Chevrolet Camaro vs Mercedes-Benz E53

What's the difference?

The Camaro 2SS is a real-life Hot Wheels car. This beast looks amazing, sounds incredible and is not overpowered, making it usable as a daily driver.

Now about that score. The Camaro 2SS lost big marks for not having AEB, lost more marks for the short warranty and no capped-price servicing and also some for its price, because compared to the Mustang it’s expensive. It’s also impractical (space and storage could be better) and uncomfortable to drive at times, but this is a muscle car, and a great one at that. It's not for everybody, but  truly perfect for some.

As it turns out, the automotive world really doesn’t need an E63 S Coupe, because the E53 Coupe really does give you all you’ll ever need.

Simply put, the E53 Coupe’s balance of performance and luxury is bang on, while an E63 S Coupe would arguably prioritise one too much over the other.

Indeed, if you’re interested in a ‘relatively affordable’ grand-tourer that can get up and go when required, you could do a lot worse than the E53 Coupe.

As was the case with Ford’s Mustang, something seemed to go bizarrely weird in the styling of the Camaro in the early 2000s, but by 2005 the arrival of the fifth generation saw a design that re-imagined the original (and I reckon the best) 1967 Camaro. Now this sixth-generation car is a sharper resolution of that, yet not without causing a bit of controversy.

Along with styling changes, such as redesigned LED headlights and taillights, the front fascia was also given a tweak, which involved repositioning the Chevy ‘bow-tie’ badge from the upper grille to the black-painted cross bar that separates the top and bottom sections. The reaction from fans was enough for Chevrolet to quickly redesign the front and move the badge back.

Our test car was the version with the ‘unpopular’ face, but I reckon it gets away with the look, thanks to the body colour being black, which means your eye isn’t drawn to that cross bar.

Here’s some pub ammo for you – Chevy calls the ‘bow tie’ on this Camaro a ‘Flow Tie’ because its hollow construction means air can pass through it to the radiator.

Big on the outside but small inside, the Camaro’s dimensions show it to be 4784mm long, 1897mm wide (not including mirrors) and 1349mm tall.

Ford’s Mustang is elegant, but Chevy’s Camaro is more macho. Big haunches, long bonnet, flared guards, nostrils. This is one mean-looking monster. Those high sides and ‘chopped’ roof design may also make you assume the cabin is more cockpit than lounge room.

That assumption would be right and in the practicality section further down I’ll tell you just how cozy the interior is, but for now we're just talking about looks.

I’m not sure what David Hasselhoff’s apartment looks like, but at a guess I reckon it would have a hell of a lot in common with the interior design of the Camaro 2SS’s cabin.

Soft, black leather seats with SS badging, giant metal air vents, door handles that look like chrome exhaust tips and a display screen that is oddly tilted towards the floor.

There’s also an ambient LED lighting system that lets you choose from 1980s-neon colour palettes, the likes of which we haven’t seen since Ken Done’s outstanding depiction of a Koala family sitting down to a barbecue lunch.

I’m not knocking it, I love it, and even though the guys in the office thought it would be hilarious to set the lighting to hot pink, I kept it that way because it looks awesome.

The E53 Coupe already had an alluring exterior design, but in facelifted form, it looks even better.

The big changes are up front, where the E53 Coupe now has Mercedes-AMG’s signature Panamericana grille insert, with the multi-louvre aesthetic previously the reserve of its ‘63’ models.

In fact, the entire fascia has been redesigned, with the grille flipped upside down, while the Multibeam LED headlights are flatter and therefore angrier. Naturally, the bonnet and bumper have been tweaked to match, with the former featuring strong powerdomes.

Around the swoopy sides, a sporty set of black 20-inch alloy wheels is new, matching the window trim, while the only differences at the rear are the fresh graphics of the LED tail-lights.

Yep, the E53 Coupe still has a subtle bootlid spoiler and a prominent diffuser insert, which integrates the quad round tailpipes of its sports exhaust system.

Inside, the midlife facelift really makes itself known with its new flat-bottomed steering wheel with capacitive buttons and haptic feedback. This set-up is… fiddly, with presses often confused for swipes, so it's not exactly a step in the right direction.

And that’s particularly annoying because these controls are used for the carryover 12.3-inch touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, which are now powered by Mercedes’ MBUX multimedia system, which bundles in Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support.

