Mercedes-AMG E 53 Sedan With Modified Face & Taillights

Mercedes-AMG E53 with modified face and taillights. Is it better?
 

Quite understandably, the premium German automaker Mercedes-Benz is commanding everyone’s attention these days with the introduction of the all-new GLC with EQ Technology luxury compact crossover SUV and the arrival of the stunning Vision Iconic concept grand tourer.
 
These two herald a new technological era and design direction. The Mercedes-Benz GLC with EQ Technology features not only a massive pixel LED grille but also a pillar-to-pillar screen dashboard, along with some impressive technical details. The latter includes an 800-volt architecture with a 94-kWh battery and up to 443 miles (713 km) of WLTP range. There are also dual motors for AWD with a combined output of 483 hp, and even the S-Class’s Airmatic suspension is available now.
 
Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Benz Vision Iconic is a statement concept car with a hilariously analog interior, especially when compared to the new GLC electric, but also a superb exterior that’s a tribute to everything that came before, especially the 300 SL Gullwing and the Pullman limousines, plus a massive grille done exactly right. But it’s not going to influence much what comes next – perhaps only the upcoming all-new S-Class and GLS flagship models.
 
On the other hand, at the moment, we still have to live with the current crop of Mercedes-Benz models. One of the best, if you want our two cents on the matter, might be the recently introduced 2026 Mercedes-AMG E 53 Hybrid, an executive mid-size sedan and station wagon that costs less than $100k (unlike the Audi RS 6 Avant and BMW M5 / M5 Touring) but still has a combined 604 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque.
 

It’s a bit of a sweet spot, if you ask us, because it has an electrified powertrain, but it’s not as heavy as the BMW M5 and M5 Touring, and it’s much cheaper than the Audi rival, although it has almost the same power level. There is one thing that might annoy some folks – the chosen styling. More precisely, some folks have a problem with either the droopy headlights or the kitschy dual-starred LED taillights. Or with both.
 
As it turns out, there is always a solution to any conundrum. On this occasion, we need a small intervention from a member of the imaginative guild of digital car content creators dwelling across the parallel universes of vehicular CGI. More precisely, Nikita Chuicko, the virtual artist better known as “kelsonik” on social media, thinks that now is the right CGI time to work on the performance executive sedan and subtly change the causes for duress.
 
Thus, the pixel master proposes a mostly black, elegant yet menacing 2026 Mercedes-AMG E 53 Hybrid sedan rocking subtly slimmer LED headlights with no bubbles for the LED DRLs and narrower LED taillights consisting of three semi-independent light elements instead of three-pointed LED stars. Additionally, it seems the CGI expert also dropped the Merc on a set of larger black/chrome alloy wheels, just to make it even more fashionable.