autogunner

The last 163 rolled off the end of the line Thursday afternoon, it was kinda sad but after over 570,000 built you are ready to move on to something new. Autogunner.

GDawgC220

did they take a picture of it with the assembly crew and such like MB usually does with the last car rolling off the line?

autogunner

Of corse they did, one with every group. Autogunner.

akbro93704

ya, kinda sad, but when's the W164 going to start production?

autogunner

Production of 164 has already started in the new plant, old plant is being retro fitted to run the unibody then both plants will be producing them. Autogunner.

GDawgC220

nice!

if you know, how does the steering column mounted transmission stalk work? is it like a mini-van, with slots for each gear? from the pics, looks more like all electronically controlled, with flicks of the lever instead of moving the stalk up and down a track...

autogunner

All electronic, you just touch it. Autogunner.

GDawgC220

ohhh, ok. Guess that's better than moving the lever up and down like a minivan

autogunner

I drove the 164 for the first time yesterday and it is nice. You can at least spin the tires "all four" in first gear, which I could almost never do in the 163. They didn't spin much but the 0 to 60 is alot better. I was driving the 500. Today I drove the 350 and it is about the same. The major improvements is still all of the inside. It is all so much better. Autogunner.

moa4r

do you work for mercedes?

timdf

'It's all so much better' - including the QA ? Let's hope so :-)

SAguirre

Is there any news about MB putting a CDI in the 164? I saw a 163 that was a 400 CDI, it was very nice!!

Steve

autogunner

We have already built some 164's with V6 deisel's. They are tring to get some deisels approved for the U.S. market. Autogunner.

akbro93704

Where are the ML's(gasoline) currently being manufactured going to? Europe?

autogunner

They should hit showrooms in the USA in late Jan. early Feb. time range. Autogunner.