads of immediate grunt at the beckoning of your right foot. All 384 lb-ft are checked in for duty at 1800 rpm and hang around until 5800 rpm. Despite its modern electrical accoutrements, including the electric supercharger that masks any lag from the turbocharger, the engine retains more than a hint of distinctive straight-six character. Whereas V-8s can be brutal and impersonal, and heavily boosted inline-fours can be peaky and demanding, this electrified, turbocharged, and supercharged six is your accomplice, a grinning companion that laughs with you rather than at you, while its sport exhaust sings an intriguing, encouraging, but never obnoxious tune. A nine-speed automatic transmission delivers torque to the standard 4Matic+ all-wheel-drive system, with the motivational trio conspiring to deliver a claimed 4.4-second zero-to-60-mph run, a number we easily improved upon in C/D testing by hitting the 60-mph mark in 4.0 seconds. The quarter mile arrives in just 12.6 seconds, with a trap speed of 111 mph. That's in line with the performance we extracted from the 456-hp 2018 BMW M550i xDrive, its 3.8-second 0–60-mph time shaving two tenths from the E53's time. The BMW keeps a slight advantage as speed rises, its 12.3-second quarter-mile time putting it three tenths ahead of the E53. Mercedes-AMG electronically limits the E53 sedan's top speed to 131 mph.
Although fuel economy is rarely a deciding factor in the purchase of a sedan in this segment and price range, we were pleased to find the E53 delivered commendable efficiency. Wearing EPA estimates of 24 mpg combined and 21 mpg in the city, the E53 returned 22 mpg while under our care–not too shabby when one considers our collective heavy right foot. More impressive, the E53 returned 32 mpg in our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test, compared with an EPA highway estimate of 28 mpg. With its 21.1-gallon fuel tank, the E53 boasts a highway range of more than 670 miles.
Luxury First, Yet Able to Hustle
Tossing the E53 through the seemingly never-ending ribbon of switchbacks and mountain two-lanes that connect Northern California's Napa Valley with the Pacific Ocean provided the perfect opportunity to exercise the all-wheel-drive system, adaptive dampers, and air springs and to cycle through the car's five driving modes—Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport+, and Individual. Thanks to the smooth road surfaces, we covered the entire twisty trek in Sport and Sport+ modes without suffering a single cringe-inducing impact. The E53's steering offers laser-like accuracy but shares little in terms of predictive feedback, which made it difficult to catch the car's front end as it pushed wide in a tight left-hander that had collected a small pool of moisture right before the apex. As we expected, the stability control stepped in to save us from ourselves. Later, when we had the opportunity to strap our test gear to the E53, we found our initial seat-of-the pants findings were corroborated by the 0.90 g of skidpad grip; sticky enough to keep you entertained, it doesn't make you pay for that with an overly harsh ride. Braking is equally stout, remaining easy to modulate and consistent, despite repeated requests to arrest the momentum of our two-plus-ton express. Stops from 70 mph consume 166 feet, 14 feet longer than the 152 feet required by the 2019 Audi A6 3.0T Quattro. Limber when it needs to be, the E53 prefers to dance rather than partake in an unhinged boogie.
Though capable, the Mercedes-AMG E53 is a luxury sedan first. Entertaining, dignified, and comparatively inconspicuous, it's an E-class with enough extra performance to turn a commute or the occasional weekend breakfast run into something more than an errand. If those traditional values fit your definition of a modern sports sedan, you won't be disappointed.
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