AMG E53 Benz’ Electrified Turbo-six Makes Magnificent Sounds
Hop aboard the backside of the AMG E53 as it enjoys the rain outside, and you enjoy the throaty notes from its exhaust.
Mercedes-AMG knows how to build an excellent engine. When an AMG pulls up to the line, most of the time you’ll hear the Biturbo twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, whose hot-inside V configuration delivers the goods through the exhaust before dropping hundreds of fire-breathing horses onto the pavement.
Affalterbach isn’t solely focused on the big turbo V8 though. There’s another powerplant available for those who don’t need as many cylinders to get their point across, in the form of the 3.0-liter turbo-six with a 48-volt mild-hybrid assist. Autoblog recently took out an example residing inside their 2019 E53 for a drive through the rainy streets of Detroit, with all of us holding onto the backside to hear the sounds rumbling into the air.
As noted by Autoblog, the turbo-six makes 429 horses and 384 lb-ft of torque with the help of an electric compressor feeding more air into the twin-scroll turbo. Known as EQ Boost, the hybrid system offers 21 horses and 184 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels when needed, such as launches and passes.
Out on the wet streets near Autoblog‘s Detroit HQ, the E53’s turbo-six sounds as good as any V8 on the road, turbocharged or otherwise. During slow moments, the engine hums along, hinting at the power within. Once on a clear stretch of highway, though, the whole affair opens up to reveal a glorious explosion of fury upon the ears, popping and sputtering all along the way.
Wherever it went in Detroit, the E53 made its presence felt, singing its song down the road when climbing up the nine gears available on the nine-speed version of the Speedshift dual-clutch automatic, then winding back down to silence with the foot off of the accelerator. The publication also enjoyed the turbo-six’s stop-start tech, perfect for saving as much fuel at stoplights as possible, and the overall smoothness of the power delivery. And, of course, the unforgettable, joyous sounds exiting from the exhaust. All in a day’s work for Mercedes-AMG.
Photos: Mercedes-AMG
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