BoBcanada

My lease is coming to an end on my 06 ML350 in April so now i'm trying to decide whether to go with ML63! It's going to be my DD and the only car I drive... I have a baby girl and a wife

The dilemma is that i want a fun car, ML350 was very good and i like it very much w164 that is, didn't have many problems so im pretty happy with current body.

How fun is ML63? I'm going to my salesman to arrange an extensive test drive, I did drove one but it was way too short around the block.

The other car I consider is 08 M5, but I love snowboarding, We have lots of snow in T.O and I just like bigger cars, the good thing about M5 is it will be pretty fun, on the other hand now in Toronto 50km over will end you up with 7 days suspension HUGE fine and car impounded for 7 days on the spot.

Tough decision!

My past cars were
98 ML320
00 ML430
02 ML55
02 745i
05 E55

Current ML350.

As you can see I did drive lots of ML's I just cant make up my mind! On one hand I like big comfy SUV on the other I do want somthing like m5/E55 What do you do in situation like that guys?

alroumi

I wouldnt hesitate to get one, your a die hard MLFan and so am I as I had a 99 Emerlad green ML320 that I loved

Carl Lassiter

Very capable and rare car but if it were me I'd spring for the new Cayenne Turbo. 0-60 in 4.8secs. In fact, it may be me- if Audi NA do the unthinkable and decide against the RS6 then that's what I'll be getting next year.

M5 in Toronto doesn't make sense when there are AWD cars with just as much power.

blazinginder

ajmamg

Thats actually not such a straightforward decision. With the speeding laws in ontario though, I think your should just go for a ml320 cdi....

in all seriousness, the m5 is a pretty good car. but, it will be useless in the snow. and its pretty expensive vs the ml63 (in canada at least). it is, however, an m product, meaning it will drive sharper and be more exciting that the ml63. during those times where you can really drive, it will be more fun.

but the ml is faster in almost any situation (except maybe a straightline drag race, but thats pretty irrelevant). after driving both the m3 and the ml 63 on and off regularly, you begin to realize the advantage of the torque of the amg motor (i realize the m3 is no m5 in terms of power, but the principle is the same). around town, it is definitely the better car to drive. it has a great interior, and with some good snow tires, is unstoppable in the winter. it is also a FAR better choice that the ridiculously overpriced cayenne turbo.

FloridaE55

Hmm, something sounds strange here..

4.8secs from 0-60 is the ML63! In fact, the Cayenne is a bit slower when it comes to plain 0-60 acceleration (4.9secs), due to its 'Turbo-Lag'. The Cayenne Turbo might be the better car on track and off-road, but it is WAY overpriced. In addition to that, I highly doubt he will be pushing either of these cars to the limit - with his family on bord.

Just try to load all options on the Porsche that come standard on the ML63 and you won't believe your eyes! You pay at least $30K more and still don't get Ventilated Seats, Distronic or Bluetooth.

If you also drive it in snow on a regular basis, I would stay away from the M5 as well. Same applies if you are used to Automatic Transmission. If you drive the M5 in Automatic Mode (D-mode), It's quite possible the ML63 has a faster 0-60 than the M5. Shifting-gaps are HUGE if you are in Auto-mode.

I'd go for the ML63..

kokanee

Get something with grunt! In real world driving with your DD it is all you will notice. If you want it to feel better on the track get the M5 (my dream car before the ML63 came out). But if you dont plan on getting out to the track much, and don't plan on exceeding 160km/hr too often then the ML is the way to go. As Dr D said, the ML63 was as fast or faster on Evo's test track than the M5. In day to day driving on city streets torque is fun and often wont get you a ticket. If you lower the Ml the handling gets quite a bit better. Chip it and you won't be wanting for power. Now if we are talking another car after the ML63 then the M5 is rather interesting.
Having let the ML go on the highway I can tell you its a blast. I guarantee you I have just as much fun as any M5 driver. I just dont get the same "feel". But I'm not a profesional driver.
Either way you've got a great vehicle. If I had to have just one it would be the ML63. It is very easy to live with as a DD. My wife finds it easy to drive too I wonder if MB is going to drop prices in Canada to match to US soon?
I'll admit the SL600 is fun too.
GL with your decision BobCanada.

