E53 Estate (Any Owners?)

[X27]

Have been looking at buying an E53 Estate on the used market for a while now but it’s a toss up between that, an M340i and if the budget can stretch an RS4. Few questions for owners and non owners of an E53…

Does anyone here own an E53 estate? If so what’s it like to live with? Comfortable? Decent mpg for a performance car?

I don’t see many E53’s around..they seem to be quite rare cars. Is this because they’re not popular, or is there something I’m missing?

Is there a huge difference between an E53 and an E43? Does the E53 justify its increase in price?


Any other thoughts, opinions or advice on this car is appreciated!

 

[Engadine]

Hi X27. I don’t own a E53 but have just spent 3 weeks and 2000 miles in one driving around California (some pix below). This was a Cabrio.

Thoughts:

- lovely interior
- comfortable seats and well designed
- like the looks
- lacked agility around urban areas but excellent on long sweepers
- fast when pushed and when engine is in the zone. But combination of 9 speed box and over eager up changes in C and S mean it’s out of the zone a lot of the time. On a motorway, 9th gear and 1200 rpm at 50mph, and no response or oomph at those revs
- engine needs to be 3000+ rpm to give its best - bear in mind in urban areas
- could drive in S+ or M i
- ride was curiously hard. I would say more brittle than either E63 or C63 but that may have been that bad US roads, still not cosseting

Overall I ended up wishing it had a V8.

Personally, though I am a big AMG fan and owner, of your choices I would definitely take a long test drive in a RS4. Probably a more complete car. But this is just my view

 

[Engadine]

edit: with a E53 estate you would have a better and bigger load area than either the BMW or the Audi, and it’s a class up, so higher overall spec and perceived quality. M340i and RS4 are C class competitors

 

[Rich764089]

edit: with a E53 estate you would have a better and bigger load area than either the BMW or the Audi, and it’s a class up, so higher overall spec and perceived quality. M340i and RS4 are C class competitors

This. I don't own any of these cars, but have an E63 and previously an S4... you're not really comparing like for like. If space is important, don't get a 3 series or RS4!

 

[daveface]

Hey @X27

I picked up a brand new E53 Estate Premium Plus Night Edition around 2 weeks ago! So far I am absolutely loving it (although I haven't taken it past 4k rpm as its still running in..250 miles to go....) to try and answer some of your questions from my first two weeks...

To live with, for me I find it perfect, I have two children (9+6) and I'm 6,1" so leg room in cars is always an issue, however the E53 has more than enough space for everyone, we also have a dog who seems to get lost in the boot . As for its size, it's the longest car I have ever had and I find it quite easy to navigate into tight spaces (surround cams help allot!). Overall I find it has all the space you could ever want and realistically it has more power than you can use - So yeah, its very easy to live with!

Comfort - This was a big one for me, I previously had a BMW X3 M40i which I was super comfy in, I chopped that in for a Gen 3 Porsche Macan, unfortunately that only lasted 3 weeks from delivery as I just could not find a comfortable seating position! So I sold take ... made a little ££ and jumped straight into the E53 and I was comfortable from the get go! I find the ride to be really smooth and comfortable, though I haven't taken it out of "Comfort" yet. I might just find it super smooth because I have come from a M40i with 21" run flats and M Performance suspension ..

MPG - I seem to be averaging around 28-29mpg (still running it in) but I have seen 32mpg which to me is amazing, my Porsche and X3 were mostly averaging 24-26mpg and were both less powerful than the E53! So I'm satisfied that I have more BHP and more MPG

You are right, you don't see them on the roads. Since getting mine I haven't seen another! I have seen 2 E63s's but I'm sure they are just trolling me! Personally I think it comes down to people looking at the E53 and then seeing that for the same price they can get a 2-3 year old E63 and swaying that way. However, for me I thought the E53 hit the sweet spot between performance/economy/its-brand-new! Also, I know its not a V8 but it does sounds rather good still

Note - I also looked at the RS4 Avant and as much as I liked them VFM I don't think it match's the E53, as others have said its also the next class up. Also again I was worried about space and comfort!

