2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV review: Australian first drive

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2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV

Let's put an urban myth to bed once and for all. Can electric cars drive through water without short-circuiting? Yes, they can. 

How do I know this? Well, aside from basic common sense, I inadvertently put it to the test at the Australian launch of the 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV.

On the day of the media event to showcase Mercedes's latest high-performance electric SUV, Victoria experienced an unprecedented weather event that resulted in flash flooding in parts of the state. Which parts of the state, you ask? Coincidentally, the exact ones we were driving through.

While we managed to avoid proper floods, we did contend with rain so heavy it was difficult to see ahead or travel at more than 40km/h. 

I wasn't too bothered by this. After all, a fair-weather review is always a pleasure, but is there any better way to test the credentials of a new car than in apocalyptic conditions? 

The two-variant Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV range first landed in Australia in late 2023, but this Mercedes-AMG EQE53 variant has only just joined the line-up as the flagship performance offering. 

This means the EQE SUV’s power output has been upgraded to a whopping 460kW, up from a peak of 215kW on the dual-motor EQE350, or 180kW on the entry-level EQE300.

Of course, this is an AMG – so you also score a slew of AMG styling accents, some dynamic driving features, and a price tag that pushes you uncomfortably close to $200,000, whether you like it or not.

Plus, you can cut your 0–100km/h sprint time in half – you know, for all those track days you're doing in your family SUV (wink). 

So, is it worth splurging on a big, fast, expensive electric SUV? And is the EQE53 SUV still a fun place to be in torrential rain? Here's what you need to know. 

How much is a Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV?

The 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV starts at $191,900 before on-road costs. 

As standard, it's a pretty well-specified car – with inclusions like a nappa leather interior, the expansive MBUX hyperscreen, 22-inch AMG wheels, red brake calipers, advanced climate control and "climatised" front seats (which just means they're both heated and ventilated). 

All of those are things you don't get included in the EQE300 or 350 SUV variants. 

The big change is the big, beefy electric AMG powertrain, which consists of dual electric motors and a 90.5kWh lithium-ion battery – marginally bigger than the 89kWh battery offered on the entry-level variants. 

As mentioned, peak outputs are a whopping 460kW of power and 950Nm of torque, while the claimed electric range is 380km according to WLTP testing – substantially down on the 539km offered by the EQE300. 

Naturally, there are options, but the list is uncharacteristically short for a Mercedes model. 

All the normal metallic paint shades come at no additional cost, but if you want one of the Manufaktur paints – either Alpine Grey Solid or Opalite White Bright – you'll need to stump up $2900 or $2200 more, respectively.

There are a couple of other design tweaks you can make, like adding all-black 22-inch wheels ($1800) or carbon-fibre console trim ($2100), but most of the cool aesthetic stuff is standard. 

Otherwise, your main option on the EQE53 is the AMG Dynamic Plus package priced at a whopping $7400.

This adds a race start mode to increase the car's maximum power and torque to a truly insane 505kW and 1000Nm, raises its top speed from 220km/h to 240km/h, and cuts its 0–100km/h time from 3.7 seconds to just 3.5 seconds. 

While my test car was fitted with this optional pack, I'll have to take Mercedes's word for it, as there was no way I was going to attempt to hit 240km/h in the left-hand lane of Peninsula Link during flash floods. 

With its very chic Alpine Grey paint ($2900) and super-fast race start mode ($7400), my test car came to $202,200 as tested before you factor in on-road costs, or $211,678.42 drive-away.

In terms of rivals for the Mercedes-AMG EQE53, the only other obvious large, electric, performance SUVs that spring to mind are the BMW iX M60 ($233,400 plus on-road costs) and Audi SQ8 e-tron ($172,984 plus ORCs).

The EQE53 sits right in the middle of the pricier BMW and more affordable Audi, but bests both in terms of power and performance. 

However, it can't compete with its rivals on the range front, given the iX offers 566km, while the SQ8 e-tron offers between 417km and 430km depending on body style (according to WLTP testing). 

How big is a Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV?

The five-seater Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV is one of the bigger cars in Mercedes's line-up, dwarfing models like the seven-seat EQB and medium GLC (although the GLS/EQS large SUV is still the heavyweight fighter of the bunch). 

