2025 Mercedes-AMG E53 Review: The Great Compromise
Is the 2025 Mercedes-AMG E53 a Fast Car?
With up to 604 horsepower, there’s no way Mercedes-AMG’s E53 wouldn’t be fast. We’re still waiting on the full-fat, full-power E63, but the E53 strikes an incredible balance between comfort and AMG performance, with a manufacturer-estimated 0-60 mph time as low as 3.7 seconds.
How Does the 2025 Mercedes-AMG E53 Compare With the Competition?
There aren’t many performance-lite plug-in hybrid executive sedans at this Mercedes’ price. Its most obvious competitor is the 2025 BMW 550e xDrive, but that car falls more than 100 hp short of the E53 — and costs $15,000 less. For now, the new PHEV BMW M5 is the E53’s closest competitor.
I have a (rarely) tested theory on engine downsizing. When dealing with an enthusiast vehicle associated with a common number of cylinders (four, six, eight, etc.) you can only go down one “step” without incurring significant damage to the vehicle’s established character. There are limits, of course, but in most cases, going from a V-8 directly down to a four-cylinder — regardless of that four-cylinder’s power and performance — won’t usually curry favor with a loyal customer base.
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We’ve already covered AMG’s hybrid fours, but now consider the silky, syrupy, hybridized turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six in the new 2025 Mercedes-AMG E53. In this car, a base, engine-only output of 443 horsepower and 413 pounds-feet of torque combines with a 161-hp electric motor for an indulgent 604 peak hp and 553 pounds-feet of combined torque. (Without an optional Race Start launch control system, the E53 has a combined 577 hp.) This, in symphony with a nine-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, enables a 0-60 mph blast in as low as 3.7 seconds, according to Mercedes. (Without launch control, it still manages the task in just 3.9 seconds.)
That’s a juicy but distant howl away from the C63 S E Performance’s claimed 3.3-second blitz. You can thank the C63’s extra 67 hp and 199 pounds-feet of torque for that, though these two were never competitors to begin with. AMG’s 43 and 53 model lineup are intentionally positioned below the big, bad 63s, aimed at buyers who want a heavy slug of AMG booze in their mug of Mercedes-Benz coffee.
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How Much Electric Range Does the 2025 Mercedes-AMG E53 Have?
With or without that context, the E53 is a lovely executive sedan. Unlike the C63’s hybridized four-cylinders, this PHEV system adds more than just pure performance. With its 28.6-kilowatt-hour battery pack fully charged, the most efficient drivers can expect up to 43 miles of EPA-rated all-electric range, with 60-kilowatt DC fast charging allowing for a 10%-80% percent charge in about 20 minutes, according to Mercedes.
Pure electric propulsion is available up to 87 mph, so those with access to home charging and a moderate commute might rarely get to the E53’s hybrid function. When you do run out of range — or you get a little frisky with the drive settings — and that buttery 3.0-liter kicks in, you’ll be rewarded with the same on-paper power as an SL63, with straight-line pace on par with the V-8 E63s from the generation before last.
Let’s loop back to the AMG hybrid four-cylinders. A hotted-up version of this 53 hybrid inline-six would have been a perfect step down from the last-gen C63’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8; alas, that was considered but then subsequently avoided due to the C-Class’ tighter packaging. But let’s continue with this thought experiment: With 577 hp combined without the E53’s temporary Race Start boost to 604 hp, you’ve got nearly a 100-hp delta in which to ramp up the character and optimization of the sixer to match the four-cylinder’s reality-ripping 671-hp waterline.
Ah well. We’ll just have to wait and see what comes of the swirling rumors regarding the return of the AMG V-8 — not that it ever really left; it’s still in the latest generation of the G63, SL63 and S63 to name just a few. We’re still waiting on what the next-gen E63 will have under its hood, whether it be a spicier version of the E53’s six or an offshoot of that aforementioned V-8.
Is the 2025 Mercedes-AMG E53 Comfortable?
Forget the hypotheticals and all this navel gazing. The E53 exists now, and it’s surely one of the better balances of performance and comfort available at any price. Even if you’re not rousing the 3.0-liter for violence, the hybrid system hand-off is seamless, devoid of any sort of vibration or lurch. With the active exhaust left alone, it’s only vaguely grumblier than a standard E450. And unless you do a direct back-to-back comparison, the Comfort setting of the air suspension won’t be stiffer or more punishing in any obvious way.
The brake blend (the balance between the regenerative resistance of the motor and the physical brakes) is well tuned, with only a modest amount of initial “mush” before the discs bite in earnest. Oftentimes, poor regen and brake synergy is the Achilles’ heel of an otherwise pleasant hybrid, counterbalancing the smooth, muted drivetrain with inelegant, clunky stops.
General chassis dynamics significantly differ between the available drive modes, particularly in power delivery and personality. The same cannot necessarily be said of Audi’s S family, nor of BMW’s M-lite products, like the M340i or prior M550i; where the Audi is a bit too reserved, the BMW is a smidge too spiky. The E53, then, is your perfect bowl of porridge.
How Does the 2025 Mercedes-AMG E53 Drive in Electric Mode?
The all-electric mode is particularly soporific. Minus the gas engine, the E53 is left with GLB-grade acceleration. Factor in its silent operation, and (almost) every ounce of AMG pepper is muffled. But if you then select Sport Plus and smack it, a whole lotta something transpires behind the curtains as the turbo six-cylinder spools up, the transmission drops a few gears, and the AWD system gets involved — all in a matter of maybe, oh, a second-and-a-half.
Hard chargin’ down an on-ramp is both impressive and mostly thrilling, but to me it’s a bit joyless, as if the speed and capability are a side effect in this car, not the intention. Sentiments will differ person to person as a result of the E53’s charming duality. Your average buyer (who I think Mercedes knows well) will be tickled pink by the car’s stomach-squeezing torque and configurable drive modes.
There are things I don’t like, but they’re more endemic to the current-generation E-Class than they are to this particular variant. Those awful retracting door handles have gotta go; they never seem to work in complete lockstep with the keyless entry, and it all becomes unbelievably frustrating when you use keyless lock then realize you forgot something inside the car, oftentimes necessitating pulling the key fob out of your pocket to “manually” unlock it like it’s 2009 all over again!
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What Kind of Tech Does the 2025 Mercedes-AMG E53 Have?
Other concerns are more a matter of taste than execution. The in-cabin digital acreage is both impressive and divisive: A 12.3-inch digital driver display, 14.4-inch center infotainment touchscreen and optional 12.3-inch passenger touchscreen may very well be either among this car’s main selling points or the reason you keep moving through the dealer lot. Personally, I dig the displays, especially with the current iteration of MBUX architecture and the consistently high-fidelity animations and design.
As I found when I drove the E350 in 2024, this new generation of E-Class is not your grandfather’s Benz. It is, however, your favorite influencer’s Mercedes; its bottomless bucket of gizmos, whatsits, adjustable ambient lighting and digital toys will keep even the most low-attention-span social media goblin entertained — when they’re not driving, of course.
Talk about a Swiss Army car. It’s balanced, but your checkbook won’t be; no matter how many options you leave on the factory floor, the cheapest 2025 Mercedes-AMG E53 will set you back no less than $89,150. And you better believe you can get its price well above six figures: My heftiest configurator build cracked the digital scales at just under $120,000 — princely, but I struggle to think of a better plug-in performance sedan that hauls this much ass with so few downsides.
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