Having given the S63 and C63 a charging port, Mercedes will do the same for the E63. Before that happens, the AMG Lite E-Class is also going to be electrified considering this E53 has a fuel cap on the left side. On the regular E-Class PHEV models such as the E400e, owners juice up the battery pack from that spot. Our spies caught a partially camouflaged prototype of what is known in Germany as the T-Modell (wagon) testing in AMG guise.
Unlike BMW with its shouty M Performance and M cars, Mercedes-AMG prefers a more subtle design. It does have quad exhaust tips and a Panamericana grille, but we’d argue the styling remains fairly restrained overall. This long-roof E53 is sitting closer to the road courtesy of a stiffer suspension setup and is presumably hiding AMG branding on those red brake calipers.
The German luxury brand didn’t bother to hide the enlarged front air intakes while the disguise applied over the rear diffuser isn’t doing a good job since we can see the design in full. We’re frankly still getting used to those three-pointed stars embedded into the taillights. Ironically, Mercedes removed its badges from the body and wheels in a failed attempt to conceal the car’s identity.
As to what powers the prototype, an educated guess is that AMG has installed an inline-six underneath the hood. Considering the new CLE has a 3.0-liter engine in the CLE 450 4Matic model, it wouldn’t make sense to put a 2.0-liter, four-pot in the new E53. Unconfirmed reports state the new base AMG variant of the E-Class will inherit the electrified setup from the S580e, good for 510 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque.
Further down the line, the hotter E63 is likely going to be a PHEV based around an inline-six, but with a lot more power since it’ll have to top the 671-hp C63 S E Performance.
The E53 sedan and wagon should debut first, likely before the end of the year or early 2024, with the full-fat E63s arriving slightly thereafter. Mercedes is also working on CLE63 Coupe and Convertible models.
Read the full article here