At 4881mm long, 1940mm wide and 1672mm high, the EQE53 SUV is slightly smaller than its petrol equivalent, the GLE, but offers a bigger 3030mm wheelbase. 

A bigger battery in the AMG variant also means a heavier weight of 2678kg (tare), up from 2640kg (tare) in the regular EQE or 2490kg in the petrol-powered GLE.

Thankfully, sizeable exterior dimensions coupled with the lack of a conventional engine and transmission tunnel mean the interior of the EQE53 feels particularly spacious.

The front seat is dominated by a broad and deep dash housing the MBUX hyperscreen, which is so large it arguably pulls focus from the thing you should really be looking at: the windscreen. 

Much like the exterior of the car, the interior is all swoopy, curvy lines, with sporty accents and high-end materials. The pinstripe-thin line of active ambient lighting around the cabin changes colour on a whim and adds to the overall sense you're in a very high-end spaceship.

There's a sweeping sunroof, which opens with the elegant swipe of a finger, and a wide, woodgrain-accented centre console houses a deep, lidded storage bin, two cupholders and a wireless phone charger. 

On our test drive, the EQE53's front seat provided more than enough room for the various belongings of two automotive journalists, including laptop bags, iPhones, charging cables, drink bottles, jackets, umbrellas and snacks. 

However, one feature that drove me nuts, and was particularly troublesome on a rainy day, was the wide side step on either side of the vehicle, designed to aid entry into the cabin. 

I found they did the opposite of aiding my entry, and instead they made the legs of my pants wet and dirty, and were so wide that I ended up having to leap over them to get in and out of the car in a hurry. 

The EQE53's back seat is where the real benefits of the electric platform can be experienced, courtesy of a completely flat floor allowing for capacious leg room and toe room. 

The rear seat bench slopes downwards towards the backrest, making the most of the ample head room on offer, and rear seat occupants get their own climate controls too. 

Somewhat strangely, the rear seats are proportioned into three sections, with the backrest and seat base joined by a sloped ‘bumrest’ (for lack of a better term) that can feel a bit uncomfortable and take some getting used to.

The seats fold in a 40:20:40 configuration, increasing boot space from the standard 520 litres to 1675L. 

In practical terms, the boot is deep and wide with a retractable luggage cover, and there's a tiny bit of underfloor storage available, which you'll most likely use to store charging cables (two cables are included in the purchase price of the EQE53 – one for domestic sockets and one for public chargers). 

Unlike other electric cars, the EQE53 SUV doesn't offer an extra storage space under the bonnet. 

Finally, while the other EQE SUV models have run-flat tyres, the AMG variant uses a tyre inflation kit instead – something I'd argue is a downside given I'm guessing very few people can confidently use one. 

Does the Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

The Mercedes-AMG EQE53 has an advanced infotainment system, accessible via the singular hyperscreen that spans the dash and incorporates a central display, a driver’s display, a front passenger display and the control panel for the climate controls. 

While the hyperscreen is offered as an option on the lower EQE grades, it's standard on the AMG flagship variant. 

Across the entire EQE SUV range, wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto are standard, as is Mercedes-Benz's augmented reality navigation system, a Burmester surround-sound system and a head-up display.

It all works seamlessly, but I'll be honest: even as a digital native, I found the sheer amount of screen overwhelming.

If I purchased this car, I'd be keen to quickly customise, minimise and play with the display settings to avoid information overload. 

Instead, I tried to mostly avert my eyes from the hyperscreen while driving and focus instead on the head-up display, which contained essentials like navigation directions, a digital speedometer, and live speed limit updates. 

Of course, I had to occasionally let my eyes wander to the desktop computer-sized display at the centre of the dash in order to adjust the climate controls, which are touchscreen buttons located just under the centre display. 

The benefit of such a large screen is that you can run multiple displays at once without having to switch between them – meaning you can have your navigation running while you change tracks on Apple CarPlay or make calls. 

Speaking of navigation – the augmented reality function is simultaneously helpful and confusing depending on where you are. I found it was helpful on suburban streets and main roads – giving you a little animation of where you need to turn – but less clear on freeways when exiting or merging.

Finally, the sound system envelops you beautifully and makes for an excellent companion to the near-silent electric powertrain. 