BoBcanada

The other option that might work is to buy new GT-R ( found out the CND pricing on it 83.000) and lease some kind of SUV like MDX for DD. Wow so many nice cars around! Anyway I still going for a test drive and then make a decision. I have few more month until April!

Thanks for your input guys!

Carl Lassiter

While you're right to point out that Porsche put the CayenneTT at 4.9 secs to 60mph, Autocar (one of the few reliable magazines) tested it at 4.8secs and it reached 100mph in just 11.1secs. Also its 30-70mph was 4.1secs. 516lb/ft helps with this. It's worth pointing out that all three of these times beat the Bentley GT.

I test drove a CayenneTT just last Sunday and while there is some turbo lag, it is minimal compared to say a TDI unit. The base of the Cayenne Turbo is $93k versus $87k for the ML63. Now, you make the point that it isn underequipped in comparison and I agree. However, your "at least $30k" statement is way off. You can have the Turbo fully loaded for $105k.
Now the absence of ventilated seats and bluetooth does appear odd indeed, but where they available they'd only total a further c.$2k more. One gets this difference back in resale.

The ML63 is no doubt a fine vehicle and very close to the Cayenne in every area. However, my personal preference is for the Cayenne, where PDDC has made it an unbeliveable performer.

alex_butheman

ml63 even faster then new cayenne turbo... we did a race. nearly the same but ml a liiiittttle bit faster

brt3

Given the situation you describe, I would recommend the ML550. I love my ML63, but the ML550 is very quick and would give you a good measure of performance with better real world utility and comfort. I've always felt that you can't turn a heavy beast with a high CG into a sports car; in trying to do so there are a number of compromises. For a real-world your-only-car situation, the ML550 might be a better fit.

Of course, we all know what they say about free advice...

Whoopsy

I second the ML550 decision unless you prefer to have an AMG. That 5.5L engine is more than enough to make the car as zippy as you want it to be.
If the ML550 was available when I order my ML63 last year, I would probably have gone with that instead. Having said that, now that I have lived with mine for over a year, I positively absolutely LOVED this truck, I drive it more than my 997TT and that was my daily driver.

On the performance side, this is the link to one of my previous post on ML63's performance numbers:

https://mbworld.org/forums/ml55-amg-ml63-amg-w163-w164/192658-performance-data-current-issue-automobile.html

To summerize, the ML63 does

4.5 to 60, 10.9 to 100, 4.4 30-70

Apart from the 30-70 time, the new Cayenne Turbo is SLOWER to 60 and 100.

Factoring in the pricing, the Cayenne Turbo is getting a drumming from the ML63. I have to admit, the Cayenne does better than the ML63 in offroad situation, but when is the last time you took a 100k truck offroad?

I am a pretty loyal Porsche owner, but I still prefer the ML63 over the new Cayenne Turbo after factoring everything in.

ajmamg

Can I ask where you found out about the Canadian pricing on the GT-R? Is that a base price? I'm looking into it as my m3 is coming off lease soon.

As to the conversation about price between the Cayenne turbo and the ml 63, in the US the prices are pretty different, but here in canada (and since youre from toronto, there too) the price difference between the two is AT LEAST 30K, and only grows the more options you put on the cayenne, like having the porsche crest colored on your mags for $400, so you can imagine where the ceiling is for the turbo.

