BALANCE OF POWER

The younger sibling in the E-class AMG lineup is impressive on paper. How’s it in the real world?

- Anubhav Sharma

The E 53 AMG has been around for a couple of years, but this is the first time Mercedes-Benz has brought it to India. One could argue that sedans are a shrinking market, but the E-Class has always been an outlier and continues to be one of the best-selling cars for Mercedes-Benz in India. Only makes sense to bring a racier version to India then, right? I think so.

First things first, if you are expecting a hooligan like the E 63 S with its growling V8, then allow me to pare your expectations right away. This is the new breed of AMGs which is kinder to polar bears and ice caps, but do not be disappointed by the lack of a V8 or even a V6. Under the E 53 AMG’s hood sits a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six with a 48-volt hybrid system which makes 429 bhp and 52 kgm of torque. Before you appreciate the power figures, may I have a quick cheer for the return of the inline-six at Mercedes? With the electric wave upon us and at AMG, too, these engines deserve to be celebrated for as long as they are around.