AMG E53 First Impressions?
 

For those of you who have received your E53 already, please post your initial impressions. I have an E53 sedan on order for receipt hopefully in late January. I went from looking at an Audi RS5 Sportback to a BMW M550i to the E53 sedan. I was snake-bitten a decade+ ago when I got one of the very first redesigned BMW 535's to come off the truck so am a little worried about a first year model like the E53. My BMW back then had the worst throttle lag (called a variety of things) of any car since my grandfather's Chrysler LaBaron in the early 80's so any car review that even hints at turbo lag or hesitation is a deal killer for me. Thanks.

I don't really get anyone getting one of these cars? Why not a E450 and do a tune on it? The E53 weighs a lot more and it's not like it's great on gas or anything. The twin turbo V6 in the E450 is a proven design great on gas and with a tune will be putting out more horsepower than that of the E53.

It's not all about peak power. The 53's deliver no lag and instant throttle response. For folks up in high elevation, NA cars have great throttle response, but we lose 25% power due to the thinner air. For turbo cars, we have way more turbo lag than at sea level, abysmal throttle response and narrower power band, but peak power is mostly similar to sea level. The E53's performance hybrid setup bridges the gap, basically torque fills everything missing in a relatively affordable package. It's a great compromise that gives EV acceleration and throttle response out of corners.

That makes sense for high altitudes, glad I'm at sea level with my E450, lol. I don't really notice any turbo lag on it in Florida.

I was just in Orlando. Our rented Pacifica was spinning its tires off the line. You sea level people are so lucky haha.

An E450 tune will just make it a faster E450. The E53 has better brakes, handling and looks to start.

M

Agree on better brakes and much better handling (latter, at a significant ride expense vs. E450). However, am confused on "looks". There's hardly any meaningful visual difference vs. E450, other than badges, exhaust tips, lower rear valance and the grill.

Hi just took delivery of my E53 Friday. I was coming out of a C43. The E is different in a both good way and a not so good way. My C was definitely more sporty. The shifts were way more aggressive than the E and so was the exhaust (both cars have the sport exhaust option). I think they are both quick with hardly any lag in the E. Since I only have about 400 miles I really haven't gotten on the E that much but those are my first impressions. Handling however is pretty much a wash with the C being a bit more nimble and the E way more planted. Surprisingly the E handles very well considering its larger size and stays more flat as well. I swapped out the run flats on both cars on the first day and replaced them with Michelin PS AS 3+'s. Much crisper handling than the run flats with a much better ride. No comparison in ride with E soaking up bumps that would have sent my C class crashing. The best way to describe it is that the E53 is a more mature grown up version of my C43.

The nav stinks. It doesn't list the traffic on your route nor does it provide a route list. My C had both of those features and I miss them. Pretty much use waze now but that doesn't show up on the HUD which is great by the way.

Overall I am pretty happy but I still wonder if I would have been better off with an M550i. I also considered the Panamera 4 but the lack of a true 3rd seat killed that car.

The lease on the E53 stinks by the way as the MF was .00231. I could have have had an M5 for less than $100 a month more than I am paying.

This is an interesting thread. I have a BMW 550ix currently, and would have bought the M550i by now, but frankly the mpg / range annoy me. The bimmer has an 18 gallon tank and I think id get a range of appx 380 miles. The E53, i'd get a 500+ mile range, which given i drive 21K miles+/year, the visits to the gas station (or lack thereof) are important to me.

Anyway - one thing I really like about the bmw's are the electronics in the cars are top notch. Reading about the nav is not what I wanted to hear - that is basic functionality in the BMW.

E53 sedans started hitting lots here in NJ, will hopefully get to take one out soon!

Aceman

I really thought about the E53 but then bought 2 E450's, a Cabriolet and a Wagon as my daily driver (I drive 25K per year in the wagon). I am more than happy with both cars. They both have huge Rotors and the brakes seem really good. The Cab has the AMG line package and the brakes are even bigger in that car than the Wagon. Very impressed with the Twin Turbo V6. The handling seems good. I have taken the wagon on some sharp turns at high speeds and while there is a little more body roll than my AMG Wagon it does feel fairly firmly planted, it seems to do all I need in the handling dept plus no expensive air bags to go wrong and cause a trip to the dealership. In Sport plus mode both cars are a lot of fun to drive and make some nice sounds too. I do have Run Flats on both cars but when those wear out I'll be switching to michelin SS tires and that will get me a little more in the handling dept and probably give a better ride too which actually though right now seem fairly smooth and firm.

I will also say the new inline 6 with eq boost is such a smooth engine and the power is very instant and very linear.

Traffic works (at least in the US), it's just a different subscription. We get shafted in Canada.

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ss-yes-no.html

Carplay integration into the HUD would be nice, but I'm generally OK with using Waze/Google Maps with audible alerts. My biggest complaint is the lack of touchscreen. Carplay without Touchscreen is just wrong.

Congrats on the new car!

To make you feel better unless you had a leftover MY18, the days of cheap M5's are over. MY19's are now in E63s pricing territory due to the fact BMW dropped the residual by 11% vs MY18 ;)

You think they'll change that any time soon?

