Mercedes-Benz E-Class vs Ford Mondeo

What's the difference?

The Mercedes-AMG E53 Hybrid 4Matic+ is a superb blend of high-tech hybrid muscle and cossetting top-end luxury. Value is competitive, it looks (and feels) the business, despite the conventional sedan configuration it’s surprisingly practical (except for the modest boot), fuel-efficiency is a key benefit and safety is stellar. The ownership proposition is okay for the category but that’s not top of mind when an enticing series of corners ranges into view. It’s an impressive package.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The Mondeo creeps to the forefront as one of the best Fords with the smallest marketing budget.

Well equipped, reasonably fun to drive and semi-luxurious to be in for long periods, it's hard to remember why it's so forgettable.

Its certainly worth your consideration over its rivals, but then perhaps you don't want to fall in love with another Ford potentially headed for the chopping block in the near future.

At first glance the E53 passes as a flash-looking Mercedes-Benz E-Class running 20-inch rims, especially in the launch car’s rich ‘Patagonia Red’ finish.

But then, there’s something about the AMG sedan’s stance that sets it apart. Which makes sense because the front fenders are wider by 11mm on both sides (compared to the E-Class) to make room for a wider front track (increased by just over 30mm over the previous-generation E53).

Wheelbase has also increased by just over 20mm to almost 3.0m and the car’s more aggressive nose treatment enhances the distinctive look.

There’s the AMG-specific radiator trim with ‘Panamericana’-style vertical slats, the sleek dual-section headlights and a large lower inlet that directs air to an additional front intercooler as well as an external opening for a wheel-arch cooler.

In profile there’s barely a hard edge to be seen, although character lines in the bonnet and along the car’s flanks contribute to a taut surface treatment.

At the rear, horizontally-connected LED tail-lights feature a stylised Mercedes three-pointed star signature, then a rear apron housing a diffuser and twin double tailpipe ‘trims’ and a bootlid spoiler on the left and right round off a beautifully proportioned design.

Climbing inside means a trip to screen city with an upright digital display in front of the driver flanked by a large central screen to the left and an additional panel for the front passenger beyond that. It’s a lot.

But once you’re on top of all the glass surfaces, details like open pore grey ashwood trim on the lower console come into focus, as do the brushed metal accents, beautifully sculpted ‘Performance’ front sports seats (optionally fitted to our launch drive example), racy stainless steel pedal covers and the five spoke AMG performance steering wheel with configurable rotary buttons.

It’s a supremely luxurious and comfortable interior. 

There's no doubt that the Mondeo is a chunky monkey. Just get a look at those proportions, it looks like a dense rectangle's worth of car, and that's before you line it up next to something else for perspective.

In this case I sat it next to my Falcon. Once the largest sedan on offer by Ford in Australia, in some ways it looks dwarfed. The Mondeo is taller and just as wide, but not quite as long. A quick comparison of spec sheets proves it's not much lighter either, despite the Falcon sporting a cast-iron engine that's literally twice the size.

The front three-quarter especially makes the Mondeo look tough. The big catfish-esque grille combined with the slimline headlight clusters and bonnet ripples make it look aggressive - like a rolling advertisement for the Mustang.

Head round to the rear three-quarter, however and things get a little… off. The raised dimensions and high rear light features make it look too tall. The 'liftback' roofline does no wonders for the car's proportions either.

It's a shame that after so many decades of Mondeo there is still apparently no way to make that rear-end appealing.

Inside there are also plenty of quirks. While there are some parts that really work, there are also some that don't.

The plush leather seats unique to the Titanium grade are lovely, but they're positioned so high up you'd be forgiven for thinking you were at the helm of an SUV. The sunroof is also so far back it's basically useless for front passengers, yet it eats their headroom (also, it's just a glass roof that doesn't open).

Then there's the switchgear, of which there is an overwhelming amount. You're presented with a sensory assault of buttons and displays, half of which could seemingly be easily offloaded onto the multimedia system. It's an approach that dates an otherwise modern-looking cabin.

Eerily similar to the Falcon, the fan speed and temperature controls aren't dials (a user experience nightmare) but the volume control is… go figure.

Those gripes aside there's plenty to like about the Mondoe cabin. There are soft-touch surfaces everywhere, helping the car live up to its luxury spec and price point, while all the switchgear and interactive parts are solid and tough, just like the Mondeo's big brother, the Ranger.