While now familiar, this set-up remains the benchmark in nearly all regards and is therefore a brilliant upgrade for the E53 Coupe, thanks to its speed and breadth of functionality and input methods, including always-on voice control and a touchpad.

Materials-wise, Nappa leather upholstery covers the seats and steering wheel as well as the armrests and door inserts, while Artico leatherette trims the upper dashboard and door shoulders.

Conversely, hard, shiny plastics adorn the lower door panels. Given that ‘cow hide’ and other soft-touch materials are used on most other surfaces, it’s unusual that Mercedes-AMG didn’t go the whole way.

Elsewhere, open-pore wood trim features prominently, while metallic accents brighten things up alongside the sporty stainless-steel pedals and smile-inducing ambient lighting.

The Camaro 2SS’s cabin is cozy for me at 191cm tall, but even with a similarly proportioned photographer riding shotgun it wasn’t too cramped. Believe it or not, we were able to carry all his equipment and lights, plus batteries for our night shoot (have you seen the video above – it’s very good). I’ll get to the boot size in a moment.

The Camaro 2SS is a four-seater, but those rear seats are only going to suit small children. I was able to fit my four year old’s car seat into place with a bit of gentle persuasion, and while he could sit behind my wife, there was zero space behind me when I was driving. As for visibility, we’ll get to that in the driving section below, but I can tell you he couldn’t see much from his tiny porthole.

Cargo capacity of the boot is small, as you’d expect, at 257 litres, but the space is deep and long. The problem is not the volume, however, it’s the size of the opening, which means you’ll have to cleverly angle larger items to get them in, like pushing a couch through your front door. You know, houses are big, but their openings aren’t. I know, profound.

Cabin storage is also limited, the door pockets were so thin my wallet couldn’t even slide into it (no, it’s not the wads of cash), but there was just enough room in the centre console storage bin for it. There are two cupholders, which are more like elbow holders, (because this part wasn’t swapped over in the conversion and that’s where your arm lands while driving) and a glove box. Rear-seat passengers have a large tray to fight over in the back.

The 2SS doesn’t have a wireless-charging pad like the ZL1, but it does have one USB port and a 12V outlet.

Measuring 4835mm long (with a 2873mm wheelbase), 1860mm wide and 1430mm tall, the E53 Coupe is a genuinely large car, which is great news for practicality.

The boot has a pleasing cargo capacity of 425L, but it can be increased to an undisclosed volume by stowing the 40/20/40 split-fold rear bench via the handy manual release latches.

It’s worth noting that while the aperture is wide, it’s not tall, which could be a problem for bulkier items alongside the tall load lip, although two tie-down points are on hand for securing loose items.

However, what really impresses is the amount of space inside. While the front sports seats are comfortable, the two rear passengers are in for the bigger treat, with room plentiful, mercifully ending the argument of who gets stuck in the uncomfortable second row.

Behind our 184cm driving position, there’s two inches of legroom as well as an inch of headroom, although toe-room is almost non-existent.

Being a four-seater, the E53 Coupe divides its rear occupants with a tray that contains two cupholders, while they also have access to two side cubbies and a small central cubby with two USB-C ports. This cubby is positioned between the air vents at the rear of the centre console.

And yes, even child seats can be fitted, with two ISOFIX and two top-tether anchorage points available should they be required. In fact, the long front doors make this task less challenging, although those big doors do become problematic in tight carparks.

All of that’s not to say occupants in the first row aren’t treated well, because they are, with the centre console’s cubby featuring two cupholders, a wireless smartphone charger, a USB-C port and a 12V power outlet.

Other storage options include the decently sized central bin, which contains another two USB-C ports, while the glovebox is also of a decent size, and then there’s the overhead sunglasses holder.

Priced from $164,800 plus on-road costs, the facelifted E53 Coupe is actually a staggering $14,465 more affordable than its predecessor.

But if you’re not a fan of its body-style, the $162,300 E53 sedan (-$11,135) and $173,400 E53 Cabriolet (-$14,835) are also available.

Either way, standard equipment not already mentioned includes metallic paintwork, dusk-sensing lights, rain-sensing wipers, power-folding side mirrors with heating, keyless entry, rear privacy glass and a power-operated bootlid.

