thanks for this…I’m going to upgrade to Pinnacle as the navigation component in the HUD seems like a great safety advancement.

the color decision will probably be a last minute decision before the cutoff. I like greys but the graphite is just too black. I have had blue cars and like them but this blue is too dark also. Bleh. If only S & E classes had the alpine grey, I’d prob upgrade to that, but all kinds of SUV’s and such have that color option. Just not unique enough…

 

It's great that you got to use your design skills at Disney and the automotive industry. Magical and simple is a good design objective. The auto industry could use more of that.

The Audi Virtual Cockpit was so cool. It would be exciting to pave the way for the industry.

What do you think of the Genesis driver displays?

The first round of digital displays were anti-glare with the traditional instrument hood over the displays. The latest generation of displays are all rectangular LCD's with no anti-glare coating. Mercedes deciding to stick the turn signal indicators at the edge of the rectangular LCD where they are blocked by the steering wheel is the strangest design choice. By dropping the anti-glare, not sticking to the traditional pod shape for visibility, dropping the sun cover and maximizing screen real estate instead of useability, the industry is taking some steps backwards from the Audi Virtual Cockpit.

Give me the buttons back. Physical buttons are way better on the wheel. It is much more user friendly to have physical buttons for common HVAC functions. I am Ok with capacitive buttons on the center console.
It would be fun to see your work being used by millions of consumers every day.

 

You have a great build.

The standard feature list on an E53 is already impressive. The safety features of DA, Exclusive (upgraded lights) and rear side air bags are good to add. Everything else is a luxury item that is dependent on personal preference. I could be very happy in a $99,000 E53 wagon. If you don’t want to pay the wagon tax, you could get an E53 sedan for even less.

 

The E53 comes standard with a navigation system in the entertainment display that uses the front camera to project turns onto a live video of the actual streets. It’s cool technology, but I prefer the basic instructions, distances and turn times to be displayed in the HUD by Apple CarPlay.

I find all the information on the moving nav video distracting. One thing Apple got right with CarPlay maps user interface is showing all the information I need, and nothing else.

 

Very true about the standard features on the E53. I wasn't intending to imply there was anything wrong with a low option build, just that I wasn't able to look at the build tool and not add options, obviously

 

The base interior (black with red belts) is the best looking. Makes me second guess dropping $6k on the seats…..

 

It does look sharp but I do like me some nappa leather. Can't do the vinyl seats... And I had to have ventilation and massage.

 

Today I found a car that has a new option:
L6K AMG Performance Steering Wheel in Nappa Leather / Microfiber

This means you can order Dynamic Package steering wheel a-la-carte, or at least this one car managed to do so. Cost is $500. This is the first car that I found with this option. Now I don't know why anyone would order this by itself but to each their own..,.

 

GregTR is really not going to understand this, but I had to wait an extra three months to get the MB-Tex seats. Lol. I like the Dynamica/Alcantara inserts and red stitching and red accents in the interior. I also prefer the ease of maintenance with MB-Tex. MB-Tex is easy to clean. I just spray some interior detailer on and wipe with microfiber cloth. MB-Tex is super durable. The interior detailer I use is not compatible with Alcantara, so I use water to clean the Alcantara. Every few years I use a compatible upholstery cleaner or Sonax for Alcantara to clean the Dynamica.

I was going to get the red seat belts on a previous car since it ups the sportiness of the interior. My wife, however, doesn't get the concept of red seat belts. I elected the more subtle $0 optional black seat belts for the E53. With black seat belts in the back, the eye notices the suede and red accents of the back seat more than the belts.

I don't miss the ventilation or massage function with the Dynamica standard seats, but being up north, the fast-heating seats and heated arm rests in the multi-contour package would be nice to have.

 

I hear you. I have to add options on an E53 after loading up the configurator.

I did select the Dynamic Plus Package for the E53. When I first submitted the order, I didn't add the Dynamic Plus Package because it is totally unnecessary. But then I went back and added it on because it fits the car's personality of being a sports car disguised as a wagon that drives into town on no-emissions electricity.

 

Michelin Pilot Sport All Seasons and Pilot Alpins are available now for the E53 20's. The all seasons have had decent availability year-round so far. Tire Rack seemed to be out of the PS AS tires, but Costco had both the PS AS and PA's when I checked a few days ago.

I check the tire availability on the BMW M5 Touring from time to time. As we get into winter, the M5 summer tires still have stock shortages. There aren't any all seasons for the car unless you move to lower load indexes. Michelin makes Pilot Alpins designed specifically for the M5, but they are hard to find.

