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ML 280 CDI
Mercedes-Benz›M-Class›W164

ML 280 CDI

W164 · 2005–2008AWDSUV

The ML 280 CDI is a W164.1 SUV built from 2005 to 2008. A turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 diesel makes 190 PS and 440 Nm and drives all four wheels through an automatic. It weighs 2185 kg and does 0-100 km/h in 9.8 seconds.

187 hpPower
9.8 s0-100 km/h
205 km/hTop Speed
2005-2008Year
Gallery

Press photos · M-Class SUV

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ML 280 CDIInterior
Engineering passport

Specifications

Powertrain
Engineering details
Engine3.0L V6
Displacement3.0 L
Cylinders6
AspirationTurbo
FuelDiesel
TransmissionAutomatic
DrivetrainAWD
Performance
Numbers that matter
Power187 hp
Torque440 Nm
0-100 km/h9.8 s
Top speed205 km/h
Weight2185 kg
Dimensions & body
Height · 1779 mm
Length · 4780 mm
Wheelbase · 2915 mm
Width1911 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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