2023 Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 review

A bonkers new performance car is set to land in Australia next year and it’s the natural successor to one of the most feral cars on sale.

Is the EQE 53 a silent assassin? This new electric sedan from the AMG high-performance division of Mercedes-Benz is the EV equivalent of the company’s E 63 S, renowned for the thumping acceleration and thundering noise of its V8.

Powered by a pair of near-noiseless electric motors, the aerodynamically shaped five-seat EQE 53 doesn’t advertise its speed with a wall of sound. Even so, this is a more powerful and less costly car than the E 63 S. And as well as being quieter, the EV is quicker.

Mercedes’ performance arm, AMG, has applied its craft to the new EQE electric car.

Time to accelerate from standstill to 100km/h is an important measure of performance-car cred. Mercedes-AMG claims the EQE 53 can do it in 3.3 seconds, while the E 63 S takes one-tenth of a second longer.

It’s only an eyeblink, but reputations are made or lost by such margins in this world. The EQE 53 kills the E 63 S’s claim to dominance, and you’ve got to wonder how Mercedes-AMG’s loyal and loudness-loving audience will feel about this.

Especially as the quicker EQE 53 will wear a lower price-tag than the E 63 S when it arrives in Australia. Close to $200,000 is what Mercedes-Benz Australia is aiming for with the EV, about $50,000 less than the E63 S.

It’s fastest than the vaunted petrol-powered E 63 S AMG.

Production of the Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 begins at the Bremen factory in the north of Germany in August, where it will join the Mercedes-EQ versions of the EQE already being made there.

The entire EQE line-up for Australia is scheduled to arrive late this year. It’ll probably consist of three models. The Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 will definitely top the range. Below will be two less powerful Mercedes-EQ variants, one with two motors and all-wheel drive, another with a single motor and rear-wheel drive.

The combined maximum power and torque outputs of the EQE 53’s motors are a whopping 505kW and 1020Nm, with the optional AMG Dynamic Plus package. This is 55kW more than the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 of the E 63 S.

The EQE 53’s electric motors combine for a monstrous 505kW and 1020Nm.

Mercedes-AMG’s engineers made changes to increase the power, torque and rev limit of the electric motors used in the normal EQE. Stator windings were altered, and the inverters that turn DC from the battery to AC for the motors were uprated.

The motors draw on a 91kWh underfloor lithium-ion battery pack. While the official WLTP-rated driving range of the EQE 53 is more than 500km, its real-world mixed driving range will be a little less. The authoritative European website EV Database estimates 465km.

Charging speeds are quick. The EQE 53 can take a high 170kW from a DC fast charger and comes with an 11kW on-board AC charger for home charging.

That big battery pack means the EQE 53 is very hefty for an almost five-metre long sedan. At about 2600kg, it’s more than 500kg heavier than the E 63 S.

Merc’s “Hyperscreen” runs the length of the dashboard.

This explains why the EV is a 53 badge, not a 63, even though its straight-line acceleration is similar. Mercedes-AMG technical chief Jochen Hermann is on record saying that anything wearing a 63 badge must be racetrack capable and the EQE 53 isn’t.

The EQE 53’s acceleration is both awesome and addictive. Pressing the accelerator pedal to the floor unleashes an instant, neck-straining surge of silent thrust. There’s never a hint of wheel spin, of the car struggling to put its power down.

It rained hard during part of the international launch test drive on winding roads through the Vosges mountains on the border between France and Germany. The way the EQE 53 could slingshot out of tight corners was simply incredible.

The EQE 53 has amazing road manners.

But its weight was apparent when slowing for corners and turning into them. Though the regenerative braking of the EV’s motors does some of the work when shedding speed, its big disc brakes are still left with a lot to do. And persuading 2600kg to change direction clearly taxes the grip of the front tyres.

Driven a little more sedately, the EQE 53 is very easy to admire. Though rear-seat headroom isn’t great, the cabin is an inviting, well-made, beautifully designed and tech-filled environment. The standard air-spring and adaptive shock absorber suspension is smooth and the steering creates a sense of connection with the road.

Mercedes-AMG has developed several synthetic soundscapes for the EQE 53 audio system, aiming to add a sonic dimension to driving. Some are more subtle than others, and there’s the option of leaving them switched off to enjoy the pace and quiet.

MERCEDES-AMG EQE 53 VITALS

PRICE $200,000 (est)

MOTOR Dual-motor 505kW/1020Nm (with AMG Dynamic Plus package)

TRANSMISSION Single-speed; AWD

RANGE 518km

ENERGY USE 17.5-23.2kWh/100km

0-100KM/H 3.3 secs (with AMG Dynamic Plus package)

Originally published as 2023 Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 review