Mercedes Benz M

The Mercedes Benz M is a sport utility vehicle (SUV) that belongs to mid-size luxury division. This was showcased in late 1997, and delivered in 1998, by the legendary German car maker Mercedes-Benz.

Steadily, the M-Class had grown as a sales success in the Mexico and United States. Considering its size, it was smaller than the large GL-Class, but larger than the GLK-Class.

W163 (1997–2005)

The Mercedes-Benz W163 M-Class SUV was launched in 1997 as a 1998 model. It was a medium sized body-on-frame SUV, included with a decent seating arrangement for accommodating up to five adult passengers. However, it could accommodate up to seven passengers with the help of an elective third row seat.

It was the first lavish SUV that featured with a stability control system and control loss detection system. This car was happily welcomed by security and safety professionals. The full version of ML Class SUV was exposed as the ML320 in 1997. In 1999, a powerful 4.3 Liter V8 engine was included that improved its performance further.

The key variants included the ML55, ML500, ML430, ML350, and ML320. Along with all these variants, the ML400 CDI, ML270 CDI, turbo diesel ML270, and the 4-cylinder ML230 were released in Europe as additional variants. The ML55 and ML55 AMG variant was featured with a special V8 engine developed by AMG, altered body-work, and remaining other high performance features.

The was ML320 replaced by the ML350 as the standard model in the U.S during 2004 model year, while the ML320 CDI continued to be marketed in those locations where emission controls standard allowed its sales.

W164 (2005-Present)

The modified Mercedes Benz M was prefaced in late 2005 as a 2006 version at the North American International Auto Show. It was entirely new version with a superior aerodynamic and sporty look.

It had a drag coefficient of 0.34 and it was 150 mm bigger than its earlier version. In 2006, the Mercedes Benz M was selected as “Best New Sport Utility Vehicle” in annual awards.

The new features included in 2006 model were

• the 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic transmission,
• an adjustable-height air suspension, and
• Active Curve-Illuminating Bi-Xenon headlights

In this model, the manual transmission was not available.

ML63 AMG

The ML63 AMG was AMG edition of the W164 was launched in 2006 at the North American International Auto Show. It was featured with a 6.2 L M156 V8 engine that could produce

• 465 lb-ft (630 N-m) of torque and
• 510 hp (380 kW) of power.

The ML63 AMG was handcrafted by Germany automaker. The power plant was included with an AMG Speed shift 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic transmission. The ML63 AMG of 2006 achieve get the speed of 60 mph in only 4.8 seconds. And it required 5 seconds for touching the 62 mph mark. These attractive specs increased the popularity of ML 63 AMG, and helped it in becoming a full-fledged powerful SUV.