M156 6.2L naturally aspirated V8, the only SUV to receive one.
The W164 ML63 used the legendary M156 AMG V8, one of AMG’s most important engines.
Huge displacement, instant throttle response and the noise the V8 made as the car banged through gears.
One of the first truly absurd performance SUVs
At the time, a large luxury SUV with over 500 hp made very little sense.
AMG basically helped create the modern “super SUV” formula here.
507 hp in a heavy family SUV
The idea itself felt excessive.
A car designed for family practicality suddenly had sports-car acceleration and AMG exhaust noise.
0-100 km/h in 5 seconds dead.
Large wheels, flared arches, quad exhausts and loud startup behaviour made the ML63 very different from ordinary diesel ML models.
Peak naturally aspirated AMG era.
Later AMG SUVs became turbocharged and more refined.
The W164 ML63 still is raw, loud and slightly ridiculous in the best possible way.