RE: Mercedes-AMG E53 Estate: Driven

[TonyG2003]

E43 owner here. E53 looks very nice and I do like the idea of the mild hybridisation here since the e43 is very slightly laggy when you aren’t in sport mode. A couple of points of “progress” that aren’t too good. Moving to the new CO2 ratings the e53 is in a higher tax bracket and it looks to have gained 100kgs over the e43. Also they offered a towbar on the e43 which I have (an AMG with a towbar for the bike rack 😀) and that’s dropped in the e53.

The e43 is pretty good all rounder. Quick-ish (my other daily is 991.2 for “quick” reference), pretty economical (30mpg), handles fine and a great mile eater.

If the e53 had a towbar - I’d consider one.

[British Beef]

Ares said:

Quite the opposite, if I see clean pipes I think under performing, over superficial and tacky.

My E350 has twin pipes, my m5 has 4 pipes and I might now continue not to clean them, just to prove a sooty point :-)

[cossey]

TonyG2003 said:

E43 owner here. E53 looks very nice and I do like the idea of the mild hybridisation here since the e43 is very slightly laggy when you aren’t in sport mode. A couple of points of “progress” that aren’t too good. Moving to the new CO2 ratings the e53 is in a higher tax bracket and it looks to have gained 100kgs over the e43. Also they offered a towbar on the e43 which I have (an AMG with a towbar for the bike rack ??) and that’s dropped in the e53.

The e43 is pretty good all rounder. Quick-ish (my other daily is 991.2 for “quick” reference), pretty economical (30mpg), handles fine and a great mile eater.

If the e53 had a towbar - I’d consider one.

750/1900kg rating for the saloon and estate, useful addition as the 63 variants are not homologated.

[mikey k]

TonyG2003 said:

E43 owner here. E53 looks very nice and I do like the idea of the mild hybridisation here since the e43 is very slightly laggy when you aren’t in sport mode. A couple of points of “progress” that aren’t too good. Moving to the new CO2 ratings the e53 is in a higher tax bracket and it looks to have gained 100kgs over the e43. Also they offered a towbar on the e43 which I have (an AMG with a towbar for the bike rack ??) and that’s dropped in the e53.

The e43 is pretty good all rounder. Quick-ish (my other daily is 991.2 for “quick” reference), pretty economical (30mpg), handles fine and a great mile eater.

If the e53 had a towbar - I’d consider one.

Good to hear as I'm considering a C/E43

[AC43]

TonyG2003 said:

. Also they offered a towbar on the e43 which I have (an AMG with a towbar for the bike rack ??).

Well that's a first. And possibly a last.

[Wills2]

PorkRind said:

Put the 7.3 V8 in it. Sod all the electric gubbins.

What 7.3 V8?

[Dog Star]

AC43 said:

TonyG2003 said:

. Also they offered a towbar on the e43 which I have (an AMG with a towbar for the bike rack ??).

Well that's a first. And possibly a last.

On the subject of which (this probably warrants it's own thread) - has anyone managed to get an aftermarket towbar fitted to a new E class estate (ie. one that looks like the one in the above article)? I need one for towing my motorbikes and for a bicycle carrier. You can get them but nobody appears to be able to do the electrics, so I am totally stuck. Merc only do the towbar from the factory, This is for a "cooking" version, no a monster AMG engined thing.

[TonyG2003]

Yep getting a after market fitted to a e class is a complete pain and costs a fortune (after market) from Mercedes. The factory option is pretty low cost in comparison and electrical retractable job.

It did take Mercedes Guildford some persuasion and calls to get an AMG with a towbar!

[Dan Trent]

So I've asked Mercedes for clarification on this but as per the pricelist you CANNOT specify the factory fit 'fully electric' tow bar with 13-pin socket offered on all non-AMG E-Class models.

However, the spec sheet at the back does quote 750kg unbraked/1,900kg braked towing limits for the E53 but nothing for the E63, suggesting to me it's possible to fit a tow bar to an E53 (presumably aftermarket/independently) and it's certified for that but not for the E63.

I'll report back when I hear.

Cheers,

Dan

Edited to say in the time it took me to write that Tony in the above post seems to have answered the question!

[Dan Trent]

Update!

I've spoken with Mercedes and they've confirmed that you CAN order an E53 with the factory towbar installation as listed for the other models in the range and the pricelist will be updated accordingly.

Thanks,

Dan

[gizlaroc]

TonyG2003 said:

E43 owner here. E53 looks very nice and I do like the idea of the mild hybridisation here since the e43 is very slightly laggy when you aren’t in sport mode. A couple of points of “progress” that aren’t too good. Moving to the new CO2 ratings the e53 is in a higher tax bracket and it looks to have gained 100kgs over the e43. Also they offered a towbar on the e43 which I have (an AMG with a towbar for the bike rack ??) and that’s dropped in the e53.

The e43 is pretty good all rounder. Quick-ish (my other daily is 991.2 for “quick” reference), pretty economical (30mpg), handles fine and a great mile eater.

If the e53 had a towbar - I’d consider one.

That M276 engine is surprisingly frugal.

I had the earlier 3.5 litre version, 306hp, in the estate and that averaged 31mpg, just 3mpg behind the 350d.
Didn't they reduce the capacity down to 3 litre for the turbo E400/E43 version?

It is a shame Mercedes UK didn't offer the E400 and just offered the E43 over her, I would have really liked the E400 in dark green with beige leather and no badges.

Glad to see the E53 is now available with a light interior again, it was dropped for a while on the E43.

[donkmeister]

Dan Trent said:

Update!

I've spoken with Mercedes and they've confirmed that you CAN order an E53 with the factory towbar installation as listed for the other models in the range and the pricelist will be updated accordingly.

Thanks,

Dan

That makes this officially the fastest Mercedes that can be ordered with a towbar... EVER! The previous contenders were the 5.5 E500 and the AMG ML63.

Having seen a genuine V10 BMW M5 towing a caravan (amazing what you see in the Santa Pod camping ground) this is a game of catch-up that has been a long time coming for Mercedes!