Archive for the ‘M Class’ Category

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class has been on the drawing boards for a while--and now, the German automaker is running tests on prototypes spotted by the spy photographers over at Motor Authority.

The new ML-Class sport-ute is due to arrive in 2011 as a 2012 model. These first photos of test mules show what could be a slightly shorter body, on an unchanged wheelbase. The ML-Class is expected to remain a five-seater, while Mercedes continues to offer a seven-passenger GL-Class ute and continues to debate the future of its six-passenger R-Class crossover.

All three vehicles are now built in Alabama, and share most of their powertrains. For the...

The Mercedes-Benz ML-Class sport-ute is nearing the end of its second generation. With a replacement due in 2011, the next M-Class could get a wide range of engines from a more efficient hybrid model to a twin-turbo AMG version, reports German car site Auto Bild.

The next M-Class should arrive in the middle of 2011 and could be a 2011 or a 2012 model. Auto Bild reports that the powertrains in the new vehicle could include a diesel-electric hybrid as well as a plug-in hybrid based on the existing ML450's gas-electric powertrain. The plug-in could be teamed with a twin-turbo version of the direct-injection Benz 3.5-liter V-6, and might have...

Mercedes-Benz launched its M-Class back in 1997 as a 1998 model. What followed the blessed event wasn't pleasant for the manufacturer. Along with being panned for its dull, minivan-esque styling, the American-built ML fell down in lots of quality tests but amazingly, didn't deter shoppers from coming back for more.

Erase those memories, because the 2009 ML550 shares only its name and general proportions with the original. The ML was completely re-engineered and re-designed for the 2006 model year, and received a face lift for 2009. On the outside, the current M-Class benefits from the detailing that makes many Mercedes-Benz so interesting...