It was back in March this year when Mercedes-Benz India introduced the refreshed E-Class. And today, it has added not one but two AMG versions to the car’s lineup. The first one carries the E 53 badge, making it the second ‘53’ model in India after the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe, which landed last year. The second is the utterly bonkers E 63 S. Both have arrived in their saloon forms. Prices? The E 53 AMG costs Rs 1.02 crore, whereas the most powerful E-Class variant carries a sticker price of Rs 1.70 crore.

Mercedes-AMG E 53 4MATIC+

You guessed it! The E 53 gets the same powertrain as the GLE 53 Coupe. That means a combination of a 3.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, a 9-speed AMG-spec automatic transmission and an active all-wheel-drive system. The internal combustion engine puts out 429bhp/520Nm, and the internal starter-generator aids it with an extra 21bhp/250Nm. As a result, the E 53 can hit 100kmph from a standstill in 4.5 seconds and reach an electronically limited top speed of 250kmph.

Yes, the list of features is extensive. It includes the latest MBUX infotainment system, 19-inch alloy wheels as standard, black sports seats with contrasting red stitching and multiple driving modes – Slippery, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Individual. The car also gets an Adaptive Damping System and the new AMG performance steering wheel.

Mercedes-AMG E 63 S 4MATIC+

As you’d expect, the E 63 S is even more powerful. Propulsion comes courtesy of a 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 that puts out 603bhp/850Nm. There’s no 48-volt mild-hybrid system in the mix here, but the AMG-spec 9-speed automatic transmission and the active all-wheel-drive system are. All that means it can complete the 0-100kmph sprint in 3.4 seconds and reach 300kmph before running into electronic nannies.

Under the features list, you’ll find stuff like two 12.25-inch screes (one each for instrument cluster and infotainment system), a new AMG performance steering wheel with twin-spoke design, AMG seats in Nappa leather and a three-stage ESP. The car also comes with a Drift mode, which is bucketed under the Race drive program. Once activated, the E 63 S becomes a rear-wheel-drive performance machine.

The E 53 has no direct rivals as such. But, the E 63 S locks horns with the recently launched BMW M5 Competition. Out of the latter two, which one would you put your money on?