This is the new, 518bhp Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG, which will go on sale in the UK next spring after its world debut at this week's Los Angeles motor show. It is powered by AMG's new twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 engine.
Compared with its predecessor's normally aspirated 6.2-litre V8, the 5.5 brings a gain of 15bhp and a 51lb ft hike in torque to 516lb ft, delivered from just 1750rpm.
The AMG engine - which gets stop-start as standard - takes the ML to a governed top speed of 155mph and enables it to cover the 0-62mph sprint in just 4.8sec.
An optional AMG Performance Pack (which adds a carbonfibre engine cover, red brake calipers and an AMG steering wheel) pushes the engine¹s output to 550bhp and 560lb ft, although it shaves the 0-62mph sprint back by only a tenth of a second. Economy and CO2 emissions are the same for both versions of the engine: 23.9mpg and 276g/km.
The powerplant drives all four wheels through the AMG 7G-Tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission and specifically designed transfer case, which distributes the engine's torque in a ratio of 40 per cent to the front wheels and 60 per cent to the rear.
The suspension set-up - based around Airmatic suspension, auto damping, speed-sensitive steering and auto-levelling - gets the Active Curve System, which uses active anti-roll bars to reduce body roll in corners.
The ML AMG line began in 1999 with the ML55, powered by a 347bhp 5.5-litre AMG engine, followed by the ML63, which had a 503bhp 6.2-litre V8. Since 1999, 24,000 AMG SUVs have been sold.
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