However, the company's new AMG E53 4Matic+ did a fine job through whiteout conditions on narrow roads offering the kind of minimal grip levels that would send lesser sports sedans spinning home to their motherlands.

The latest AMG-badged E-Class gets its increased power output. That’s not because of a higher-output engine, but instead has to do with its charge port.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz E 53 Hybrid is arriving in U.S. dealers now, and it’s quicker and significantly more powerful than before. But it’s heavier, lacked the loud and angry AMG bark in an all too brief winter driving adventure, and it costs a pretty penny.

The 2025 Mercedes-AMG E53 is a plug-in hybrid that takes the stage at the top of the new E-class range. We drove the new E53 in the snowy Austrian Alps. All-wheel drive is standard, and our car wore winter tires. Thankfully. Still, a combined 604 horsepower is a lot to corral. It also happens to be one pony more than the previous E63 offered.

The 2025 Mercedes-AMG E53 is the raciest model in the new E-class lineup (at least until a new E63 appears). The dash-spanning screen is called the Superscreen, and it's an option on the E53. The car we drove featured sport seats and racy red seatbelts. The AMG-specific steering wheel has a thick rim and a drive-mode selector.

Now that's out of the way, I can tell you why I would absolutely not choose the 2025 Mercedes-AMG E 53 Hybrid. Newsweek was invited to be among the first in the world to experience the new car, and I took it for an extended one-day drive from Stuttgart south,