dougiebear

YYZ is code for Toronto Airport :o)

K91109

Is that confirmed for 2013? where did you get such info from?

GregW / Oregon

Here is pricing so far. No base price, but probably same as 2011 (~$93k).

YYZ-E55

I don't think so... check page 6 of the DOG you provided. I thought it was getting the adhesive flares, but alas. Perhaps just a slightly wider track.

GregW / Oregon

Well, I've seen wrong spec sheets before. This is the quote from Daimler's press release, "The AMG front apron is integrated with the distinctive front fenders, which are 10 millimetres wider on either side in order to accommodate the large AMG light-alloy wheels in elegant fashion." 295/35R21s are optional. It's also possible the widest point is at the rear which does not receive wider fenders. I didn't notice when I first read this that only the front fenders are mentioned.

YYZ-E55

Agreed; front gets flared fenders, rear is the same for all engine variants. This follows C63/E63/etc. I still prefer the added flares featured on the 164.

GregW / Oregon

2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG: Drive review

By: Barry Winfield on 1/13/2012

What is it?

AMG’s upgrade of the third-generation Mercedes ML SUV retains the ML63 nomenclature, even though it switches from the 6.3-liter V8 to a twin-turbo, direct-injection 5.5-liter V8. In this guise the car produces 518 hp at 5,250 rpm and 560 lb-ft of torque from 1,750 rpm to 5,000 rpm.

The company also offers a performance package for the ML63, bumping turbo boost pressure from 14.5 psi to 18.8 psi to increase engine output to 550 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque. The package also increases top speed from the usual electronically limited 155 mph to a similarly limited 174 mph. An influence of the Porsche Cayenne, maybe?

As is usual with Mercedes products, there is a battery of electronic driver’s aids, including ABS, ESP, active parking assist, attention assist, blind-spot assist and lane-keeping assist. Distinct from those are optional active versions of blind-spot and lane-keeping assist, where the stability-control system applies brakes selectively to correct the driver’s course.

The torque split on the ML63’s 4Matic all-wheel-drive system is biased toward the rear, at a 40/60 ratio, and the chassis specifications include air springs, adaptive damping shocks and what the company calls the active curve system (basically variable roll stiffness produced in response to driver and vehicle inputs) provided by actuators at the car’s antiroll bars.

Although comprehensively equipped as standard, the ML63 offers a list of options that includes active cruise control, rear-seat entertainment, B&O audio and more.


What is it like to drive?

As we’ve come to expect from AMG vehicles, the ML63 belies its 5,000-pound mass both in the way it accelerates and the way it handles. With max torque from way down on the tachometer, the car steps off with serious intent and runs to 60 mph in a claimed 4.7 seconds. It never feels anything but decidedly muscular, and the constant staccato grumble from the exhaust underscores the engine’s potential.

But the ML63 also boasts much improved fuel economy (33 percent better, according to company claims) and can be driven at moderate speeds with excellent accompanying refinement and comfort. Still, with AMG ride control composed of air springs, adaptive-damping shocks and variable roll-stiffness actuators, the ML63 adjusts to fast driving in a surprising fashion.

Big 21-inch wheels mount sporty Michelin summer tires, and the grip levels are high. Add the carefully composed chassis, and you have a big SUV that cuts swaths through canyon country in a way that will shock its occupants. An electromechanical rack-and-pinion steering mechanism directs the car with accuracy and a fair amount of feel, and one is soon marveling at its ability to pick and hold precise cornering lines.

The brake pedal has a fairly long travel, but this helps modulate the amount of pressure going to the big rotors in a way that makes driving in traffic very intuitive. While we’d prefer a tad less movement in higher-intensity applications, braking performance was always strong and dependable.

We think the interior design is a big improvement on the previous car, especially when tricked out with the unique AMG touches, and there is more than enough technology included to help the driver find his way without backing or crashing into anything. You can vary chassis programs among comfort, sport and sport-plus, or select from economy, sport and manual at the transmission, depending on your needs.

When in economy mode, the engine will shut off when the ute stops, then restart when you remove your foot from the brake. The ML63 easily embraces the various roles described for it by the technology. It will troll the urban landscape with a quiet and calm demeanor or storm a mountain road with every muscle flexed and be equally convincing in either role.


Do I want it?

The idea of a high-riding, all-wheel drive, go-anywhere SUV with a dual personality only appeals to fans of the genre. The rest of us equate performance with sports cars or sport sedans. Yet the ML63 is a convincing shape shifter here, able to handle pretty much all of the tasks typically confronting a vehicle in a thoroughly convincing manner.

Much of its versatility is as a result of expensive technologies expertly applied by talented engineers. So it’s not cheap. The price is not yet fixed in the United States, but Mercedes personnel are guessing $80,000. But wait, before you protest, consider the European price of about 109,000 euros, which is about $138,000. That’s nearly a $60,000 discount, fellow Americans. So rejoice.

2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG

On Sale: April

Base Price: $80,000 (est)

Drivetrain: 5.5-liter, 525-hp, 516-lb-ft twin-turbocharged V8; AWD, seven-speed automatic

Curb Weight: 4,900 lb (est)

0-60 MPH: 4.7 sec (mfr)

Fuel Economy: 16 mpg (est)

YYZ-E55

Look at that porcelain designo leather with the black headliner... mmmm so good!

GregW / Oregon

Any idea how much that option will be?

YYZ-E55

My understanding was that MBUSA was planning to offer designo nappa leather standard at no charge, as is MB Canada. The base config from Germany offers standard (non-nappa) leather.

GregW / Oregon

Hope they have it as an option on the other models.

lboudreau

Hey Greg, do you know when the images you posted above would have been taken? What state is that plate in the back from? I ask because I noticed this is a US ML63 and it does not have amber markers on the bi-xenon headlamps... Hmmm. I wonder if this is part of some of the changes they have made that delayed the lighting package

EDIT: looked at the original article, plate is from Michigan

GregW / Oregon

Pics were taken in California, it looks like. Probably a Euro model, since we know US ones will have the amber lights/reflectors.

jtorrebl

might be my next models color.

lboudreau

Couple of reasons why I think this is a US model:

1. It has the plate mount for NA plates, which wouldn't make sense if they were just shipping it over to let someone review it, as Euro vehicles are permitted to use their plates here for a limited time.

2. It has the SAT radio antenna on the back which isn't available in Europe.

YYZ-E55

Palladium Silver

GregW / Oregon

Plate mounts are interchangeable. Also, There's no "shipping over" as all are made in the US.
Euro models get the same appearing antenna. If it's like the W164 it's a combo sattelite/AM-FM/GPS unit.

The ML63 displayed at the LA show had the amber reflectors/corner lights, which are required in some fashion by DOT, so you can be sure we're getting them.

jtorrebl

So did the Ml550 that was accessible to the public on the floor.