 

[X27]

Thanks all for your responses. I have heard a lot that the E53 is not in the same class as the RS4 and the M340i. Whilst I know that to be the case, I still think the E53 is around the same price point so I’m adding it into the same bracket, albeit I know a C43 would probably be the one to compare.

@daveface : Thank you for this! Glad to hear from someone who owns one and drives it daily on UK roads! Very impressive mpg for a performance car and again for me a big selling point is the comfort! I’m glad to hear it’s navigating UK roads well for you. I’ve already had an Audi and a BMW and I have wanted to get into a Mercedes for a while, and I must say the E53 has tempted me for a long time. What would you say it’s like on your typical A road country lanes with potholes etc..I live in a rural area so I’d need it to navigate the roads well whilst also reminded I’m not sitting in a Range Rover, I’d like for the comfort of it to be somewhere similar.

 

[X27]

So just to clarify…realistically whilst I know the E53 is a different class to the RS4 and M340i, the most important aspect for me is comfort. I know they’re all fast capable wagons but which drives your typical A-B road the best..

 

[Engadine]

If the most important aspect is comfort, AMG is not the right choice. An E300 d e for example has 320 hp, big torque, and is set up for comfort

 

[daveface]

@X27 - I live in rural Gloucestershire, so most of my commute is A+B roads and some dual carriageways. I tend to avoid potholes, but the one or two small ones I haven't managed to miss haven't been that bad at all. Driving A roads is also fine mostly done at slow speeds to no real issues. As I say I think if you were to compare the rides between a M340i and an E53 the E53 would always come out on top as the M340i would I guess has adaptive suspension with run flats, but the E53 has air and normal tyres which is always going to make a big difference to ride quality. I would also assume (happy to be corrected) but the RS4 would also probably be Adaptive dampeners + normal tyres, so you might find the RS4 is the middle ground comfort wise. If your worried I would just book a test drive of each and see which you find the most compliant and which suits you best.

 

[Tblk]

After over a year of deliberation, I picked up my 2019 E53 wagon on Thursday and I’m loving it. It doesn’t have the full AMG drama but quite capable and comfortable too. This is going to be my daily as I px my E220 and will be selling my C63 too once the V5C documentation comes through. It’s a sleeper alright and that’s the best thing about it. Looked at the 2021 model but couldn’t justify the £15k Difference in price plus I rather like the fact that the 2019 model looks like an ordinary E class wagon.

 

[Rich764089]

After over a year of deliberation, I picked up my 2019 E53 wagon on Thursday and I’m loving it. It doesn’t have the full AMG drama but quite capable and comfortable too. This is going to be my daily as I px my E220 and will be selling my C63 too once the V5C documentation comes through. It’s a sleeper alright and that’s the best thing about it. Looked at the 2021 model but couldn’t justify the £15k Difference in price plus I rather like the fact that the 2019 model looks like an ordinary E class wagon.

Awesome

Enjoy

 

[X27]

After over a year of deliberation, I picked up my 2019 E53 wagon on Thursday and I’m loving it. It doesn’t have the full AMG drama but quite capable and comfortable too. This is going to be my daily as I px my E220 and will be selling my C63 too once the V5C documentation comes through. It’s a sleeper alright and that’s the best thing about it. Looked at the 2021 model but couldn’t justify the £15k Difference in price plus I rather like the fact that the 2019 model looks like an ordinary E class wagon.

I do still keep an eye on this thread. That’s fantastic, how did you find the comfort and fuel economy of it? Granted it’s an AMG product (to some degree) I’d still find those important especially in the current climate. I find the E53 is a brilliant compromise of speed and comfort but I’m always interested to hear it from actual owners. Most other “fast” variants of the E class estate are diesel and in this day and age I wouldn’t buy a diesel car again.

