Mercedes-Benz ML320 1999

The Mercedes-Benz M-Class is a 4-door SUV with mild off-avenue capability, first provided in 1997, and constructed in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, USA, on the identical time as its competitor, the Infiniti QX4. It marked a shift at Mercedes-Benz in turning into a international player; even as it had flora out of doors Germany earlier than, they simply constructed facsimiles of German models. In contrast, the M-Class become conceived with the American marketplace in thoughts and constructed at an American manufacturing unit. Despite early bad press approximately great manipulate, the M-Class have become a massive income achievement withinside the United States. In fact, simplest the C-Class and E-Class promote higher withinside the US.

At launch, the M-Class become a technological 'excursion de force'. It become the primary SUV to function balance manipulate, a device designed to hit upon lack of manipulate and immediately interfere with selective braking to deliver the car again on its supposed course. This device is now hailed with the aid of using protection experts, and research have proven balance manipulate and structures love it are able to lowering unmarried car crashes with the aid of using as much as 30 percent. Furthermore, the M-Class boasted the front and side-effect airbags with superior occupant detection for the the front passenger seat, which, blended with Mercedes' mythical protection structure, earned the M-Class the best marks in coverage enterprise crash tests.

Initial great become poor, and jokes approximately an "Alabama Mercedes" started to make the rounds. A avenue check at the British programme Top Gear found out that the presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, ought to placed his palms into the distance under the rear lighting and above the rear bumper. This advanced over the years, particularly after a moderate facelift for 2002. However, proprietors are frequently sad with the automobile's great - for example, the automobile become positioned ultimate out of 142 vehicles withinside the Top Gear Motoring Survey 2004. DaimlerChrysler spent US$six hundred million on upgrades on the Alabama manufacturing unit earlier than launching the second-era ML in 2005.

Major version variations have blanketed the ML320, ML350, ML430, ML500 and ML55, in conjunction with the ML230 and the turbodiesel ML270 CDI and ML400 CDI in Europe. The ML55, or ML55 AMG, featured a V8 engine made with the aid of using AMG, changed body-work, and different overall performance features. Pricing first of all become US$33,950 for the bottom version in 1998. The ML350 changed the ML320 because the base version withinside the United States some years after its advent with the aid of using Mercedes-Benz.

The M-Class become Motor Trend magazine's Truck of the Year for 1998.