According to legend, the firstMercedes-Benz AMG wagon was a special commission by a Canadian enthusiast for his wife. Based upon the touring version of the W124 platform, the car was a modified 300TD from the 1987 model year. AMG—then an independent tuning firm, removed the diesel powerplant and fitted a 375-horsepower 6.0-liter M117 V8. The car is said to have cost a total of $190,000—in 1987 money. That’s just over $542,000 in today’s money. Clearly, the guy really loved his wife—okay?

The first AMG wagon offered in North America after the firm became a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz was the 2005 E55 AMG Wagon. Based on the W211 platform, this one ran a 5.4-liter hand-built supercharged V8. Quoted output was 469 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque.

Today’s AMG Wagon uses a plug-in hybrid powertrain based upon a hand-assembled turbocharged 3.0-liter straight six, supplemented by an electric motor. The maximum stated output is 604 horsepower. With a base MSRP of $93,350, the price as tested for the example featured here is $116,630. That’s a real bargain compared to that first 1987 AMG wagon.

In order to provide you with an honest and unbiased review, the vehicle reviewed in this article was driven on a daily basis throughout the course of daily life for a period of one week. For detailed insight into testing procedures and data collection, please review our methodology policy.

If a prettier station wagon exists, it has yet to grace my field of vision. The look of theS214 E 53 AMG Wagonradiates gravitas, despite (or perhaps because of) its sleekness of line. Gracefully flowing, the design is pleasing to the eye from every angle.

As is custom, the grille uses the longitudinal slats found on all Mercedes-AMG offerings. Large air intakes beneath the front bumper hint at the performance potential of the car, while remaining firmly on the right side of tasteful. Meanwhile, the wagon’s sweeping profile view projects a sense of motion, even when the E 53 is parked.

Blacked-out “B” and “C” pillars give the impression of a pillar-less roofline, which enhances the visual lightness of the design. Meanwhile, four exhaust outlets complement the same number of three-pointed stars in the tail lamps. These elements add distinction to the delicate appearance of the car’s going-away view.

“My” E 53 Wagon was equipped with the optional AMG Dynamic Plus package. This gave me launch control, along with the ability to extract the full 604 horsepower from the hybrid system. Employing the feature thusly saw “my” E 53 Wagon’s speedometer eclipse the 60-mph mark in just over three seconds. This car accelerates briskly and continually gathers speed in a logarithmic fashion. The faster it goes, the more rapidly it seems to accelerate. The stated top speed is a governed 174 mph.

As remarkable as those numbers are, the real story here is the way the AMG E 53 feels at speed. Wind noise is practically non-existent. This, when combined with the smoothness with which the Mercedes wagon comports itself at elevated velocities, makes keeping a diligent eye on the speedometer a responsibility of the utmost importance. You can’t rely on your senses to gauge its speed. Doing so will find you traveling well in excess of posted speed limits. The competence of this station wagon makes the rest of the traffic on the road seem to move in slow motion.

Pairing a 161-horsepower electric motor with the marque’s M256M turbocharged inline six enabled Mercedes to offer up astonishing thrust with preternatural smoothness. The motor is mounted between the engine and the nine‑speed AMG Speedshift TCT, which feeds all four wheels through AMG’s Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive system.Performance 4MATIC+ can isolate the front wheels to effectively make the S214 Wagon rear-wheel drive. But wait, it gets even better.

The Dynamic Plus package’s electronic limited‑slip differential can feed either of the rear wheels—individually. This, in combination with the wagon’s rear-wheel steering, helps the car pivot beautifully, while still providing almost supernatural grip in corners. In other words, in addition to being fast, the E 53 AMG Wagon possesses an extraordinary degree of agility.

577 HP @ 5,800 RPM (604 with Overboost)

The EPA quotes 21 miles per gallon in the city, 25 on the highway, and 22 combined. The Mercedes returned an average of 20 mpg overall under my stewardship. A plug-in hybrid, the powertrain offers the ability to propel the car on electricity alone, enabling you to conserve petrol when driving around town. The E 53 is said to be capable of traveling up to 41 miles with the gasoline engine dormant in this mode.

While the E 53 AMG seats five, the optional sports seats with which my test car was equipped left very little room for the feet of rear seat passengers. In all frankness, I’d pass on the sports seats, though, as they are too aggressively bolstered for daily driver usage. That said, they were beautifully upholstered in Nappa leather.

