-=Hot|Ice=-
High-Rev Hero
Everyone that's driven the car seems to really like it. Haven't read any of the 'boring to drive' or the 'can't corner' comments.
GLE [First drives] 2012 Mercedes Benz ML63 AMG First Drives (Drive, Autocar, Evo etc...
- Thread starter Wolfgang
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- mercedes-benz ml63 amg
The Mercedes-Benz GLE, formerly Mercedes-Benz M-Class (designated with the "ML" nomenclature), is a mid-size luxury SUV produced by the German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz since 1997. In terms of size, it is slotted in between the smaller GLC and the larger GLS, the latter with which it shares platforms.
Zafiro
Supreme Roadmaster
Tarek
Cornering Kingpin
Wow wait a minute. Do you say a standard ML can't corner?
The same way as the standard X5 to X5 M.
So I saw a normal ML from the back last night, and I don't know what some of you are on about. Yes, the front has little to no presence for what it is, but the REAR has MASSIVE presence on the road.... I mean "MASSIVE" literally. It looks HUGE, and looks very authoritative on the roads.... which is something to be savored for now before all the Soccer Mommies just turn my senses into seeing it as a glorified and compact school bus for little Housewives.
Soup
Premium
2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG First Drive – Review – Car and Driver
At some point during a two-day drive of the all-new Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG, something interesting happened. Your author learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.
Learned to stop worrying about the ML63’s carbon footprint. Worrying about its two-and-a-half-ton weight. Worrying, ultimately, about the sheer ludicrousness of turning the mild-mannered, safety-centric M-class SUV into something that should wear a court-ordered ankle bracelet. We can’t recall the exact moment, but all this consternation likely disappeared while the twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 was swallowing 14.5 psi of boost and delivering 518 horsepower. AMG claims that the ML63 will achieve 60 mph in less than 4.8 seconds. Select the AMG Performance package, and the boost goes up to 18.9 psi, which yields 550 horsepower and a 4.5-second 0-to-60 sprint by our estimate. (Some context: In our hands, the previous ML63—equipped with AMG’s naturally aspirated 503-hp, 6.2-liter V-8—blitzed to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds.) Top speed, with or without the essential Performance package, is governed at 155 mph.
One of our favorite parts of the original ML63 was its exhaust note. Part big-block Chevrolet Chevelle, part offshore powerboat, all perfectly inappropriate for high society. AMG has managed to preserve that sound in the latest version despite its engine’s slightly smaller displacement and two pesky turbochargers in the path of the exhaust gases. Deep and loud under full throttle, but with a slightly uneven and menacing sound at idle, the 5.5-liter is a perfect mimic of the old 6.2. Maybe that’s why it wears the same “ML63” badges on its fenders and rear door. Or maybe AMG just ordered too many of them and hasn’t run out yet.
Unlike the last ML63 AMG, the new version doesn’t slam shifts as though it is punishing its transmission. Gearchanges from the seven-speed automatic are smoother but still quick. AMG seems to have dialed more compliance into the suspension, too. Impacts are less jarring, and the chassis is quieter. But don’t think that the ML has gone flabby. New active anti-roll bars work to reduce list angles, eliminating the previous ML63’s clumsiness and trucklike feel. Cornering is now flatter, and the steering has a satisfying heft that serves as a reminder that the object you’re driving might have big-time grip but that it also weighs more than 5000 pounds. A BMW X5 M or X6 M feels more playful and lighter on its feet. The Benz feels more secure, more deliberate in its motions. Stopping power is provided by huge 15.4-inch rotors up front and 13.6-inch rotors in back. These brakes feel like they’ll stop the world before they’ll melt on you.
If you don’t dive all the way into the ML63’s power and torque, this AMG model feels almost exactly like every other new ML. That is, as long as the pavement is dry. Equipped with summer performance tires, the ML63 is one SUV that won’t be ready to tackle off-road trails or snowy roads. Solving that problem is as easy as changing tires, but you’ll also change the handling and character of the ML63.
From inside, there are clues beyond the burbling exhaust note that you’re in the factory-tuned version. A “designo” dress-up package is now standard, whereas that option typically costs $4000 on other Benzes. Louis Vuitton–grade leather covers nearly everything that isn’t a button, a screen, or wood. The ML63’s interior appointments are now competitive with those of the best of the segment, the Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. It’s a huge upgrade over last year’s model, which looked like it had a dashboard wrapped in regulation NFL footballs. The AMG guys have gone a bit crazy on the ML’s exterior styling, though. Most sheetmetal remains the same, but they have added a deeper front bumper with huge air intakes, fender flares, satin-chrome bits, gloss-black trim, four chrome exhaust tips, and 21-inch wheels. The effect is striking, if not entirely tasteful.