Downloading the Mercedes Me app onto your smartphone will give you remote access to your EQE53 SUV, allowing you to locate it, lock and unlock the car, and check key vehicle stats. Additionally, you can locate EV charging stations and pay for your charging session through either the app or the MBUX interface.

Is the Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV a safe car?

While other EQE SUV variants received a five-star safety rating from ANCAP in 2023, the Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV is excluded from this rating, meaning it's technically untested in Australia.

It shares the same active and passive safety equipment as its more affordable siblings, including a total of 10 airbags.

What safety technology does the Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV have?

Mercedes-Benz's Driving Assistance Package Plus is offered as standard across the entire EQE range.

This means you'll get extensive advanced tech on your EQE53, such as active cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, tyre pressure monitoring, active lane-keeping and lane-trace assist, autonomous emergency braking with cross-traffic assistance, active speed limit assist and active blind-spot monitoring.

Also standard are a high-resolution 360-degree camera, front and rear parking sensors and Mercedes's Active Parking Assist package, which will park your car for you when required. 

The AMG EQE53 also adds something called 'Guard 360 vehicle protection plus', which monitors your vehicle's surroundings when it's parked, sounding an anti-theft alarm if it detects movements in the vehicle.

How much does the Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV cost to run?

If you buy the Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV, you might have to factor in some substantial ownership costs. 

Insurance is possibly the highest of these costs – according to a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW, the EQE53 SUV will cost $4984 to insure annually, which is not exactly chump change.

Meanwhile, service intervals for the Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV are scheduled every 12 months or 25,000km.

Prepaid service plans are available and are cheaper than the plans offered on the EQE53's petrol-powered equivalent, the Mercedes-AMG GLE53.

Still, three years of servicing for the EQE53 SUV will cost a not-insignificant $2240 if you pay upfront, while five years will cost $4085.

Mercedes-Benz offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty on all of its new cars, and the EQE's high-voltage battery is covered for 10 years or 250,000km, whichever occurs first. 

While the Mercedes Me app allows owners to access, locate, navigate to and pay for charging sessions, there aren't any special discounts offered, so you'll have to pay market prices.

What is the range of a Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV?

The Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV has a claimed 380km of range on a single charge. I must say, I'm not used to seeing quoted range figures that start with a '3', particularly on premium products.

Most of BMW's electric SUVs have upwards of 500km in range, while Tesla has set the precedent for 600km and more offered on some of its EVs.

Still, we know that, for most drivers, 380km of range is more than enough for the weekly commute and plenty for a weekend away, as long as you plan to charge at either end of your journey. 

In my limited experience with the EQE53 SUV, this range estimate was very accurate. When I grabbed the keys to the car approximately 60km into our journey, the digital display was showing 328km of range remaining, and a battery capacity of 83 per cent. 

By the time we returned from our almost four-hour drive loop – which covered roughly 188kmof Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula, this number had dropped to 190km of range or 49 per cent of battery capacity.

What's 188km plus 190km? You guessed it – 378km. Only 2km off Mercedes's claim.

Mercedes-Benz claims the EQE53 SUV will use 22.1kWh per 100 kilometres on a combined cycle and, again, I found this pretty accurate, with my car's trip computer showing 23.7kWh/100km at the end of my journey. 

As for charging, the EQE53 SUV can be charged at a peak rate of 170kW on a DC fast charger, which will take it from 10–80 per cent battery capacity in 32 minutes.

The EQE53 SUV's peak AC charging rate is 22kW – which is higher than the EQE300 and 350 SUVs at 11kW – allowing it to be recharged from 10–80 per cent in 6.5 hours with a compatible charger. 

Charging cables are included in the price of admission – one for domestic sockets and the other for public DC charging.

What is the Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV like to drive?

If you have to contend with storms, potholed roads, heavy rain, poor visibility and changing conditions, the Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV isn't a bad place to do it.

Given the weather on our drive day, I was immensely relieved I was testing a big, solid, all-wheel-drive SUV with advanced safety equipment, and not a rear-wheel-drive sports car.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to truly push the boundaries of the EQE53 SUV's impressive performance claims, but I can comfortably say from my brief bursts of acceleration on the return home that this thing is bloody fast, and bloody fun to drive.