Mercedes is going to win some customers for the E53 who would otherwise purchase a BMW M5 because the tire options for the fall, spring and winter in the north are far better with the E53.

 

Someone asked if he should option the Dynamics Plus package to get the LSD for driving in the snow. I don't recall if it was posted in this thread or another thread.

According to the mbusa.com website, the E53 comes with "ESP Dynamic Cornering Assist" which does rear wheel torque vectoring using the brakes. I would guess that in slippery conditions, the car would use the same capability to give power to the rear wheel with traction.

The operator's manual does not mention ESP Dynamic Cornering Assist. It does say

Quote:

ETS/4ETS can improve the vehicle's traction by intervening in the following ways:

We don't know the mechanism of the optional electronic LSD and it is not described in the operator's manual.

Since the car will already brake the spinning wheels, I would not get the LSD just for improved snow traction.

 

Our 9/2025 build, delivered in early November, came on the 20" multispokes with Michelin Pilot AS4's. It got around in the recent Chicagoland (record-breaking) slush and snow and subsequent weeks of below-freezing and occasional below-zero temperatures just fine. Michelin obviously doesn't screw around with the PAS4's they're awesome tires, but I'm surprised at how well it did with how wide these are; but they're brand-new tires, that's cheating. I still have some 19" winter wheels from our W212 that should fit the car in theory but for now there's no need for snows in suburban snow driving on this thing we'll see how they do when they're worn and work/heat-hardened a bit next winter. It's so low with such a long wheelbase and terrible breakover that serious snow with buildup from plows to traverse etc. is going to keep it immobilized anyway regardless of traction. That oil cooler in the splitter gives me the *******

And yeah, absolutely no need for an LSD with most modern cars for anything less than the most absurd of snow driving IMO if they're on good tires, traction aids have turned the difficulty level for slippery driving into easy mode, and that's on cars that don't have the additional cheat code of electric power delivery. Which doesn't help you when you need to stop...but hey at least you won't be stuck.

Now, if you *want* the LSD because you're a snownut enthusiast, I get that, but of all the AWD cars I've owned, the most fun to drive like an idiot in the snow only had a viscous center diff. And I can confirm that ESP off means more than off enough to have fun in the E53 without the dynamic package, or if it was helping me, it wasn't obvious to me, and it didn't tell me it was helping me. Nice to see the right to hoon is still alive and well in Germany even on a PHEV, even without the I Am Very Serious About Performance Package

 

I have the same tires on my 2025 E53 Sedan. The only difference is I have 18K miles on the tires and the tread depth is between 6/32 (rear) and 7/32 (front). I did not have any trouble driving through 4" deep snow this past weekend.

 

Modern AWD and All seasons are plenty for everything but "i have to get the the ski mountain RIGHT NOW!" during a blizzard. My 2010 S4 was unstoppable in snow with Conti DSWs. Thie pic below was 6-7" of accumulation. <insert caveats about ice and studs here>

 

Modern tires don't get enough credit for the golden age of yeet we're in right now. Amazing contraptions

 

My 2010 S4 wore Dunlop Winter Sport tires in the winter. I never worried about getting stuck in the snow. But they felt like driving a truck in the spring, so I was always happy to switch over to the summer tires.

Modern all-weather tires like the CrossClimate and its new competitors are also pretty amazing. The pattern resembles the Pilot Alpin, but it has long lasting rubber that is suitable for warm weather.

 

That is good to hear. Where I am we get 20 degree weather for a week then 40 or 50 degree weather for a couple of days then down to 30 degrees. I'd rather run Michelin Pilot AS if they can handle the occasional snow.
Take a look at the "radiator" under the front of the car. Then imagine hitting a large snow rock that fell off another car. That will give you some more *******.
The E53 needs to have good stability and traction control. It has 577 horsepower. If it didn't have a bunch of computers there would be a bunch of us sliding all over the place.

I just hope Mercedes has tempered their desire to shut off power as soon as the tail goes out. My 2010 S4 would let the tail slide with stability control on and just let the front wheel pull the car out of the slide like an AWD wants to do. The S4 was fun in the snow.

 

Picked the wagon up today. ****ty day for pics, but it's gorgeous. First driving impression is Firm but not harsh. I'm very ok with the ride, don't find it to be as bothersome as many reviews make it out to be. Can't wait to be done with break in and actually wring it out a bit.

 

Saw this write up today.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...53-wagon-test/