Yet taste is but one more worry you’ll quickly leave behind when you drive the ML63 AMG. A longer-lasting concern is price. When it goes on sale this spring, it will start at $95,865, an increase of $2400; figure about $7300 more for the Perform*ance package. Still, the power and sound of the twin-turbo V-8 will have you waving your cowboy hat while you whoop and holler your way through traffic.
At some point during a two-day drive of the all-new Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG, something interesting happened. Your author learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.
Learned to stop worrying about the ML63’s carbon footprint. Worrying about its two-and-a-half-ton weight. Worrying, ultimately, about the sheer ludicrousness of turning the mild-mannered, safety-centric M-class SUV into something that should wear a court-ordered ankle bracelet. We can’t recall the exact moment, but all this consternation likely disappeared while the twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 was swallowing 14.5 psi of boost and delivering 518 horsepower. AMG claims that the ML63 will achieve 60 mph in less than 4.8 seconds. Select the AMG Performance package, and the boost goes up to 18.9 psi, which yields 550 horsepower and a 4.5-second 0-to-60 sprint by our estimate. (Some context: In our hands, the previous ML63—equipped with AMG’s naturally aspirated 503-hp, 6.2-liter V-8—blitzed to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds.) Top speed, with or without the essential Performance package, is governed at 155 mph.
One of our favorite parts of the original ML63 was its exhaust note. Part big-block Chevrolet Chevelle, part offshore powerboat, all perfectly inappropriate for high society. AMG has managed to preserve that sound in the latest version despite its engine’s slightly smaller displacement and two pesky turbochargers in the path of the exhaust gases. Deep and loud under full throttle, but with a slightly uneven and menacing sound at idle, the 5.5-liter is a perfect mimic of the old 6.2. Maybe that’s why it wears the same “ML63” badges on its fenders and rear door. Or maybe AMG just ordered too many of them and hasn’t run out yet.
Unlike the last ML63 AMG, the new version doesn’t slam shifts as though it is punishing its transmission. Gearchanges from the seven-speed automatic are smoother but still quick. AMG seems to have dialed more compliance into the suspension, too. Impacts are less jarring, and the chassis is quieter. But don’t think that the ML has gone flabby. New active anti-roll bars work to reduce list angles, eliminating the previous ML63’s clumsiness and trucklike feel. Cornering is now flatter, and the steering has a satisfying heft that serves as a reminder that the object you’re driving might have big-time grip but that it also weighs more than 5000 pounds. A BMW X5 M or X6 M feels more playful and lighter on its feet. The Benz feels more secure, more deliberate in its motions. Stopping power is provided by huge 15.4-inch rotors up front and 13.6-inch rotors in back. These brakes feel like they’ll stop the world before they’ll melt on you.
If you don’t dive all the way into the ML63’s power and torque, this AMG model feels almost exactly like every other new ML. That is, as long as the pavement is dry. Equipped with summer performance tires, the ML63 is one SUV that won’t be ready to tackle off-road trails or snowy roads. Solving that problem is as easy as changing tires, but you’ll also change the handling and character of the ML63.
From inside, there are clues beyond the burbling exhaust note that you’re in the factory-tuned version. A “designo” dress-up package is now standard, whereas that option typically costs $4000 on other Benzes. Louis Vuitton–grade leather covers nearly everything that isn’t a button, a screen, or wood. The ML63’s interior appointments are now competitive with those of the best of the segment, the Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. It’s a huge upgrade over last year’s model, which looked like it had a dashboard wrapped in regulation NFL footballs. The AMG guys have gone a bit crazy on the ML’s exterior styling, though. Most sheetmetal remains the same, but they have added a deeper front bumper with huge air intakes, fender flares, satin-chrome bits, gloss-black trim, four chrome exhaust tips, and 21-inch wheels. The effect is striking, if not entirely tasteful.
Yet taste is but one more worry you’ll quickly leave behind when you drive the ML63 AMG. A longer-lasting concern is price. When it goes on sale this spring, it will start at $95,865, an increase of $2400; figure about $7300 more for the Perform*ance package. Still, the power and sound of the twin-turbo V-8 will have you waving your cowboy hat while you whoop and holler your way through traffic.
tristatez28lt1
Tire Trailblazer
First instrumented Test by Car & Driver 
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2012-mercedes-benz-ml63-amg-instrumented-test
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2012-mercedes-benz-ml63-amg-instrumented-test
AMG's twin-turbo V-8 has us convinced that those initials stand for "AlMighty God!"
