Brabus wheedles 700hp from plug-in E53 hybrid

It says something about how punchy power outputs have become in the electrified age that a modified Mercedes E-Class with 700hp doesn’t seem ludicrous. Not so long ago, it would have been obsessed over for weeks, a Benz saloon with more power than some supercars; now it’s a large number among many. There are series-production M cars and Porsches with V8s and electric motors that boast more. 

Nevertheless, Brabus’s work on the new AMG E53 is notable for generating that much power from a 3.0-litre, six-cylinder hybrid powertrain, where comparable super-saloons have at least another third more capacity and an extra pair of cylinders. The Brabus 700, as with a lot of the company’s recent work, leaves the electric side of the setup untouched, instead focusing on combustion gains; there’s a new control unit that has spicier maps for injection, ignition, and boost pressure. It means peak power has climbed almost 100 points, from 449hp to 537hp, with peak torque going from 413lb ft to 487lb ft. 

With the 163hp and 354lb ft of the electric motor alongside (itself supplied by a 21.2kWh usable battery), Brabus claims overall outputs of 700hp and 627lb ft. Sizeable numbers even in a 2.3-tonne car, and up from the standard car’s 612hp and 553lb ft. The max power numbers are the Race Start overboost, with a little less in normal driving. Brabus reckons just 3.6 seconds is needed for the 0-62mph sprint now, saving a few valuable tenths over stock. 

But a Brabus Mercedes isn’t just a Brabus Mercedes with extra power – it needs the styling as well. So alongside 700hp, this one gets height-adjustable springs that can lower it anywhere between 15mm and 30mm, plus a bodykit for those who find an AMG Night Package a tad demure. Note the diffuser, spoiler, three-piece front splitter, and additional carbon. The wheel choices appear to be suitably menacing. Plug-in straight-six, this new E-Class may be, but nobody is going to doubt its Brabus credentials looking at this thing. 

You’d do well to improve on the perceived luxury of an E53 interior, though that hasn’t stopped Babus from trying. So there are ‘countless’ colour and quilting options available, as well as ‘high-quality’ velour floor mats, more carbon, backlit scuff plates, and contrast stitching. In for a penny, in for a pound, right?

Speaking of which, you’ll have to dig deep for either of these 700s – as is Brabus tradition as well. The wagon is currently for sale on the website for €214,000, or almost £185,000 – some climb from the £93k that an E53 estate starts at in the UK. Still, you will get a Brabus warranty with that, and a more powerful E-Class from the factory looks unlikely, so this might be the best route available for a proper M5 Touring alternative…