I am sure it will; just wonder how long that will take. So far BMW has been disregarding the fact that lots of M5's are sitting on dealer lots.
Initially it looked like an incentive to move MY18 inventory but now they dropped the residual again 1% in Dec. to 47% (36/15k). I think that's 5% below the E but MF is at least at .00182.

I am hoping for a honeymoon period on the upcoming M8 ;)

I almost bit on a 2018 BMW M5. $120k sticker, 61% residual for 36/10k. Payment was like $1,550/mo with $0 down towards cap, just inceptions up front. 6% sales tax. Absolutely killer deal. Fully equipped, the nice blue everybody likes. One of the last few left.

But... I test drove it locally. I had a '14 F10 M5 stick shift and I have a '16 F13 M6 Gran Coupe ($135k sticker, nice frozen matte white paint from the factory). It didn't do it for me. It was obvious it had a torque converted transmission and there was a bunch of that fake noise in the cabin. On top of that, I don't think the big a** circle in the front bumper for the radar cruise control is very appealing, and the ride overall looks higher/less aggressive than the F10. Combine that with the interior difference compared to the E63, and it was a no brainer.

I wonder what the residuals were on the F10 before they phased them out. 61% on 36 months was ridiculous. I'll be surprised if they go back up. Maybe a $5k incentive or something, but even that doesn't come close. There are people getting them for $1,350/mo after deal shopping on the BMW forums. My '14 M5 was $1,250/mo to lease and my M6 is $1,820/mo to lease (and everybody says that's a terrible M6 payment). There's an M6 for $1,100/mo on Swapalease. There are 2018 M5s for $1,400/mo on Swapalease.

M8 is going to be a $2.2k/mo+ car in my eyes.

Yeah, the radar just looks ridiculous on the M5 They already have a huge grill on the F90. Enough space to hide it there...
Also agree that the M5 doesn't look very aggressive but the numbers are in; this thing is FAST...
My biggest issue is my wife's back. These BMW's are soft in Comfort and I wouldn't mind a 2 door coupe eventually... hence I am thinking M8. The car will likely be as overpriced as as the AMG GT 4 door and unless they have some killer deals this car won't move off the lots.

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread...

I'm looking for a new car as well but haven't pulled the trigger on anything. I'm looking at the m550i, e53, c63s (same price point), cls53, and the RS5 SB. I've pretty much narrowed it down to the m550i or the e53 but it's driving me nuts because I can't decide. I eliminated the RS5 SB pretty quick because it doesn't feel like an RS car and think it's due to the fact the regular S5 SB is so good at a much cheaper price. I'm hoping to test drive the e53 because the majority of reviews say the new inline-6 is fantastic and sounds great.

Yeah, I ruled out the RS5 SB too as it just seems overpriced by about $10k. I'm still going to test drive the M550i before my E53 arrives just to be sure but unless I start seeing bad reports on the E53 or the M550i really gives me some wow moments, I think I'm set on the E53. Cars are such a personal choice as everyone has their specific desires for a car. IMO the biggest draw on the 550i is the V8 engine, exterior looks, proven model, and maintenance. On the other hand, it doesn't report to handle corners as well, has less range, and the interior just looks dated to me. I personally need a quiet, functional car in town and want a fun/fast car on the twisty country roads.

The M550 can be very fast with a piggyback tune but this thing floats like a boat ;) Its a good move to try everything before; it's the best way to be happy with your choice

From Audi to AMG
 

I finally made the switch after 15+ years with Audi. Have had a lot of them and have always loved them. That said the new gen A6/7 did not impress me and I did not want to wait any longer for the S series. So I test drove the RS5 coupe (while waiting for release of the Sportsback). Amazing drive, but could justify it only if I tracked it a lot. Being honest to myself, I would probably use my old ragged Mini more for that (so I can break, fix, add, remove stuff as I progressed). Thats when I test drove the E's. Liked them!!. To me (and not to offend the die hards), they were a perfect blend between the comfort of the Audi and the sportiness of the BMWs. Choice boiled down to 450 vs E53. Then I saw the CLS and got even more confused (sexy looks matter too :) ). Finally settled on the E53 AMG Sedan, just got it yesterday and so far so good. Love my DINAMICA steering wheel. Have'nt pushed the car hard yet. I like the handling and cornering in the slow speeds I tested. The me app is interesting. Lots of free services for your data/ privacy.
I got an Osbidian Black, Black with Red NAPPA leather. Packages include parking assist, LED, sun protection, AMG exhaust, illuminated sills/ logo and probably a couple of small other ones.
Interesting part was that of the 15 odd released for DFW, most were accounted for.. and one was interesting as it had both the AMG exhaust and acoustic packages :).

We'll see what MB life feels like. Lots of learning to do. Open to any and all suggestions.

I also have both the acoustic comfort package and the AMG exhaust. Perhaps not one of my better moves but my wife appreciates it!
On the other hand I do love the soft close doors and HUD.