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The 2025 E 53 Hybrid has up to 604 hp with 6 cylinders
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The E 53 Hybrid has four levels of regenerative braking
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The E 53 Hybrid costs EQE and Lucid Air money: $89,150
The Mercedes AMG E 53 has returned, but this time it swaps some cylinders for a charge port and batteries, more power, and a lot more weight.
The 2025 Mercedes-Benz E 53 Hybrid is arriving in U.S. dealers now, and it’s quicker and significantly more powerful than before. But it’s heavier, lacked the loud and angry AMG bark in an all too brief winter driving adventure, and it costs a pretty penny.
I spent two days with the latest E 53 on the cold streets of Stuttgart and wet, snowy, and ice-covered mountain roads of the Austrian Alps. The AMG E 53 triggers a lot of questions—the biggest of which is, what do you want it to be?
2025 Mercedes-Benz AMG E 53 Hybrid
Mercedes AMG E 53 Hybrid: more power, no extra fury
I pushed the stop/start button to the right of the steering column in the Euro-spec E 53 Hybrid but no drama ensued. No engine came to life. Just silence.
Welcome to the new AMG, even when there’s a gas engine under the hood. It’s a weird era.
The car was running, but the engine didn’t fire. It was running off the 21.2-kwh (usable) battery pack that powers the 161-hp and 354 lb-ft of torque electric motor. Mercedes said that the battery can charge at a rate of up to 60 kw when hooked to a DC fast charger (a standard CCS port is on the driver’s side). That’s good for a 10-80% recharge cycle of 20 minutes, according to Mercedes. A 9.6-kw onboard charger kicks in when hooked to a Level 2 AC charger, and can recharge the E 53 battery from 0-100% in 2.8 hours.
Buyers who can keep their foot out of the power may see up to 42 miles of all-electric range according to the EPA rating. My test car showed a total range of 44 miles at 100% state-of-charge despite an ambient temperature of 30 degrees.
All in the 3.0-liter turbo-6 and electric motor are good for 577 hp and 533 lb-ft of torque, but an optional AMG Dynamics Package can temporarily boost total system output to 604 hp. That’s as much as the fire-breathing outgoing V-8-powered E 63, but with two fewer cylinders.
2025 Mercedes-Benz AMG E 53 Hybrid
Easing out of the Mercedes’ Center of Excellence parking lot in Stuttgart–the home of the Mercedes Manufaktur delivery presentation and more–the 9-speed automatic transmission the electric motor’s sandwiched in behind the engine shifted through its gears—even though the car was in EV electric-only mode with a full charge. The automatic transmission can shift in electric mode because it is designed to work in tandem with both the gas engine and electric motor to deliver smooth power delivery and performance, according to the automaker. Mercedes said the car’s capable of going up to 87 mph in electric-only mode, but I didn’t test that.
After a few turns on side streets, I blasted the sedan onto the Autobahn. Even on performance Michelin Alpin 5 winter tires, the AMG E 53 has zero stability, control, or comfort issues hurtling down the highway at 121 mph, for the hours it takes to reach the Austrian Alps. Mercedes limits the E 53 Hybrid’s top speed to 155 mph, but it can be unlocked to 174 mph with the AMG Dynamic Plus Package for $3,150. I did not test the E 53 Hybrid’s top speed. I swear.
The power’s here, but the fury has evaporated. After slowing for traffic–it’s as if people didn’t realize this is the Autobahn and we were in no speed limit zone, let’s go–I mashed the skinny pedal to the floor. The car shoved the small of my back into the seat back, but without the brutish violence of the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing—or even the E 63. The last E 53 had this same issue; I said it needed to be uncorked. The new E 53 Hybrid just moved forward with more urgency with synthetic inline-6 sounds being piped in from the dashboard.
It’s not slow by any means. Mercedes quotes a 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds when using launch control. That’s 0.4 seconds slower than the outgoing E 63 and 0.6 seconds quicker than the outgoing E 53.
2025 Mercedes-Benz AMG E 53 Hybrid
The E 53 Hybrid got pudgy
Weighing in at 5,280 pounds the E 53 Hybrid’s gained 904 pounds over its predecessor. That’s not just a weekend bender, that’s some midlife crisis weight gain.
It’s not weight you can see. It’s hidden under the metal skin in that hybrid system’s electric motor and battery pack.