 

[Tblk]

I haven’t really managed to get a good run as currently it’s got a roof box on it along with the boot fully laden and still managed 28mpg over 247miles. Weekly commute back in a week by which I should be able to have realistic feedback

 

[rockits]

I've just recently bought an E43 Estate and the E53 was out of my price range so not on my short list regardless. Also felt the E43 was perfect for my personal needs and not quite sure about all the hybrid and electric motor solutions yet as to reliability.

I did originally earmark an SQ7 but the prices weren't moving much and were too rich for what I could justify. I drove an S6 Avant and RS6 Avant and liked both but the RS6 was more than what I really needed and also looked a bit too showy for me for my needs. I wanted something a bit more under the radar so the RS6/E63 were just a little superfluous for me and my current needs./wants. The S6 Avant was better but were still a little pricey for my ideal budget. Found an E43 that ticked all the boxes. Can't fault the way it drives and a much more driver focussed car than I expected. I do miss the noise of an E55K or the V8's I'm used to but it was a small compromise I'm OK with for a daily do it all wagon.

Had to be an E Class or A6 size for me as feel the 3 series/A4/C Class size a bit too small for me for my needs.

Not had it long but did a long journey with cruise on circa 70mph and got about 37-38mpg which is way better than anything I have had before. The QPV I had was about 25-26mpg on a run and the Jaguar XJL SS better at about 28-29mpg.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Not had it long but did a long journey with cruise on circa 70mph and got about 37-38mpg which is way better than anything I have had before. The QPV I had was about 25-26mpg on a run and the Jaguar XJL SS better at about 28-29mpg.

Wow 37-38 MPG seems really good

 

[rockits]

Wow 37-38 MPG seems really good

Yes, I was surprised by that too. That was wife and two teens and a boot full of stuff too so over 40mpg is definitely possible.

 

[Crazyfool]

Hey @X27

I picked up a brand new E53 Estate Premium Plus Night Edition around 2 weeks ago! So far I am absolutely loving it (although I haven't taken it past 4k rpm as its still running in..250 miles to go....) to try and answer some of your questions from my first two weeks...

To live with, for me I find it perfect, I have two children (9+6) and I'm 6,1" so leg room in cars is always an issue, however the E53 has more than enough space for everyone, we also have a dog who seems to get lost in the boot . As for its size, it's the longest car I have ever had and I find it quite easy to navigate into tight spaces (surround cams help allot!). Overall I find it has all the space you could ever want and realistically it has more power than you can use - So yeah, its very easy to live with!

Comfort - This was a big one for me, I previously had a BMW X3 M40i which I was super comfy in, I chopped that in for a Gen 3 Porsche Macan, unfortunately that only lasted 3 weeks from delivery as I just could not find a comfortable seating position! So I sold take ... made a little ££ and jumped straight into the E53 and I was comfortable from the get go! I find the ride to be really smooth and comfortable, though I haven't taken it out of "Comfort" yet. I might just find it super smooth because I have come from a M40i with 21" run flats and M Performance suspension ..

MPG - I seem to be averaging around 28-29mpg (still running it in) but I have seen 32mpg which to me is amazing, my Porsche and X3 were mostly averaging 24-26mpg and were both less powerful than the E53! So I'm satisfied that I have more BHP and more MPG

You are right, you don't see them on the roads. Since getting mine I haven't seen another! I have seen 2 E63s's but I'm sure they are just trolling me! Personally I think it comes down to people looking at the E53 and then seeing that for the same price they can get a 2-3 year old E63 and swaying that way. However, for me I thought the E53 hit the sweet spot between performance/economy/its-brand-new! Also, I know its not a V8 but it does sounds rather good still

Note - I also looked at the RS4 Avant and as much as I liked them VFM I don't think it match's the E53, as others have said its also the next class up. Also again I was worried about space and comfort!

This is really useful because I’m considering the same car. E53 or something else | General Discussion