The Mercedes-Benz E-Class signaled success and luxury since it first appeared in 1953. It has never been the most aspirational Mercedes. The company’s S-Class lineup serves those who want to be driven. But the E-Class has long been the brand’s beating heart — a luxury car big enough to serve the family, athletic enough to be fun to drive, and sumptuous enough to coddle you in comfort and technology.
It’s not a formula designers mess with lightly.
But the performance engineers at Mercedes-AMG will mess with anything. For 2025, they’ve built a high-performance E-Class plug-in hybrid (PHEV) with a zero-to-60 time of 3.7 seconds and a guilt-free 42-mile all-electric range. In case you haven’t encountered the idea yet, a PHEV can function on electric power alone for a set distance, then engage its gasoline engine.
I spent a few days driving the Mercedes-AMG E 53 4Matic+ and walked away wondering what it couldn’t do. I used it to commute, run errands in an urban setting, and for one long ride to the airport for a trip that cut my time with the car to less than the full week I like to have for an evaluation.
Which Trim Level
AMG offers its super sedan in just two trim levels: Exclusive and Pinnacle. Mercedes loaned me the top-of-the-line Pinnacle version. Options get pricey at AMG. My tester had a $3,100 set of black forged cross-spoke wheels, a $1,600 black microfiber headliner, the $1,500 Superscreen package, and more (see the window sticker in the gallery below for exact details).
New 2025 Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG E-Class Prices
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Retail Price
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Fair Purchase Price (70663)
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$89,150 |
TBD |
Favorite Feature
Every AMG model has a selection of drive modes to offer. But, with its PHEV models, AMG has accomplished something genuinely unique. The E 53 has several entirely different personalities.
Electric mode feels almost exactly like a standard E-Class — that is, like a classic luxury car. It can easily overtake any vehicle on the highway and keep you cocooned in luxury. But tap it into Sport+ mode and it growls like it has a blood vendetta and just spotted its target.
A 3.7-second zero-to-60 time was the province of supercars not long ago. It still feels impossible in a family sedan with adult-appropriate rear legroom.
If you want something between sedate and snarling, an Individual mode lets you tune the suspension, steering, and acceleration separately. I found it useful to be able to set the car to corner like a sports car, but not risk my license with the acceleration of one.
What It’s Like to Drive
That adjustability means you can dial in the performance you want.
There’s a maximum of 604 horsepower on tap — a comic book figure in a 4-door sedan. You can get that only for short bursts with a Race Start feature. In casual driving, you’ll have to settle for 577 (still likely more than what’s sitting next to you at a stoplight).
Adaptive suspension lets you dial in a soft or firm ride. Big 21-inch wheels mean there’s not much tire sidewall to absorb bumps, so I found myself using the softest “comfort” setting on imperfect urban roads.
Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel drive (AWD) system provided excellent grip on dry roads. I never got to test it on anything else.
In the current generation E-Class, however, it’s the steering that leaves you speechless. Mercedes has perfected rear-wheel steering. It makes a relatively large car steer like a small one. You don’t need to spend AMG money to get it — Mercedes offers it as an option on less-expensive E-Class models. I’d be reluctant to say Mercedes has the upper hand on longtime rival BMW in the handling department, but frankly, 5 Series lovers would resent how great this car feels in corners.
Braking feel is firm and consistent, with none of the sometimes-spongy pedal feel of other PHEV models.
Interior Comfort and Technology
My tester had Mercedes’ giant Superscreen, which turns virtually the entire dashboard surface into glass with three separate screen areas — one for the driver’s instruments, one in the center where you likely expect a screen, and a third for the passenger.
This is a love-it-or-hate-it feature, I’m … trying to come around. If you’re the sort of shopper who wants cutting-edge technology, you might love it. I still find it distracting, though designers have done an admirable job controlling the glare from so much glass.
In the E-Class, it floats beneath a small surface area of a traditional dashboard. That leaves enough space for ambient lighting above, which you can adjust to nearly any color.
The steering wheel is loaded with so many touch-capacitive controls that many of the buttons are rather small. If you have larger hands, they might be hard to use.
AMG Performance Seats (a $3,250 option) use MB-Tex faux leather on most surfaces with grippy microfiber on the parts you touch. It’s a sporty look, and I appreciate that these synthetic materials will likely age better than hard-to-clean real suede.
The Pinnacle trim includes a 17-speaker, 750-watt Burmester sound system, including speakers in the driver’s headrest and the ceiling. In the ongoing sound system wars, several automakers are selling systems as clear as this one, but I’m not sure anyone is selling a better one.
Limitations
The AMG comes at a significant price premium. You can get an E 350 sedan with the 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, the Airmatic adjustable suspension, and the rear-wheel steering I loved about this one for more than $40,000 less — if the AMG label and all-electric range aren’t important to you.
See 2025 Mercedes-AMG E 53 Hybrid inventory available
