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ML 500
Mercedes-Benz›M-Class›W163

ML 500

W163 · 2001–2005AWDSUV

The ML 500 is a W163.2 SUV built from 2001 to 2005. Its naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 petrol engine makes 292 PS and 440 Nm, with all-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox. It does 0-100 km/h in 7.7 seconds and tops out at 222 km/h.

288 hpPower
7.7 s0-100 km/h
222 km/hTop Speed
2001-2005Year
Gallery

Press photos · M-Class SUV

ML 500Exterior
ML 500Exterior
ML 500Exterior
ML 500Exterior
ML 500Exterior
ML 500Exterior
ML 500Exterior
ML 500Exterior
ML 500Exterior
ML 500Interior
Engineering passport

Specifications

Powertrain
Engineering details
Engine5.0L V8
Displacement5.0 L
Cylinders8
AspirationNaturally aspirated
FuelPetrol
TransmissionAutomatic
DrivetrainAWD
Performance
Numbers that matter
Power288 hp
Torque440 Nm
0-100 km/h7.7 s
Top speed222 km/h
Weight2210 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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