While the digital dash is way too busy, it presents the relevant information well, and is a good interactive design once you get used to it.

The back seat is a very nice place to be, making full use of that big glass roof, and the rear seats are just as plush as the front ones. If you spend lots of time ferrying friends or family around, it's a strong point for the Mondeo.

At over 4.9m long, close to 2.1m wide and a little under 1.5m tall, with a 2961mm wheelbase, the new E53 is a substantial car and feels it on the inside.

Plenty of breathing space for the driver and front passenger thanks in part to the away slope of the screen-dominated dash.

Generous storage, too, with large door bins including enough space for big bottles, a deep lidded box between the seats (which doubles as a centre armrest), a generous glove box and two cupholders under a sliding top at the front of the centre console. 

Hit the second row, and sitting behind the driver’s seat, set for my 183cm position, I have plenty of head and legroom, with enough shoulder space for three adults on short journeys. A trio of up to mid-teenage kids will be fine for a road trip.

Storage is pretty handy as well with hefty door bins and two pop-out cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest. No map pockets on the back of the (optional) Performance front seats, though.

Four-zone climate control means there’s individual temperature control for each side of the back seat, with adjustable vents at the back of the front centre console and trailing edge of the B-pillars. Very civilised.

Power and connectivity runs to three USB-C outlets and a wireless device charging pad in the front.

Thanks to the traction battery under its floor, boot volume is restricted to 370 litres (compared to 540L in the conventional E-Class sedan), although there are bag hooks, tie-down anchors and the 60/40 split-folding rear seat is able to liberate more space.

No spare tyre of any description, just a repair/inflator kit, which might make sense for automotive designers and engineers trying to maximise space and reduce weight, but doesn’t make sense for an owner stranded on the side of the road with an unrepairable puncture.

Do you like stowage spaces? Good, because the Mondeo has heaps of 'em. No longer content with just making one huge plastic fascia across the dash, there's a surprisingly large extra stowage space sitting below the air-conditioning controls. That joins a massive centre console box, with two USB ports and an extra tray layer for tidbits, as well as one of my favourite features, two truly massive cupholders. These show Ford's American influence as much as the aforementioned chunky switchgear.

The cupholders spent our weekend easily swallowing two phones, two wallets and two sets of keys with no problem at all. They'll fit your XL Coke no problems.

As I mentioned before, front passenger headroom is impacted by the glass roof, and there's a slightly claustrophobic feeling brought about by the huge swooping A-pillars, which also create a bit of a vision impairment for the driver. The SUV-like seating position can potentially be awkward, room-wise, for people with chunkier knees, or those that prefer sitting in a low, sporty position.

Up the back there's plenty of legroom and space for heads and arms and legs. I fit easily behind my own driving position, and there's the luxury of a fully leather-bound fold-down armrest with two big cupholders for rear passengers.

The keyless entry is also truly keyless, in that all four doors can lock or unlock the whole car at a touch. Another nice feature for when you're ferrying people around.

Boot space is also colossal, thanks to the liftback design. Ford states the size as 557 litres but as this seems to be a non-VDA-standard measurement it's hard to compare to competitors with numbers. Rest assured it will swallow a set of suitcases with ease, and the space is a practical rectangle with little intrusion from wheel arches.

Today's Mondeo has evolved to adapt to modern expectations for a mid-size sedan. It's a far cry from the budget Mondeo of the ‘90s and even approaches territory that once would have been restricted to cars like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. No, really.

Our top-spec Titanium, for example, is packed with heated and leather seats front and rear, a power tailgate, auto-leveling ‘dynamic' LED headlights (the ones that move where you're pointing the steering wheel.), a fixed panoramic sunroof, power tailgate (handy) and even an auto-dimming wing mirror on the passenger side. The Titanium also gets a different digital instrument cluster and a heated windscreen.

These join the regular suite of Mondeo features such as Ford's Sync3 multimedia system on the 8.0-inch screen (thankfully, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), rain-sensing wipers, Digital radio (DAB+) and adaptive cruise control (part of a rather excellent safety package).

It's an impressive features list, which means nothing if the price isn't right. Our Titanium EcoBoost comes in at $44,790 before on-roads, pitting it against the Holden Commodore RS-V sedan ($46,990), Mazda6 GT sedan ($43,990) and Toyota Camry ($43,990).