Finding a comfortable driving position was easy to do with the power-adjustable seats and steering wheel. Piano black trim smartly complemented the silver center console, which was monogrammed with the AMG logo. Cupholders and the wireless charging pad were hidden beneath a sliding cover, which further contributed to the elegance of the interior treatment. The overall interior vibe was one of elegance, with an air of technological supremacy.

The primary contributor to that latter trait was an eye-widening 26.7 inches of digital monitors spanning the entire width of the dash. The section facing the passenger seat offered redundant controls for the audio and navigation systems. It also offered access to a selection of games, weather information, and MercedesMe apps. Several third-party apps, including TikTok, Angry Birds, and Zoom, could be downloaded.

The panel behind the steering wheel, which can be configured in a number of different ways, displayed data with a 3D effect. The head-up display is multi-configurable, too. The center section grants authority over the usual array of comfort, convenience, and infotainment features.

While it looks nice, there is a decided lack of buttons. Everything is operated either by voice or touch, which proved ungainly when it came to simple operations such as raising or lowering the volume of the audio system. This, combined with the fact that there are literally hundreds of different ways the E 53’s controls can be configured, made me grateful for the ability to establish and store my preferences.

Driver’s aids with which my car was equipped includedautomated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and lane-centering. The Mercedes was also capable of guiding itself on the highway and executing lane changes autonomously, when asked to do so by activating the corresponding turn signal. Once again, Mercedes proved itself hard to beat when it comes to cutting-edge tech.

In addition to the usual conglomeration of door pocket, center console, and glovebox storage, the Merc would accommodate some 33.1 cubic feet of cargo capacity behind the rear seat. Folding it flat revealed 64 cubes. This is wholly comparable to similarly sized SUVs, with the added advantage of a lower lift over height. This is but one of the reasons I wonder why people have elevated SUVs over station wagons. The 2026 Mercedes-AMG E 53 Hybrid Wagon offers all the capabilities of pavement-focused mid-size SUVs, in a far more attractive package.

In a time in which wagon offerings are few and far between, the only direct competitors are the2026 Audi RS6 Avant and the2026 BMW M5 Touring. The E 53 AMG easily matches both offerings when it comes to style and equipment—at a lower price point. As you may recall, the E 53 starts at $93,350. The Audi’s base price is $131,995, and the BMW’s is $129,350.

While both the Audi and the Mercedes offer exceptional performance, the Audi delivers a more visceral driving experience, compared to the more civilized nature of the Mercedes. Power for the RS6 Avant is sourced from a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8, which is tuned to produce 621 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive complete the powertrain. The quoted zero to 60 for the Audi is 3.3 seconds. Its top speed is an estimated 190 miles per hour. While both offer about the same amount of cargo space, the Audi’s tech interface is a bit more approachable, though it too relies heavily upon voice and touch rather than physical buttons.

The M5 uses a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8, paired with an electric motor, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive. The system is calibrated to deliver 717 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque, easily besting the other two offerings here. I’ve seen zero to 60 times as low as 2.7 seconds for the plug-in hybrid BMW wagon. In terms of character, the Mercedes is more on the sophisticated side, while the M5 is decidedly more sport-focused. Like the Audi, the BMW’s top speed is an estimated 190 miles per hour. As is true for all higher-spec BMW models, complexity is a standard feature. However, the M5 does offer a simpler user interface than the Audi and the Mercedes.

Top Speed’s Alina Mooresays; “Forget the RS6 Avant or M5 Touring, the E 53 is the performance wagon you need.” Characterizing the Merc as “the Goldilocks of performance wagons,” she says, “The E 53 AMG blends pace, luxury, and usability better than anyone else in the game.” Continuing, she cites the Mercedes as being the performance wagon you’d actually want to live with every day, without feeling like you need a private fuel tanker on call.

While the RS6 Avant and M5 do offer more power, Moore makes another excellent point when she poses the question, “Do you really need 600+ horsepower for the daily grind?” With that said,Brabus has you coveredif you just HAVE to have more power than the Audi affords. Concluding, Moore states, “The AMG E 53 Wagon is fast enough to make you grin every time you punch it, but not so extreme that you feel like you’re constantly tiptoeing around a loaded weapon.” I agree with her; the Mercedes is also prettier than the Audi and the BMW, which is always a welcome trait.

Source: https://www.topspeed.com/2026-mercedes-amg-e-53-hybrid-wagon-review/