For me, the big surprise and delight feature is the rear-axle steering offered standard on the EQE53 SUV but missing from the entry-level variants.

This clear technology feels like it literally cuts the size of the EQE53 in half, reducing your turning circle and giving this big hulking SUV unexpected agility. 

Nowhere was this more evident than tackling hairpin bends on the ascent to Arthurs Seat, during which the big AMG handled like a hatchback, able to make even the sharpest of turns with no complaint.

The steering is beautifully sleek, with the chunky wheel delivering a direct and precise response, meaning managing the dimensions of the car feels effortless.

The EQE53 also boasts AMG's active ride control, which essentially enhances precision by managing wheel load fluctuations. It was particularly evident around corners, cutting through body roll and leaving the car feeling beautifully balanced, even at higher speeds.

I even found the vehicle's weight, plus its lower centre of gravity courtesy of the electric car battery, only served to improve handling and dynamics. 

The AMG EQE53 SUV also offers Airmatic suspension as standard, allowing you to raise and lower the car as required. I stuck to regular settings and found it rode beautifully over less-than-perfect roads, making light work of some surprise potholes and never transferring any edges into the cabin.

Even in heavy rain and without the hum of an engine to drown out road noise, the cabin of the EQE53 SUV is tranquil – impressively drowning out the sounds of litres of water being dumped on the roof from the almost-black skies. 

My biggest complaint from behind the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV was the visibility. For a large car, it squanders some of its views in the name of styling.

The swoopy roof eats into the rear windshield a little too much for my liking, and the roof line feels low at the front too. The size of the dash also impedes your forward visibility, meaning your overall field of vision can seem small, while chunky B-pillars create sizeable blind spots. 

While the drive to Point Leo Estate was spent mostly at speeds below 60km/h, with the windscreen wipers set to full blast, conditions improved for the return home and I was able to have a bit of (careful) fun.

Punching the accelerator on a country back road saw the EQE53 quickly transition from a comfy luxury SUV to an all-out sports car. 

The sheer velocity and immediacy with which it covers ground can make 80km/h feel like 200km/h – giving you that ‘head hitting the back of the seat’ sense of exhilaration with zero lag. 

Can a Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV tow?

Yes, the Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV can tow up to 1589kg braked or 750kg unbraked.

A tow bar is a $1900 option.

Should I buy a Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV?

If you have the budget to buy a big, luxurious, high-tech, super-fast performance SUV, who am I to stop you?

As purely an electric car, the Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV is not the most practical choice, given it doesn't have the biggest range and you're more likely to eat through that range quickly if you drive it hard and fast (as it was designed to be driven). 

As an SUV, the EQE53 is properly spacious and comfortable, able to disguise its size on the road, and fitted with enough driver assistance tech to take the stress out of manoeuvring around town – although visibility could be better.

And as a performance car, the EQE53 SUV is a lot of fun, with the optional AMG Dynamic Plus Package providing ludicrous performance. It's unlikely you'll get to flex its potency on public roads, but it's comforting (and a little thrilling) to know it's there if you need it. 

However, it’s the EQE53 SUV's ability to combine all three of these elements – electric, performance and SUV – that sets it apart, gaining it entry into a small, exclusive group of wonderfully impractical, prohibitively expensive electric SUVs. 

Budget-friendly, it is not – and, arguably, the sweeping hyperscreen crosses the line from help to hindrance (at least in this writer's opinion). 

But, the 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV sure is a damn nice place to wait out a thunderstorm.

How do I buy a Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV? The next steps.

If you're interested in buying the 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV, head to Mercedes-Benz's online configurator to explore your options.

Once there, you'll be able to get an idea of drive-away pricing for your area and check stock levels of similarly configured vehicles at dealerships near you. 

If you're not particularly preoccupied with performance, it might be a good idea to test-drive the more affordable dual-motor EQE350 SUV, which offers all-wheel drive and a similar level of equipment, but for a lower price. 

Of course, before committing to a purchase of this nature, Drive strongly recommends test-driving the EQE53 SUV to see if it's right for you (and ideally not in a torrential downpour). 

You can also find certain Mercedes-Benz models for sale at Drive Marketplace.

If you want to stay updated with everything that’s happened to this car since our review, you’ll find all the latest news here.  

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