Photo: Mercedes-Benz
The V6 killers are here! Mercedes dropped the engine from the new CLS 53 into its two sister cars, and the Mercedes-AMG E53 4Matic+ saloon And estate were born.
The E43 has to be one of the shortest-lived performance models of all time. It was about a year ago that the E-Class received mild AMG version, equipped with a more powerful version of their twin-turbo V6.
While that was still a relatively new engine, the Germans have since developed a new inline-6 architecture, which is high-tech and quite powerful. People say that the CLS 53 is not a real AMG, but that's honestly not going to be a problem for the E-Class, which has a nice V8 flagship still available.
The E53 twin models both have 435 HP or 429bhp on tap. The six-banger has turbos, but also a 48-volt mild hybrid "EQ Boost" capable of offering brief 21bhp and 184lb ft boost under heavy acceleration.
With a 0 to 62 time of 4.4 seconds, the sedan is 0.2 seconds quicker than the old E43, a second slower than the E63 S 4Matic+ and 0.3s slower than the old E64 with rear-wheel drive.
As far as pricing is concerned, you'll be paying £61,835 for the saloon and £63,835 for the estate. That's about £6000 more than the outgoing E43 models. For the record, the E63 starts at £78,935 while the E63 S is yours for £88,295.
We think the price increase has something to do with extra AMG gear, like ide Control suspension, performance exhaust, Dynamic Select and 19-inch alloy wheels.
Options include the £2,595 Premium Plus equipment line, which adds a Burmester sound system, Keyless-Go Comfort, and a panoramic glass roof. Also worth considering is the £1,695 Driving Assistance Plus package.
To our eye, the E53 has a slightly better design around the back. The wagon is even better with those quad exhaust tips painted back. However, the BMW M550i is an all-mightly V8-powered rival.
While that was still a relatively new engine, the Germans have since developed a new inline-6 architecture, which is high-tech and quite powerful. People say that the CLS 53 is not a real AMG, but that's honestly not going to be a problem for the E-Class, which has a nice V8 flagship still available.
The E53 twin models both have 435 HP or 429bhp on tap. The six-banger has turbos, but also a 48-volt mild hybrid "EQ Boost" capable of offering brief 21bhp and 184lb ft boost under heavy acceleration.
With a 0 to 62 time of 4.4 seconds, the sedan is 0.2 seconds quicker than the old E43, a second slower than the E63 S 4Matic+ and 0.3s slower than the old E64 with rear-wheel drive.
As far as pricing is concerned, you'll be paying £61,835 for the saloon and £63,835 for the estate. That's about £6000 more than the outgoing E43 models. For the record, the E63 starts at £78,935 while the E63 S is yours for £88,295.
We think the price increase has something to do with extra AMG gear, like ide Control suspension, performance exhaust, Dynamic Select and 19-inch alloy wheels.
Options include the £2,595 Premium Plus equipment line, which adds a Burmester sound system, Keyless-Go Comfort, and a panoramic glass roof. Also worth considering is the £1,695 Driving Assistance Plus package.
To our eye, the E53 has a slightly better design around the back. The wagon is even better with those quad exhaust tips painted back. However, the BMW M550i is an all-mightly V8-powered rival.
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