You may also want to consider the Hyundai Sonata Premium ($45,490) and, dare I say it, the $45,990 rear-wheel-drive Kia Stinger 200S…

None of those rivals have the heated windscreen or fully digital dashboard, though, and only the Mazda6 GT has heated seats front & rear. The Commodore RS-V is the only car here than can match the 8.0-inch screen size, but it does come with the addition of wireless phone charging and a colour head-up display. Food for (value) thought.

The E53 is powered by a 3.0-litre, turbo-petrol, in-line six-cylinder engine working in concert with an electric motor housed within the car’s nine-speed (torque-converter) automatic transmission. 

Drive goes to all four wheels via an electro-mechanically controlled clutch distributing power between the front and rear axles.

Engine performance is up by around 10kW compared to the previous E53 thanks to software upgrades, a new twin-scroll turbo with higher boost pressure (1.5 bar vs 1.1 bar) as well as additional front and wheel-arch intercoolers. 

The engine alone produces 330kW/560Nm while the permanently excited synchronous motor chips in with a solid 120kW/480Nm for overall outputs of 450kW/750Nm.

Ford offers two 2.0-litre turbocharged engines with the Mondeo, either a petrol EcoBoost engine or its diesel Duratorq equivalent.

The EcoBoost in our car is a bit of a gem. It produces an average sounding 177kW/345Nm when compared to the 220-plus-kW V6 engines in the equivalent Camry SL and Commodore RS-V, and it's even somehow out-played in the torque division by the Mazda6 GT, with its 170kW/420Nm.

As I'll explain in the driving section, however, it doesn't make the Mondeo feel any less powerful.

EcoBoost Mondeos can only be had with a six-speed traditional torque-converter automatic. Thankfully it doesn't carry 'PowerShift' branding either…

The E53’s official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel figure is 1.7L/100km, a spectacularly frugal number for such a high-performance machine. But it’s worth noting it’s predicated on the drive battery being constantly and completely recharged.

Speaking of which, the 28.6kWh, 400-volt traction battery is housed at the rear of the car under the boot floor. It delivers a claimed EV-only range of up to 100km, although that will diminish dramatically if you decide to push up towards the car’s pure-electric top speed of 140km/h.

Important to note the battery’s 21kWh ‘day-to-day’ capacity, designed to keep charge in reserve for any required ‘high-performance boosts’.

An 11kW AC charger is onboard with regenerative braking also harvesting energy, the car automatically selecting the level of recuperation power in line with traffic conditions.

In pure EV mode you can also manually adjust regen through four levels via the steering wheel-mounted transmission shift paddles. 

Auto stop/start for the engine is standard and 98 RON premium unleaded is recommended, although 95 RON is okay at a pinch.

The E53’s official fuel consumption figure and 50-litre tank capacity translate to a range approaching 3000km! But to bring that down to earth somewhat, on the launch drive program, covering urban and mostly highway running, we saw a (dash indicated) average of 6.4L/100km, which equates to a more realistic, but still lengthy, 780km between fills.

Due to the entertainment factor given by the EcoBoost engine I wasn't particularly light on the throttle.

Ford claims you'll use 8.5L/100km on the combined cycle, which is 1.9L/100km more than the Mazda6 but on par with the V6 Camry and Commodore. In reality I experienced about 12L/100km, which is a fair bit more than the claimed figure, but not unusual for a keen-to-go engine. More on that in the driving segment.

For a bit of perspective, I can extract similar, if not better, fuel figures from my 4.0-litre FG Falcon.

If you’re lining up for a Mercedes-AMG you want an optimal blend of luxury and performance and the E53 Hybrid 4Matic+ nails that delicate balance.

With 450kW (that’s 612hp!) and 750Nm under your right foot, engaging ‘Race Start’, pushing the accelerator to the floor and letting the car do its thing will result in 0-100km/h acceleration in 3.8 seconds. The fat band of mid-range torque is so satisfying to lean into.

Induction, engine and exhaust sounds combine to produce a suitably gruff soundtrack with the hybrid powertrain operating seamlessly. Hit your preferred track day or tempt legal fate and you can explore the car’s claimed (governed) maximum velocity of 280km/h. 

The nine-speed auto is slick and manual changes using the wheel mounted paddles are rapid.  In normal conditions the AWD system is biased to the rear and an electric rear locking diff helps keep things under control if you decide to get the bit between your teeth on a twisting drive.