Inside, push-button start, a panoramic sunroof, satellite navigation with live traffic, digital radio, a 590W Burmester surround-sound system with 13 speakers, an augmented reality (AR) head-up display, a power-adjustable steering column, power-adjustable front seats with heating, dual-zone climate control and an auto-dimming rearview-mirror feature.

Direct rivals for the E53 Coupe are non-existent, with the closest being the smaller – and therefore much more affordable – BMW M440i Coupe ($118,900) and Audi S5 Coupe ($106,500). Yep, it’s a unique offering on the market, this Merc.

Sure, the 2SS doesn’t produce the mammoth 477kW of the ZL1, but I’m not complaining about the 339kW and 617Nm it does make from its 6.2-litre V8. Besides, 455 horsepower from the 2SS’s naturally aspirated LT1 small block is plenty of fun and the sound on start-up through the bi-modal exhaust is apocalyptic - and that’s good.

Our car was fitted with the optional 10-speed auto ($2200), with paddle shifters. The automatic transmission was developed as a joint venture between General Motors and Ford and a version of this 10-speed is also found in the Mustang.

This traditional torque-converter automatic isn’t the quickest shifting thing, but it suits the big, powerful and slightly lethargic personality of the Camaro 2SS.

The E53 Coupe is powered by a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol engine that produces a hearty 320kW of power at 6100rpm and 520Nm of torque from 1800-5800rpm.

The unit in question has one traditional turbocharger and an electric-powered compressor (EPC), which is available at engine speeds up to 3000rpm and can spool up to 70,000rpm in just 0.3 seconds for instantaneous punch.

But that’s not all, because the E53 Coupe also has a 48V mild-hybrid system called EQ Boost. As its name suggests, it has an integrated starter-generator (ISG) that can provide up to 16kW and 250Nm of temporary electric boost.

Mated to a nine-speed torque-converter automatic transmission with redesigned paddle-shifters, and Mercedes-AMG’s fully variable 4Matic+ all-wheel-drive system, the E53 Coupe sprints from a standstill to 100km/h in a handy 4.4 seconds.

Okay, brace yourself. During my fuel test I traveled 358.5km and used 60.44L of premium unleaded, which comes out to be 16.9L/100km. That sounds awfully high, but actually it's not as bad as it looks, considering the Camaro 2SS has a 6.2-litre V8 and I wasn't driving it in a way that would conserve fuel, if you get my drift. Half of those kilometres were on motorways at 110km/h, the other half would have been in bumper-to-bumper city traffic, which would have driven up the fuel usage, too. 

The official fuel consumption after a combination of open and urban roads is 13L/100km.

The E53 Coupe’s fuel consumption on the combined-cycle test (ADR 81/02) is 9.3L/100km, while its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are 211g/km.

Given the performance on offer, both claims are pretty good. And they’re made possible by the E53 Coupe’s 48V EQ Boost mild-hybrid system, which has coasting and extended idle-stop functionality.

That said, in our real-world testing, we averaged a more realistic 12.2L/100km over 146km of driving, although the launch test route only involved high-speed country roads, so expect a higher result in metropolitan areas.

For reference, the E53 Coupe has a 66L fuel tank, and it will only drink more expensive 98RON premium petrol.

Exactly how an American muscle car should be – loud, a bit uncomfortable, not all that easy, but a hell of a lot of fun. Those first three attributes may sound like negatives, but take it from somebody who owns and loves hot rods - it’s part of the appeal. If an SUV is not easy to drive or comfortable there's a problem, but in a muscle car it can enhance the engagement and connection factors.

That said, there will be many who think the ride is too firm, the steering heavy and that it feels like you’re staring out a letterbox slot through the windscreen. It’s all true, and there are other performance cars out there which make as much horsepower, handle better and are so easy to drive they can almost (and some do) pilot themselves, but they all lack the feeling of connection the Camaro offers.

Wide and low-profile Goodyear Eagles (245/40 ZR20 at the front and 275/35 ZR20 at the rear) provide good grip, but also feel every blemish in the road, while four-piston Brembo brakes all round pull the Camaro 2SS up well.

Acceleration from 0-100km/h isn’t disclosed by HSV or Chevrolet, but the official line is that it’ll nail it in under five seconds. Ford reckons its Mustang GT can do the same in 4.3 seconds.

