Quite frankly, I have been blessed to drive some of the fastest and most exotic cars sold in India. Usually, when you are driving something exotic from the Germans, it manages to go undetected and glide past under the radar. But that isn't the case with the Mercedes-AMG E53 4Matic + Cabriolet. You might ponder that it catches people's attention because of the AMG's noise, but honestly, that isn't the real reason. I have never had more heads turn, or phone cameras pointed towards me when I drop down the soft top of the E53 AMG. But how does it fair for a person who wishes to catch eyes on the streets while also wanting something practical? That is precisely what I tried to answer while I spent my day with the E53 Cabriolet. Can someone fully exploit its benefits while also oozing sex appeal?
Verdict
Let me be completely honest: its 1.3 crore price tag can deter most people from the E 53 4Matic+ Cabriolet. But it isn't something you purchase while considering a practical and fun family sedan unless your family is filled with people under 5ft 4inch. What you get with that money is an experience that nothing else in India can offer. So you have to look at the Rs 1.3 crore sticker price and say you really want one. And what's likely to make the decision easier is that it has no real competition. So dare to dream; this is the car for you.
While this isn't the full-bore V8 motor that AMGs are famous for. The in-line six-cylinder on the E53 doesn't shy away from making you smile ear to ear when you floor the throttle. Combined with an e-motor, the E53 makes 435hp and gets an e-boost of 22hp. Torque is a very healthy 520Nm. The electric auxiliary compressor delivers boost first for lag-free acceleration, with the large exhaust gas turbocharger chiming in later. Power is then sent predominantly to the rear wheels. Moreover, owing to the 4Matic+, some power is also sent to the front wheels, making it quite stable in corners.
Now, despite its 20-inch AMG-inspired rims, owing to the air springs, the E 53 manages to ride very comfortably in 'Comfort' mode. Furthermore, suppose the road conditions worsen, or you must tackle a large bump. In that case, you can further raise the vehicle's height, making it easy to tackle the biggest of breakers. There is no thudding over poor sections of roads, and then even when you ride over some larger bumps, it swallows them up without the car moving around too much. On the other hand, there is a fair bit of tyre noise with the roof down and over bad roads, a bit of shimmy and shake.
The true party piece of the E 53 has to be the straight-six motor. It works well as a smooth Mercedes unit and an over-the-top AMG one. In Comfort, the straight six pulls you forward in a long, smooth and seamless manner. You are met by a nice slug of e-boost as soon as you tap the throttle. The big turbo comes in shortly after and then carries you forward with a wave of torque and effortlessness. But being an AMG, you do tend to want to push the E 53 after putting it in 'Sport +' mode. Everything is dialled to 100, and the E 53 becomes a different beast altogether. Flooring the throttle gives you an instant surge of power and actually pins your head to the headrest. With the roof down, you can hear the turbo whistling, you can see the electric boost spike in via the blue bar on the instrument panel, and then driving along on the right sort of road with the roof down is well just a little bit of magic. The straight six even pulls hard all the way to 6,500rpm, and, in Sport+, not only does the motor have a delicious rumble, but there are also pops and bangs on overrun. The E 53 is quick, too; 0-100kph comes up in just 4.5sec, and acceleration is so strong the E 53 sometimes feels even faster.
Around corners, the E 53 feels in an element of its own. In Sport Plus, the suspension stiffens up, making this Cabriolet feel more like a sports car. You can feel the vehicle tighten up around you as you turn the mode selector knob on the steering wheel. The springs, the dampers, throttle responses, and even the amount of weight you have in the steering. And then, despite it being a convertible that weighs in at around two tonnes, there's a lot of driving pleasure to be had. To further aid the driver to grip the road, the four-wheel drive system works overtime to avoid any understeer or oversteer, but you can have some fun with the accelerator pedal and make the E 53 slide around corners without it causing you to soil your trousers.
Put the soft top roof down in 20 seconds, and everything instantly changes. This low-slung saloon suddenly becomes a whole lot sexier. But there is form with function in those curves as well. For instance, there are pop-up roll bars under the rear headrests for the safety of the occupants. Moreover, you even get a spoiler to pop out on the windscreen. Called Aircap, it helps deliver a draft-free experience by moving the airflow higher.
Yea, as I mentioned above, it does ooze sex appeal, but still, It isn't flashy or loud, just design-wise. Still, on the flip side, it has plenty of exciting details and grabs your attention all the same. The lines of the E-Cabrio make you want to ogle at the vehicle for an unreasonable amount of time. And then what adds purpose and character are the short overhangs and muscular flanks. The snub nose and the uptight AMG Panamericana grille look attractive and follow the bonnet line back. The 'fast' or steeply-raked windscreen and the stubby boot sync nicely with the rest of the car. The only bummer is that the quad chrome tip exhausts are fake, and the real tips are hidden in them, making it feel like someone is stuffing their boxers with socks to make them buffier.
Specifications
Engine - 3.0L M256 Turbocharged I6 + EQ Boost
Power – 435bhp + 22bhp e-boost
Torque – 520Nm + 250Nm e-boost
Gearbox – 9-speed automatic
0 to 100kmp/h – 4.5 seconds (claimed)
Price – Rs 1.3 Crore
