While Mercedes is gearing up for the release of the all-new E-Class, its AMG division is in parallel getting ready to unveil the model’s performance versions, and it’s got some big changes planned.
The model names – E63 for the big-power flagship and E53 for the entry-level AMG-engined car – should be familiar enough, but this time they’ll correspond to some very different hardware that incorporates hybrid technology.
The old E53 already featured mild hybrid assistance for its 3.0-liter inline six, but the new one will upgrade to full hybrid status, as evidenced by the yellow sticker on the window of this prototype. And judging by the presence of the charging flap on the driver’s side rear quarter (it looks like a fuel filler, but that’s on the other side), it will be a PHEV.
But what kind of PHEV isn’t yet clear. Some have speculated that the E53 will adopt a version of the 2.0-liter PHEV drivetrain from the AMG C63 S E Performance sedan. But we’re guessing not all of the C63’s 671 hp (680 PS) horses would make the journey to the E-Class line if that’s the case because that output would represent a crazy increase on the 429 hp (435 PS) total from the outgoing E53. We guess that the system would be detuned to keep the 53 from snapping at the heels of its 63 big brother.
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The other alternative would be for the 4Matic-only E53 to get the six-cylinder PHEV drivetrain from the S580e luxury sedan, and it’s this option that well-connected journalist Greg Kable says we’ll see later this year. The S580e’s 510 hp (517 PS) and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) of torque sound like they’d be sufficient to move the E53’s game on without getting too close for comfort to the E63.
Not that the E63 – identified by four square tailpipes rather than the four circular ones on the E53 seen here – has much to worry about. Although it will lose two cylinders versus today’s car, it is rumored to make even more power courtesy of an even more extreme version of the E53’s PHEV six-cylinder drivetrain. A second electric motor acting on the rear axle adding to the efforts of the one fitted inside the transmission of the E53 will help the powertrain deliver over 700 hp (710 PS).