On the highway it’s hard to feel the weight gain thanks to the well-sorted adaptive dampers. In comfort mode it’s still coordinated and never undulates like the EQE SUV. Sport and Sport+ modes appropriately ratchet up the firmness without becoming overly harsh, though the German Autobahn isn’t exactly broken midwest U.S. pavement. Those adaptive dampers pair with firmer steel springs and Mercedes AMG’s Active Ride Control system, which uses a hydraulic system to replace traditional anti-roll bars. Rear-wheel steering is standard as well, that helps shrink the car as it goes around corners.
Snow covered the switchbacks that snake up the Austrian Alps, and black ice laid over that. I ascended without any noteworthy speed. We’ll have to report back later about how the E 53’s weight gain translates around tight corners.
2025 Mercedes-Benz AMG E 53 Hybrid
2025 Mercedes-Benz AMG E 53 Hybrid
2025 Mercedes-Benz AMG E 53 Hybrid
Mercedes E 53 Hybrid’s lacks one-pedal driving
Mercedes gave the E 53 Hybrid four modes of regenerative braking, but none really satisfied me, and one frustrated me.
In EV mode–electric only mode–the paddle shifters mounted to the steering wheel morph into regenerative braking controls. The three levels of regenerative braking in EV mode include D-, D, and D+. The D- mode provides the strongest level of regen with D and D+ decreasing the regen in steps. None of the modes provide a significant amount of regen in my limited testing and none provide one-pedal driving. These modes won’t stop the vehicle.
The more frustrating situation is in Comfort mode, which puts the system into full hybrid mode while relying on the electric motor as often as possible. This engages what Mercedes dubs D Auto for regenerative braking, and it’s fully variable and tied to the adaptive cruise control along with the safety systems. It’s unpredictable, and can’t read a human’s mind.
If someone named Joel were blasting down the Autobahn legally at 121 mph and a car decided to move over into his lane, the system would automatically engage regenerative braking at a variable non-consistent rate. The driver can’t control this, turn it off, and at best it’s jerky.
The only way to ditch that setup while in hybrid mode is to move to Sport or Sport+ drive modes, which disables regenerative braking. But those modes down shift a gear, or two, keep the revs higher, sharpen throttle sensitivity, and stiffen the adaptive dampers. Not ideal for all situations.
Unlike the EQE the E 53 Hybrid’s brake pedal has some bite and doesn’t feel wooden (an issue Mercedes says it rectified for 2024 in the EQE). But that bite comes in unexpectedly early in the pedal travel.
2025 Mercedes-Benz AMG E 53 Hybrid
Mercedes E 53 Hybrid flies mostly under the radar
There are only a handful of clues that the E 53 sports AMG engineering aside from the badge.
The front grille gets the now common AMG Panamericana design while the lower fascia gets wider lower intakes. The driver side intake is open to feed the turbo-6’s intercooler, but the passenger side’s intake is blocked off for aero purposes. Air curtains on both sides of the front bumper feed fresh air to the drilled front rotors. The fenders sport fake vents, which are kind of silly, and the rear has quad exhaust finishers. A $1,750 carbon fiber package can dress up the exterior further, but I’m mixed on it and it’s definitely not necessary.
2025 Mercedes-Benz AMG E 53 Hybrid
Inside the standard E-Class design is here with a 12.3-inch digital and 14.4-inch touchscreen with the same interface as Mercedes’ latest EVs. My tester’s high-back sport bucket front seats cost $3,250. For me they were comfortable, but anyone wider than my medium 5-foot-10 frame will be pinched in the wrong places on their lower backsides. AMG’s twin-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel offers a touch-sensitive slider for the volume. It’s still not ideal, ergonomically speaking.
2025 Mercedes-Benz AMG E 53 Hybrid
Mercedes AMG E 53 AMG costs EQE money
The 2025 Mercedes-Benz AMG E 53 Hybrid costs $89,150 including an $1,150 destination charge. That’s with no options, which you’ll want. Whether it’s the sport bucket seats, Burmester 4D surround-sound system, or the head-up display and Mercedes’ digital headlights with projection capabilities, this isn’t a car you buy without options.
It’s not hard to cross over the six-figure mark, and that is solidly EQE money while nipping at EQE AMG territory. Heck, that’s Lucid Air money. The base E 53 Hybrid costs over $14,000 more than a plug-in hybrid BMW 5-Series, though the Mercedes does have more power and more electric range.
The 2025 Mercedes-Benz AMG E 53 Hybrid is the quickest, and most efficient, E-Class money can buy today. It won’t disappoint. The question becomes, do you want a plug-in hybrid E-Class that has one foot into the electric future, or would you rather just buy an EQE or Lucid Air?
Mercedes-Benz paid for travel, lodging, and fed me some risotto to bring you this AMG E 53 test drive review.