Also speaking about pricing in canada, it is much more worthwhile to go for the ml 63 here than the regular ml 550. A reasonably equipped ml 550 is about 80K, and a fully loaded one can go as high as 90K. for 100K, you get the ml 63 with virtually every option included in the ml 550 at 90K. 10K for a bigger engine, brakes, better interior, suspension, and body kit is a pretty good deal.

kokanee

The ML seems closest of all the MB's to American pricing in Canada. S, SL etc are way outta wack. Try almost +45% on top of American pricing to get to canadian prices. SL550 in US 97k. In Canada 138k. At least Porche did an across the board price drop in Canada. MB Canada has a real cash cow going and seem to like sticking Canadians in the rear. I will wait for prices to equalize before getting another one or buy it in the States and SCRE>W MB canada with their gouging. THey told me they couldn't drop prices in order to protect the current owners with their resale value. Can you imagine what would happen if your 2 year old MB was worth more than a new car as far as lease value goes? There would be 100% lease returns and MB has to guarantee the book value to the dealer. I guess they are hoping Canadians wont notice or are to crazy to care. Used MB's are 40+% less in the US. I do believe MB may paint themeselves into a corner if the don't wake up soon. My local dealer admitted he is loosing many big sales to the US.

FloridaE55

I actually didn't compare the base-price. I ordered a fully equipped ML63 for about $96K and you are right - my guess of 'at least $30K more' was incorrect - however, you won't be able to get a Cayenne Turbo equally equipped as the $96K ML63 for $105K. Fully loaded - Yes, but what does 'fully loaded' mean? We have to compare apples to apples - or features to features. I just used the porsche.com configurator and the price-difference is still a whopping $20K!

Keep in mind that the US Configurator doesn't show the optional Rear-Entertainment System and illuminated door-sills that are already included in the $96K on the ML63. I didn't include a 'compensation' for Bluetooth, Ventilated Seats and Distronic (Distronic alone costs more than $2K).

BoBcanada

Someone quoted this from some article.

When it lands in Canada in June, it will do so with only one option - the Ultimate Silver paint job (it's a seven-coat, 13-hour, hand-polished finish so deep it seems as though you can dip your fingers into the lustre). The price? With a suggest sticker of around $83,000, the GT-R is on of the world's most affordable supercar"

So:

Black interior only
Comes with Bose package
Only extra $ option is the Ultimate Silver color (so it mean the GT-R comes with the extra airbags too)
MSRP: $83,000

in US fully loaded it will cost 71,000 as usual we are gettin lil bit raped with price but not by much, i expected more!

http://www.nationalpost.com/life/dri...?id=133487&p=1

lasvegas99

I love snowboarding too. Doesn't the M5 have something similar to an airmatic suspension? I usally take my ML up to the mountains but I just took My E500 last weekend during a light snow storm. I have a RennTech ELM custom mounted in the center console where the car is normally droped about 2 inches. Last weekend, drove up to the chain up area, adjusted the ELM in the center console, raised the car back to stock plus the extra .5 inches and threw on cables and went right up with the 4x4's Came back down took them off and dropped the car in 5 min. I like cars better so there might be a similar solution for the M5.

Just a thought

MB Fanatic

get both the m5 and the ml63.

Carl Lassiter

There's an M5 Touring now. Loads of space and pace. Chuck snow snow chains/winter tires and bob's your uncle

acicchelli

The Cayenne and ML63 are similar in acceleration from a roll, but from a stop the ML63 will trounce the Cayenne everytime. The only way to keep it close from a stop is to power brake and build boost before taking off in the Cayenne. No one is going to do this on a regular basis, and without it, the Cayenne will be so far behind in a 0-60 race. While both cars have their advantages/disadvantages, the ML63 is the overall better bargain, and the 7 speed transmission is fantastic.

eugeneC55

Where did you hear that RS6 may not be coming to US?

Carl Lassiter

I'm 95percent sure it will (as are certain dealers hence my deposit) but there is always the chance something could go wrong so don't want to count my chickens, especially as Audi of America refuse to confirm its arrival.

brt3

I believe the confusion is over Audi's statement that the RS6 Avant (wagon) won't be coming to the USA. I've heard the sedan is a "go"...