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ML 400 CDI
Mercedes-Benz›M-Class›W163

ML 400 CDI

W163 · 2002–2005AWDSUV

The ML 400 CDI is a W163.2 diesel SUV built from 2002 to 2005. Its bi-turbo 4.0-liter V8 makes 250 PS and 560 Nm and drives all four wheels through an automatic. It weighs 2335 kg, reaches 100 km/h in 8.1 seconds and has a top speed of 213 km/h.

247 hpPower
8.1 s0-100 km/h
213 km/hTop Speed
2002-2005Year
Gallery

Press photos · M-Class SUV

ML 400 CDIExterior
ML 400 CDIExterior
ML 400 CDIExterior
ML 400 CDIExterior
ML 400 CDIExterior
ML 400 CDIExterior
ML 400 CDIExterior
ML 400 CDIExterior
ML 400 CDIExterior
ML 400 CDIInterior
Engineering passport

Specifications

Powertrain
Engineering details
Engine4.0L V8
Displacement4.0 L
Cylinders8
Aspirationbi-turbo
FuelDiesel
TransmissionAutomatic
DrivetrainAWD
Performance
Numbers that matter
Power247 hp
Torque560 Nm
0-100 km/h8.1 s
Top speed213 km/h
Weight2335 kg
Dimensions & body
Height · 1820 mm
Length · 4638 mm
Wheelbase · 2820 mm
Width1840 mm
BodySUV
Doors5
Seats5

STORY

The M-Class was the first modern SUV from Mercedes-Benz, and it arrived at exactly the right moment. It was launched in 1997 and, unusually, built at a brand-new plant in Alabama. The original W163 came on the wave of the luxury-SUV boom in the Americas, and offered car-like comfort and the three-pointed star in a rugged, family-friendly body.

It even reached Hollywood, appearing in Jurassic Park: The Lost World before it went on sale. Early build quality was criticised, but later generations improved the formula, and the M-Class became a genuinely luxurious, capable mid-size SUV.

In 2015 it was renamed GLE to fit Mercedes' unified naming scheme. Its importance is hard to overstate: it set the template for every SUV the brand now builds, and those cars have become the commercial base of the company.

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