A high-riding, bluff-fronted off-roader might not be an engineer's dream choice as the basis for a performance car, but ever since Mercedes dropped a 347hp V8 into the ML55 AMG more than a decade ago, the performance 'off-roader' has been a barely explicable commercial success.
And now Mercedes has taken the wraps off its latest Muscle-SUV to give us the new ML63 AMG. The headline figures are pretty astonishing. In 'normal' trim there's 525hp and 516lb ft to play with, enabling the ML63 to sprint to 62mph in 4.8secs. Pick the AMG Performance pack, meanwhile, and you'll get a whole 557hp and 561lb ft to help shove you along, meaning 62mph can now be reached from rest in just 4.7secs. Both top out at an electronically limited 155mph. Not bad for an SUV that weighs well over two tons...
As with most recent AMGs, lurking beneath the bonnet of the ML63 (and despite the '63' nomenclature) is the new twin-turbo 5.5-litre AMG V8, which features (take a deep breath) ... spray-guided direct petrol injection with piezo injectors, ECO start/stop system, an all-aluminium crankcase, four valves per cylinder with camshaft adjustment, air-water charge air cooling and generator management. Phew...
That's combined with 4Matic permanent four-wheel drive via Merc's AMG Speedshift Plus 7G-tronic automatic transmission. The result is a drivetrain that delivers not only the aforementioned performance, but also a 28 per cent improvement in efficiency over its predecessor (although that still only equates to 23.9mpg on the official combined cycle).
In order to keep all that power and weight in check, Mercedes adaptively damped air suspension system now features an Active Curve System, which uses active anti-roll bars front and rear to help reduce cornering roll.
| |
ML 63 AMG |
| Displacement |
5461 cc |
| Bore x stroke |
98.0 x 90.5 mm |
| Compression ratio |
10.0 : 1 |
| Output |
525 hp at 5250 rpm
557 hp at 5750rpm* |
| Max torque |
700 Nm at 1750-5000 rpm
760 Nm at 2000-5000 rpm* |
| Engine weight (dry) |
204 kg |
| Fuel consumption, NEDC combined |
23.9 mpg |
| CO2 emissions |
276 g/km |
| Acceleration 0-62 mph |
4.8 s
4.7 s* |
| Top speed |
155 mph** |
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