ML63 Driving Experience
12-23-2006, 12:59 PM
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AMG ML63, M3 CSL, Z4M Coupe, New Audi TT, Audi R8 (coming)
ML63 Driving Experience
Just thought I would start up a seperate thread to capture my emerging thoughts on the ML63. I have owned mine now for just over a week and there's just over 800 miles on the odometer.
I mentioned in an earlier thread that I had been driving for the first few days in 'off-road' mode. This is easily done (that's my excuse) since for anyone new to Mercedes it's not entirely clear how the OBC works. In 'off-road' mode the set-up seems to allow greater wheel articulation (not sure if that comes from a change in the roll-bar or just softening of air-spring rates), but either way it wobbles and rolls like a truck in this setting. It also seems to reduce the servo assistance of the brakes (resulting in a longer pedal travel) plus a softening of the throttle response. All in all I wasn't best impressed and began to wonder if I had made a mistake in selling my X5 4.8is for this.
Mistake corrected (off-road mode switched off) and handling and pedal responses became far more acceptable. I thought that was the end of the story, in SPORT mode it still seemed soft compared to what I was used to, whilst COMFORT was not really comfortable enough to merit such a description. I couldn't decide which setting to leave it in, but left it in SPORT for a journey today lasting several hundred miles.
It just so happens that this journey was across twisty, undulating roads and initially (for the first 50 miles or so) the ML63 behaved as usual with too much pitch and dive when braking or accelerating and a general lack of composure at speed. But in the final few hundred miles its behaviour changed, it tightened up and finally began to drive as I had 'hoped' it would. Now it feels like a proper sports sedan, virtually roll free and with much clearer feedback and response through the steering.
So what's happened? Either this is all just part of the initial 1000 miles as the car settles in, and the springs and dampers adjust to their usage, or... the adaptive damping control is extremely slow-witted. Let's hope it's a bit of both, but more importantly that it now stays consistent (i.e. good), because now I would say it lives up to all the hype.
So for those of you (i.e. brt3) who have driven an ML63 and felt it compared poorly to the usual AMG sports sedans I can convey good news - it gets much better the more you drive it. Unfortunately this is the kind of information that you'd never discover during a short test drive.
p.s. the engine is freeing up nicely too. This really is one of the THE great engines, it's smooth, it's very torquey and it loves to rev. Unlike pretty well any other SUV on the market, when you flex your right ankle it just picks up and accelerates as if it was a lightweight 2-seater, there's just no sense of inertia or drag.
I mentioned in an earlier thread that I had been driving for the first few days in 'off-road' mode. This is easily done (that's my excuse) since for anyone new to Mercedes it's not entirely clear how the OBC works. In 'off-road' mode the set-up seems to allow greater wheel articulation (not sure if that comes from a change in the roll-bar or just softening of air-spring rates), but either way it wobbles and rolls like a truck in this setting. It also seems to reduce the servo assistance of the brakes (resulting in a longer pedal travel) plus a softening of the throttle response. All in all I wasn't best impressed and began to wonder if I had made a mistake in selling my X5 4.8is for this.
Mistake corrected (off-road mode switched off) and handling and pedal responses became far more acceptable. I thought that was the end of the story, in SPORT mode it still seemed soft compared to what I was used to, whilst COMFORT was not really comfortable enough to merit such a description. I couldn't decide which setting to leave it in, but left it in SPORT for a journey today lasting several hundred miles.
It just so happens that this journey was across twisty, undulating roads and initially (for the first 50 miles or so) the ML63 behaved as usual with too much pitch and dive when braking or accelerating and a general lack of composure at speed. But in the final few hundred miles its behaviour changed, it tightened up and finally began to drive as I had 'hoped' it would. Now it feels like a proper sports sedan, virtually roll free and with much clearer feedback and response through the steering.
