A lion in wolf’s clothing.
Climb inside and you’re greeted with typical Mercedes luxury and sensible functionality, with a touch of class you’d expect from the German marque. Just like the outside, our test unit came with a beautiful brown hue inside, complimented by black and silver panels all over.
The dashboard, ventilated seats and upholstery came in stitched leather, while the rest of the panels had full wooden trimmings. Unlike the wooden trims you see on (pretty much) every luxury car, the ML63’s wooden trim was dark matt, where even the grain linings could be felt. Couple this with the amber colored ambient lights and inside of the ML63 turns out to be a very alluring place to be.
Oddly enough, the suede cover on parts of the steering wheel do look nice, but tend to make the wheel slip out if enough pressure is not applied. A very minor pet peeve, but it does become very irritating after a while; your toleration limits will vary.
Not surprisingly the ML63 comes packed with all the latest tech you’d expect from a luxury SUV. The 6-inch touchscreen is responsive, with bright, crisp colors. In case you don’t want to move forward while driving, the entire navigation and entertainment system can be controlled from the knob and buttons next to the driving function buttons near the armrest.
Coming back up to the central console, the inclusion of the complete numerical keypad does make it look more complicated than it is. Indeed the buttons are context sensitive, useful in different menus for different applications. The rear passengers are also greeted with two screens with individual inputs. Couple these with the Harman Kardon Logic 7 surround sound system and you’ve got excellent in-car entertainment for any length of journey.
The ML63 is also one of the quietest SUV’s I’ve tested to date, with almost no road noise at highway speeds. Of course, what you do hear, and what you definitely should want to hear, is the beautiful aural experience of 5.5-liter twin turbocharged engine.
Depending on the mode selected (Normal & Eco) you can hear the low rumble of the engine whenever your pushing the ML63 a little bit. Floor it, though, and the engine roars to life, with the backfire of the turbos so loud that any kid sitting in the back will freak out. Of course, they won’t have time to process their emotions because the torque will just keep the mind and body in place for the duration of the push.