While all vehicles—AMGs included—have their compromises and shortcomings, Mercedes-Benz’s performance arm is on a basic philosophical plane that we very much admire: If it exists, cram more motor into it. Small, medium, and large sedans? (Plus another medium with a different roofline?) Check. Coupes? Check. Roadsters? Check. SUVs? Check. Thirty-three-year-old military vehicle? Check. Crazy-ass German luxury minivan? Check. The German powerhouse hit its stride over the past five years, stuffing a 6.2-liter V-8 of its own creation into a wider variety of Mercedes-Benzes than have ever worn the badge of Aufrecht, Melcher, and Grossaspach at one time. Then, in the name of efficiency, the brand ditched that motor in favor of a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8. In doing so, AMG dropped not one horsepower and stumbled upon 185 more lb-ft of torque than its suddenly sleepy-looking 6.2 had in its strongest form. (We will for now ignore the new engine’s acoustic deficiency.)
- JULY 2012
- BY JARED GALL
Currently, the M157 twin-turbo is available in seven different Benzes. Its output varies among them; the ML tested here with the optional Performance package makes 550 hp and has its twist capped at 560 lb-ft. The latter, need we remind you, is still more than any other SUV on the market. That prodigious output thrust the 5285-pound ML seen here to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, to 100 in 9.8, and through the quarter-mile in 12.6 at 113 mph. Given enough space, it’ll stretch its legs all the way to a governor-limited 175. (Because you and that small herd of goats you’re hauling would otherwise want to go faster.)
Faster Than We Can Count
While the turbos muffle some of the sound of small explosions happening as many as 480 times a second, the ML was never the most vocal AMG. Its engine is, however, a very smooth device for combusting gasoline at such a furious rate. With max torque available from 2000 rpm to 5000 and horsepower peaking at 5750, the ML driver just experiences one long pull from stationary to “Well, officer, I honestly had no idea I was going that fast. The baby (goat) didn’t even wake up!” It does execute fluttering burps on upshifts and some mild spitting on downshifts and overrun, though, so that those who wish they’d instead bought an E63 AMG wagon don’t trade in their M-classes immediately.
In spite of their similar outputs, performance, and cost, these two two-box AMG “63” vehicles are quite different. Where the E63 wagon engages its driver, the ML—redesigned for this year—takes more of an “are we there yet?” approach to its limits. Unlike a haggard parent repeating, “Yes, yes, now please stop cattle-prodding your sister,” though, the ML pilot hasn’t a clue how close he is to the limit until he’s there. As it nears, communication dies down significantly. The steering never says much, there’s little roll, and the tires are quiet right up until they’re yowling in understeer. Well, maybe there’s a little more vocal warm-up, but coddled inside the serene interior, you’ll never know. The ML63 isolates the driver from the sensation of speed in a way that is unique to Mercedes-Benzes and perhaps perfected in this particular one.
Money Buys AMGs. Ergo, Regarding Happiness . . .
Still, is all that a fair return on an investment of more than $100,000? While the base ML starts at $49,865, the ML63 demands a minimum contribution of $95,865. With another $6550 for the AMG Performance package (without, you only get an embarrassing 518 hp and 516 lb-ft, and you won’t have a carbon-fiber engine cover), plus $1600 for piano-black trim, $1970 for a rear entertainment system, and $1610 for 21-inch wheels (that surprisingly do not destroy the ride)—and a few hundred apiece for the Diamond White paint and heated rear seats—the example tested here totaled $109,010. It seems a little silly, given that that amount would also buy you both a base Porsche Boxster and an ML350, but we’d be willing to bet that many AMG buyers already have a Boxster (or Corvette or Lotus or M3 or . . . ) sitting next to the space reserved for the new ML. Why not make that ML an AMG? We can’t fault buyers there.
ThroughandThrough
Kraftkurve King
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Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz Group AG is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.
Established in 1926, Mercedes-Benz Group produces consumer luxury
vehicles and light commercial vehicles badged as Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG,
and Mercedes-Maybach.
Its origin lies in Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft's 1901 Mercedes
and Carl Benz's 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, which is widely regarded
as the first internal combustion engine in a self-propelled automobile.
The slogan for the brand is "the best or nothing".
Official website: Mercedes-Benz (Global), Mercedes-Benz (USA)
Official website: Mercedes-Benz (Global), Mercedes-Benz (USA)