If you were wondering if you could live with the Camaro daily, the answer is yes but, much like wearing leather pants, you’ll have to suffer a bit to look this rock and roll. I put 650km on the clock of our 2SS during my week with it, using it daily in peak-hour traffic into the city, in supermarket car parks, and for daycare drop offs, with country road and motorway drives on the weekend.

The seats can get uncomfortable over long distances and those low-profile ‘run-flat’ tyres and firm dampers don’t make life any comfier. You’ll also find that wherever you go people will want to race you. But don’t get sucked in; you’re slower than you look - another muscle-car trait.

Sure, it’s not the quickest performance car I’ve steered and on winding roads its handling capability is not up there with many sports cars, but that V8 is responsive and angry in Sport mode and smooth in its delivery of grunt. The exhaust note is sensational and the steering, while heavy, offers great feel and feedback. The sound isn’t electronically enhanced but it uses bi-modal valves, which open and close at different engine and exhaust loads to produce its addictive bark.

If an E53 Coupe was your daily driver, you’d be very happy, because its balance of comfort and performance is just about as good as it gets.

Stick the boot in and the engine responds with a level of enthusiasm that only electrification can provide. Not only does the ISG provide timely thrust, but the EPC helps the E53 Coupe reach its maximum torque, although it has to work harder for peak power.

That said, despite the addition of the EQ Boost system and the EPC, the E53 Coupe still feels like a proper Mercedes-AMG model, staying true to the high-performance mantra while offering a different approach.

Critically, all the drama is there, as it charges towards the horizon with intent as the transmission swaps gears smoothly, providing relatively quick shifts and revving on the down changes when required. It all adds up to a properly exciting drive.

However, it’s the E53 Coupe’s sports exhaust system that’s likely to command all the attention with its crackles, pops and overall booming soundtrack in the Sport mode. It can also be manually engaged in any mode by pressing a button in the centre console.

And given the E53 Coupe’s 4Matic+ system is fully variable, it offers plenty of grip when briskly accelerating and enjoying the soundtrack, but its rear end can still step out briefly when cornering hard.

Speaking of handling, the E53 Coupe goes around corners surprisingly well, defying its large dimensions and considerable 2021kg kerb weight by exhibiting strong body control.

Coming into bends, the E53 Coupe can also lean on its sports brakes, which pull up with absolute confidence.

And when you’re guiding the E53 Coupe through the twisty stuff, the electric power steering comes to the fore, with its speed-sensitivity and variable ratio.

The steering set-up is somewhat disappointing at times, however, with the feedback not quite up to the level of a proper performance car.

That said, it is quite direct and feels meaty in hand – two traits that are necessary for success – with this heft increased in the Sport drive mode. Comfort is where it’s at, though, if you ask me.

That said, the E53 Coupe’s suspension uses air springs and adaptive dampers to make it a comfortable cruiser.

Sure, this set-up’s tune does prove to be a little firm on lower-quality country roads, with most bumps and lumps felt by occupants, but on well-maintained highways and city roads, it’s got suitable levels of smoothness.

In keeping with this luxurious feel, the E53 Coupe’s Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) levels are pretty damn good, with tyre roar and wind whistle easily missed while enjoying its aforementioned Burmester sound system.

ANCAP awarded the fifth-generation E-Class sedan and Estate its maximum five-star rating in 2016, although it doesn’t apply to the E53 Coupe, due to its differing body-style.

That said, advanced driver-assist systems still extend to autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep and steering assist (including emergency), adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, traffic-sign recognition, driver-attention alert, high-beam assist, active blind-spot monitoring and cross-traffic alert, tyre-pressure monitoring, park assist, surround-view cameras and front and rear parking sensors.

Other standard safety equipment includes nine airbags, anti-skid brakes and the usual electronic traction and stability-control systems.

The Camaro 2SS is covered by HSV’s three-year/100,000km warranty. Servicing is recommended at nine-month/12,000km intervals, with a complimentary inspection at the end of the first month. There is no capped-price-servicing program.

Like all Mercedes-AMG models, the E53 Coupe comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is currently the benchmark in the premium market. It also comes with five years of roadside assistance.

Better yet, the E53 Coupe’s service intervals are rather long, at every year or 25,000km – whichever comes first.

It’s also available with a five-year/125,000km capped-price-servicing plan, but it costs an expensive $5100 in total, or an average of $1020 per visit, with the E53 Coupe’s fifth trip charging $1700 alone. Ouch.