ML meets Outer Banks
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 702
Likes: 30
From: Leesburg, VA
2017 C63S
ML meets Outer Banks
Well, some may call this blasphemous, how dare I take an ML63 and attempt off-road beach driving, well, I am here to report that the ML was a beast on the beach as well :-)
I drove her down on invitation of a friend who has a house in Carova, NC. For those that don't know the area, this is the northern tip of the outer banks of NC. You basically hit Kitty Hawk, make a left, go up past Duck and Corolla until the road ends. That is when the fun begins :-) Raise the truck up and you're off! Went from the entrance to mile marker 20 in a mix of compact wet sand, trenched loose sand, and heavy heavy sand. Saw multiple suv's stuck, those more mostly victims of having too low clearance or stopping. I found it to be very similar to how the truck behaves in snow. I spotted one other Benz on the beach during the trip, a GL450. Most other vehicles were jeep, F150 or similar pick ups.
Left yesterday and made the same trek back down the beach to the hard surface. Gave her a complete bath and undercarriage, engine bay rinse to make sure all the contaminants were off. A good vacuum in the interior and she is good as new. What a champ that truck was off road.
Don't be afraid to look beyond the engine folks, this is one of my favorite vehicles ever for overall utility. HA, and my buddy thought I would get stuck.
I drove her down on invitation of a friend who has a house in Carova, NC. For those that don't know the area, this is the northern tip of the outer banks of NC. You basically hit Kitty Hawk, make a left, go up past Duck and Corolla until the road ends. That is when the fun begins :-) Raise the truck up and you're off! Went from the entrance to mile marker 20 in a mix of compact wet sand, trenched loose sand, and heavy heavy sand. Saw multiple suv's stuck, those more mostly victims of having too low clearance or stopping. I found it to be very similar to how the truck behaves in snow. I spotted one other Benz on the beach during the trip, a GL450. Most other vehicles were jeep, F150 or similar pick ups.
Left yesterday and made the same trek back down the beach to the hard surface. Gave her a complete bath and undercarriage, engine bay rinse to make sure all the contaminants were off. A good vacuum in the interior and she is good as new. What a champ that truck was off road.
Don't be afraid to look beyond the engine folks, this is one of my favorite vehicles ever for overall utility. HA, and my buddy thought I would get stuck.
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Adelaide, South Australia
ML63
Haha, awesome! I was wondering how the 63 would handle a bit of sand. I bet not too many others have tried this. Nicely done! I'm inspired to give mine a beach blast now. Plenty of it here in Australia. 500hp roosting past the pick-up brigade will be a laugh!
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 702
Likes: 30
From: Leesburg, VA
2017 C63S
Return to the Outer Banks
Just took the ML to the Outer Banks for New Years week, truck was so awesome on the beach, no issues at all once again. The truck is a stud and it was funny watching people in Jeeps and F-150's scoping out the AMG as it effortlessly navigated the sand :-)
Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 119
Likes: 1
From: New Jersey
1961 Mercedes-Benz 190SL and 2016 BMW X5M
red60R:
We have been driving our 2007 ML63 AMG down to our beach house in Pine Island on the northern OBX since 2007. It is a great cruiser, even packed full with all of our luggage, golf clubs, cases of wine/beer and assorted vacation items. I have never taken it up past the paved road onto the sand in Carova since I have not need or desire to forage the sand. From friends of ours who have a house up there, we know that it is in the summer months if they have gone 4-5 days or more without rain that the sand drys out in the hot sun and that is when most of the vehicles, including all-wheel drive ones, sometimes have problems getting stuck, sinking deep into the soft dry sand. Also, with my summer performance tires I would not have the necessary bite to have much traction in that type of sand. So I am perfectly happy staying on the hard asphalt.
We were also there for the week between Christmas and New Year's.
I will look out for you if you plan to go back down to the OBX.
AVB-AMG
We have been driving our 2007 ML63 AMG down to our beach house in Pine Island on the northern OBX since 2007. It is a great cruiser, even packed full with all of our luggage, golf clubs, cases of wine/beer and assorted vacation items. I have never taken it up past the paved road onto the sand in Carova since I have not need or desire to forage the sand. From friends of ours who have a house up there, we know that it is in the summer months if they have gone 4-5 days or more without rain that the sand drys out in the hot sun and that is when most of the vehicles, including all-wheel drive ones, sometimes have problems getting stuck, sinking deep into the soft dry sand. Also, with my summer performance tires I would not have the necessary bite to have much traction in that type of sand. So I am perfectly happy staying on the hard asphalt.
We were also there for the week between Christmas and New Year's.
I will look out for you if you plan to go back down to the OBX.
AVB-AMG
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 702
Likes: 30
From: Leesburg, VA
2017 C63S
red60R:
We have been driving our 2007 ML63 AMG down to our beach house in Pine Island on the northern OBX since 2007. It is a great cruiser, even packed full with all of our luggage, golf clubs, cases of wine/beer and assorted vacation items. I have never taken it up past the paved road onto the sand in Carova since I have not need or desire to forage the sand. From friends of ours who have a house up there, we know that it is in the summer months if they have gone 4-5 days or more without rain that the sand drys out in the hot sun and that is when most of the vehicles, including all-wheel drive ones, sometimes have problems getting stuck, sinking deep into the soft dry sand. Also, with my summer performance tires I would not have the necessary bite to have much traction in that type of sand. So I am perfectly happy staying on the hard asphalt.
We were also there for the week between Christmas and New Year's.
I will look out for you if you plan to go back down to the OBX.
AVB-AMG
We have been driving our 2007 ML63 AMG down to our beach house in Pine Island on the northern OBX since 2007. It is a great cruiser, even packed full with all of our luggage, golf clubs, cases of wine/beer and assorted vacation items. I have never taken it up past the paved road onto the sand in Carova since I have not need or desire to forage the sand. From friends of ours who have a house up there, we know that it is in the summer months if they have gone 4-5 days or more without rain that the sand drys out in the hot sun and that is when most of the vehicles, including all-wheel drive ones, sometimes have problems getting stuck, sinking deep into the soft dry sand. Also, with my summer performance tires I would not have the necessary bite to have much traction in that type of sand. So I am perfectly happy staying on the hard asphalt.
We were also there for the week between Christmas and New Year's.
I will look out for you if you plan to go back down to the OBX.
AVB-AMG
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