A chunky brace links the front suspension strut mounts and the car feels predictable and stable in enthusiastic cornering. Rubber is Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (245/35 fr / 275/30 rr) which grips with satisfying determination but does make its rumbling presence felt on anything approaching a coarse chip surface (despite the car’s standard acoustic glass).

Speed-sensitive power-steering delivers accuracy and good road feel without any jitters, the standard active rear-axle steering playing its part. The ‘turning point’ is 100km/h with the rear wheels subtly turning in the opposite direction to the fronts up to that speed and in the same direction beyond it.

‘AMG Ride Control’ combines steel spring suspension (strut front, multi-link rear) with adaptive adjustable damping for the choice of ‘Comfort’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Sport+’ settings. Comfort is the pick for B-road running on typically uneven surfaces. The optional ‘Performance’ sports front seats are comfortable and grippy in equal measure. 

Braking is by ventilated composite rotors all around, with beefy four-piston fixed calipers up front. An electro-mechanical brake booster is designed to combine electrical recuperation with the hydraulic brake for more frequent and efficient energy harvesting over a longer period of time. The pedal feels firm and progressive with smooth initial bite. 

All around vision is good for a conventional sedan with a quality reversing camera, 360-degree overhead view and front and rear parking sensors helping massively with parking duties. That said, a 12.5m turning circle isn’t tiny.

The Mondeo is thankfully quite a bit more fun than it looks. As I've been leading up to, the EcoBoost engine absolutely hammers with little encouragement. It's a hoot. The downside to this is that the fuel figure suffers.

Channelling 345Nm from as little as 2300rpm through just the front wheels also has the side-effect of tearing the steering wheel out of your hands under heavier bouts of acceleration. It does wonders to suspend the initial impression from the SUV-like seating position that this Mondoe must be a heavy car.

It definitely isn't a sports car, though, more of a semi-luxe sedan, which is a good thing, because when you're not driving as hard it's a pleasure to be at the helm of.

The steering is direct and light, making it easy to point at any speed, and in terms of noise the Mondeo is impressively quiet. There's barely a peep out of the engine. Road noise is great around town but increases a lot at freeway speeds and on rough surfaces, likely due to the larger alloys and lower-profile rubber.

The suspension makes for a mostly luxurious ride as well, but frequent undulations cause it to become unsettled side-to-side. Heavier bumps and potholes also resonate through the cabin.

It's almost annoying how close to excellent the refinement is.

The six-speed auto transmission is fantastic for a daily driver because you'll never know its there. I failed to catch it off guard once during my week with it.

There's a Sport mode and paddle-shifters you can use to make it stay in gear a little longer, but with the amount of power seemingly available at a moment's notice I never felt like I needed it.

Once you get to Titanium level, the Mondeo's safety offering is truly expansive.

On the list is Auto Emergency Braking (AEB) with pre-collision warning, Lane Keep Assist (LKAS) with Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM), Driver Impairment monitoring and trailer-sway control.

There are also a standard set of airbags with a few sneaky extras like inflatable rear seat belts on the outer two rear seats,which join ISOFIX points in the same position. Since April 2016, every Mondeo has a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

These join the very welcome surround parking sensors, rear-view camera and auto-park, which make not nudging things in the Titanium a cinch.

And a boon for long-distance drivers is the fact that all Mondeo hatchbacks have a full-size steel spare.

The Mercedes-AMG E53 Hybrid 4Matic+ is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty with the high-voltage battery covered for eight years/160,000km. Those terms match the key players in the premium and luxury parts of the market.

Mercedes-Benz ‘Road Care’ assistance is included for the duration of the main vehicle warranty. 

Maintenance is recommended every 12 months/25,000km, with service plans offered across three- ($4110), four- ($5410) and five-year ($7570) periods. That’s an average of around $1350 for the first two and $1500 for the last one. That added powertrain complexity obviously has an impact in the workshop.

Ford has recently updated its warranty to five years/unlimited kilometres, which is a nice standard, although it is now matched by Holden and Mazda. Toyota lags behind with a three-year offering. The Kia Stinger starts to look very impressive here with its seven-year warranty.

At the time of writing, Ford's own service calculator tells us the Mondeo will cost a minimum of $370 per year or 15,000km (whichever comes first) service interval. Every fourth year that jumps to $615.