So what's happened? Either this is all just part of the initial 1000 miles as the car settles in, and the springs and dampers adjust to their usage, or... the adaptive damping control is extremely slow-witted. Let's hope it's a bit of both, but more importantly that it now stays consistent (i.e. good), because now I would say it lives up to all the hype.
So for those of you (i.e. brt3) who have driven an ML63 and felt it compared poorly to the usual AMG sports sedans I can convey good news - it gets much better the more you drive it. Unfortunately this is the kind of information that you'd never discover during a short test drive.
p.s. the engine is freeing up nicely too. This really is one of the THE great engines, it's smooth, it's very torquey and it loves to rev. Unlike pretty well any other SUV on the market, when you flex your right ankle it just picks up and accelerates as if it was a lightweight 2-seater, there's just no sense of inertia or drag.
12-23-2006, 01:27 PM
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2012 C63 Black Series Coupe
So for those of you (i.e. brt3) who have driven an ML63 and felt it compared poorly to the usual AMG sports sedans I can convey good news - it gets much better the more you drive it. Unfortunately this is the kind of information that you'd never discover during a short test drive.
p.s. the engine is freeing up nicely too. This really is one of the THE great engines, it's smooth, it's very torquey and it loves to rev. Unlike pretty well any other SUV on the market, when you flex your right ankle it just picks up and accelerates as if it was a lightweight 2-seater, there's just no sense of inertia or drag.
p.s. the engine is freeing up nicely too. This really is one of the THE great engines, it's smooth, it's very torquey and it loves to rev. Unlike pretty well any other SUV on the market, when you flex your right ankle it just picks up and accelerates as if it was a lightweight 2-seater, there's just no sense of inertia or drag.
I couldn't agree more about the engine on this thing; it's the perfect combination of American Big Block and European DOHC/32-valve technology. Brutal sound, prodigous output, and loves to rev -- I imagine I'll be spending a LOT of time driving with the windows cracked so I can hear that velvet hammer...
All-in-all, the PERFECT tool for blasting around Toyota Prius owners who clog the fast lanes throughout California. Ever since the state gave hybrid owners the right to drive in commuter lanes regardless of passenger count, they've begun clogging the left lanes -- performing their self-righteous "civic duty" to ENSURE that no one else can waste a single drop of fuel by exceeding the speed limit...
12-23-2006, 01:52 PM
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I've had time to reflect on the power delivery of this beast and I am absolutely certain that the ML63 completely overshadows the Cayenne Turbo. The times when I drove the Cayenne Turbo (6 seperate times and over several hundred accumulated miles), I was always conscious of the inertia before the turbos spooled up and acceleration really kicked in. Add to that the problems with transmission hesitation and I found it easy to choose the X5 4.8is instead, since the X5 always felt quicker over the first few hundred yards and more responsive when acceleration was quickly needed.
This 6.3 litre engine in the ML is immediately quick, no doubts, no worries - it's the real deal - as much or as little power as you want dealt out by your right foot. It seems better in every way than my 4.8is and that means it's more responsive and ultimately quicker than Porsche's Cayenne rival. You would really have to love that Porsche badge, although I would assume that the new facelifted Cayenne is bound to make a better comparison when it is launched.
This 6.3 litre engine in the ML is immediately quick, no doubts, no worries - it's the real deal - as much or as little power as you want dealt out by your right foot. It seems better in every way than my 4.8is and that means it's more responsive and ultimately quicker than Porsche's Cayenne rival. You would really have to love that Porsche badge, although I would assume that the new facelifted Cayenne is bound to make a better comparison when it is launched.
12-23-2006, 02:31 PM
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2012 C63 Black Series Coupe
I've had time to reflect on the power delivery of this beast and I am absolutely certain that the ML63 completely overshadows the Cayenne Turbo.... This 6.3 litre engine in the ML is immediately quick, no doubts, no worries - it's the real deal - as much or as little power as you want dealt out by your right foot. It seems better in every way than my 4.8is and that means it's more responsive and ultimately quicker than Porsche's Cayenne rival.
