Mercedes SUV packs superb power, handling
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Floor the loud pedal of the new-for-2012 Mercedes-benz ML 63 AMG and the turbocharged 5.5-litre V-8 will pin you back in the driver’s seat like an airliner on takeoff, thanks to maximum torque being made available at low r.p.m.
Keep your foot on it and this new über-suv will take you to 100 kilometres an hour in a scant 4.8 seconds, even though it weighs in at 2,345 kilograms. Of course, this kind of full power takeoff is very wasteful fuel consumption akin to tossing a handful of loonies and toonies out the driver’s side window at every green light, but who’s counting?
Power is addictive and the German automakers are in an all-out battle in the low-volume but very profitable niche segment that is the performance sport-ute. And so enter the new ML 63 AMG, ready to go head to head with the X5M and X6M from BMW as well as the Porsche Cayenne Turbo.
Mercedes-benz actually shot the opening salvo in the über-performance SUVS war with the ML 55 AMG, which was released just before the new millennium.
Back then, it was powered by a 5.5L V-8 good for 342 horsepower, which was a big deal at the time but now seems so 1999 in light of the fact that the current ML 350’s engine is rated at 302 hp and the ML 550 at 402 ponies. Between then and now, the goalposts have been moved and 500 hp is now the de facto minimum to play in the performance SUV game.
That’s no problem for the newcomer with 518 ponies on tap, 550 if you ante up to the AMG Performance Package, which increases turbocharger boost from 1.0 to 1.3 bar, shaving one-tenth of a second off the sprint to 100 km/h in the process.
AMG engineers claim that fuel consumption has been reduced by 28 per cent over the previous model, thanks in part to an automatic start/ stop system that automatically shuts off the engine when the vehicle is stationary, only to re-fire it as soon as the driver re- leases the brake pedal.
The ML 63 AMG is rated at 11.8 litres per 100 km on the EU fuel consumption cycle, but we averaged 14.8 L/100 km on our spirited test drive through the canyons northwest of Santa Barbara.
Cutting through canyon roads, one can only be amazed at the composure and the road holding of this more- than- two- ton SUV. Simply put, the ML 63 AMG can hold its own against many performance cars.
The AMG engineers have done a tremendous job in making it handle as well as it does. The electromechanical rack-and-pinion steering is very accurate and provides a fair amount of feel and the brakes always felt strong and powerful.
Standard on the ML 63 AMG is the Active Curve System, which automatically adjusts the front and rear anti-roll bars to effectively limit body roll in corners. This system, combined with ultra-wide highperformance tires riding on 21-inch wheels, explains why the cornering speeds can be so high.
When the vehicle is driv- en in a straight line, the anti-roll bars are decoupled to improve the ride comfort. With three different settings (Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus) for the air suspension system as well as for the drive-train (Controlled Efficiency, Sport, Manual), the ML 63 AMG’S driving character can be altered at the touch of only two buttons. Relaxed cruising or sports car handling is therefore available to the driver at all times.
Inside the cabin, you will find very supportive electrically adjustable front seats as well as a four-spoke performance steering wheel. Sadly, as is the case with all Mercedes-benz vehicles, the ML 63 AMG is equipped with an infotainment centre screen with old-school graphic displays that pale in comparison with the more vivid and accurate graphics featured in Audis or BMWS.
The 2012 ML 63 AMG will be available in Canadian dealerships in February or March. Pricing is not finalized, but it will probably be similar to the current model, which retails for $97,500.