We at Route Hunters attended the launch of the Mercedes Benz E350 AMG Line which took place on the 6th of March 2019. And while all the attention was on the newest E class, the Route Hunters crew was distracted with the two most potent E Classes available in the Malaysian market.
The maddest E class, the E63S AMG is an out and out animal with a volcanic powertrain and serious bespoke AMG accessories. The E53 AMG though is not a bespoke AMG product, but more like an AMG flavored car which sits as the mediator between the E63S AMG and the E350 AMG.
How do these two siblings stack up to each other? Is the additional premium justified? Well here are the headlines.
Power
The E53 AMG puts out 435bhp and 520Nm from an inline-6 twin turbocharged engine. The E63S on the other hand explodes with an output of 604bhp and 850Nm from a twin turbocharged 4.0 engine. Both cars send their power through a 9 speed automatic gearbox. Its safe to say the E63S is a rocket on 4 wheels while the E53 would be more like a jet liner in comparison.
Performance
Which is apparent when you compare the performance figures. The E63S rockets to 100kph in 3.5 seconds. The E53 takes a full second more to get to 100kph. You may ask why all that horsepower and torque difference only resulted in a 1 second drop in acceleration times. Its barely a good measure to show the performance difference. The E63S will eat the E53 in rolling acceleration tests. So don’t be fooled by the 250kph top speed, the E63S could easily cross the 300kph mark if it was derestricted.
AMG Treatment
Here’s the thing, the E63S is a hardcore, out and out AMG product. From special brakes, sport seats, AMG spec gearbox, and even a hand built engine, its nowhere near the world subtle. The E53 however, is more like an AMG flavored fast Mercedes. No hand built engines here, no hard core buckets. If anything you can easily mistake it to an E350 AMG line car, until you see the quad tail pipes. For some, this may be the very appeal of the car.
Equipment
Needless to say the E63S is equipped with more sporting accessories. From its bucket seats, the leather / Alcantara steering wheel design, the AMG insignia below the IWC clock, yellow stitching and its aggressive wheels, it’s all strictly business. In the E53 AMG though, there are no AMG markings on the dash, there’s a more pleasant leather wrapped steering wheel, and a comfortable semi bucket seats. Both cars come with panoramic roof, the 13 speaker Burmester hi-fi system, and they both ride on air suspension.
Price
Here’s the bottom line. Neither of these cars can be associated with the word affordable. The E63S is priced at RM1,068,888. The E53 gets sticker price of RM740,000 plus. The gap in this neck of the car shopper’s woods is not too drastic. However in terms of maintenance, the difference is much more apparent with both tyre, fuel, brakes and road tax / insurance costs.
Verdict
The E63S AMG is more like a supercar on 4 wheels with 4 doors and seats. The price tag and performance figures enforces that idea too. The E53 AMG on the other hand however is an E class that’s really fast in both a straight line and in the bends. So if you are looking for a discreet German saloon that is more spirited than the rest of the range, then the E53 is your car. If you want Porsche 911 or Ferrari 458 chasing performance then the E63S is the car for you.
