Car Moon

Good news for those looking to shop Mercedes-Benz’s next-generation M-Class SUV as the German firm has kept pricing for the two available models at launch unchanged over the respective versions of the outgoing ML, despite the new design, improved engines and upgraded standard equipment.

Mercedes-Benz’s all-new 2012 M-Class (or ML) makes its on-the-road debut in the U.S. this week so the German company decided to drop a new batch of images for our viewing pleasure.

The Stuttgart firm’s new luxury SUV enters the 2012 model year in the U.S. with a choice of two models. First up is the diesel-powered ML350 BlueTEC delivering 240 horsepower and 455 lb.-ft. of torque, while averaging 20mpg in the city and 25mpg on the highway.

The man behind the “Forward Russia!” movement, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, took his campaign motto a smidgen too seriously when he almost...forwarded a Mercedes M-Class he was driving into a crowd of people cheerfully waiting for him on the side of the road.

While we can’t be 100 percent sure, from the video it looks like Medvedev either forgot to put the SUV’s handbrake on or even worse, didn’t shift out of drive and into park before jumping out of the vehicle to meet his voters.

Fortunately, Medvedev’s security was alert and managed to stop the Mercedes before it hit the crowd. The incident allegedly occurred in the city of Kazan on Monday. The video, which you can watch after the break, went viral and has already more than 200,000 views on Youtube in less than 24 hours.

It seems that 2014 is going to be a good year for SUV fans: after the news on Audi’s Q4, Mercedes-Benz is also reportedly planning to release another crossover, according to Autocar. However, this one will be more up-market and will have BMW’s X6 (and Audi's Q6, which is expected in 2016) squarely in its sights.

An obvious movement since the controversially styled SUV from BMW has sold more than 120,000 since its launch in 2009. Like its archrival from Munich, Mercedes’s sporty SUV will be a four-seater with a sporty design.

The new 2012 ML-Class has been making the rounds on the web-o-sphere for a couple of days now, and today Mercedes-Benz’ press department finally decided to share the details and a high-resolution photo gallery of its newcomer with the rest of the world. We have already voiced our thoughts about the ML-Class’ styling so on this post we’re going to concentrate on the available engine lineup and specifications.

Starting with the North American model, the third-generation ML-Class will make its U.S. retail debut in September 2011 with two available models at launch, the ML350 4MATIC and the ML350 BlueTEC. More engines will be added down the road.

By now, you know that Mercedes-Benz has released the new 2012 ML-Class ahead of its world premiere at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. If you’re curious to see how the German firm’s American-made SUV looks on road, this is your lucky day as Mercedes has just published two official videos including a five-minute long film of its BMW X5 rival. You can watch both clips right after the break. Read more »

A leaked brochure of the all-new 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML Class that was floating around the internet on Monday was followed up today with the release of the first official photos.

We are still waiting for Mercedes to come out with an announcement detailing the next iteration of its mid-size SUV, but aside from the evolved styling language, we learn that the ML also introduces a new engine lineup that will include a 2.1-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine with a little over 200-horses. A hybrid version based on the same turbocharged diesel powerplant will follow next year.

Even though the official presentation of the new M Class isn’t due until later this year - most likely at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in early September, an increasing number of lightly camouflaged prototypes have been caught roaming around the roads of Germany.

During the past few months, we’ve covered the 2012 M Class pretty extensively with both professional and reader shots. This new photo of a pair of M Class SUVs sitting side by side at a parking lot with other Mercedes models comes courtesy of Carscoop reader Patrick Favoreel.

Mercedes-Benz has plenty of new models in store for us this year, with the German automaker having already revealed the refreshed C-Class, the new C-Class Coupe along with its AMG brethren, as well as the all-new SLK hardtop roadster. And there’s more to come with the Stuttgart-based company planning to unleash several more new model throughout the year including the next–generation M-Class SUV that was snagged by Carscoop reader Gal Leibovici during a recent trip to Germany. Gal spotted two different M-Class prototypes on separate occasions. Read more »

A total of 2,297 diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz models are being recalled in the U.S. to fix a potential problem that could lead to fuel leaks. The recall affects certain diesel versions of the 2011MY E-Class, GL-Class, R-Class and M-Class vehicle range.

After unveiling its Nissan 370Z and Audi A5 Cabriolet kits in September, German tuning firm Senner is at it again with its treatment for the Mercedes-Benz ML500. The company's engineers first turned their attention on the SUVs 5.5-liter V8 engine by optimizing the ECU module and lifting output from the factory model's 388HP and 530Nm, to 412HP and 560Nm [416 lb-ft] of torque.

Last time we showed you spy photos of Mercedes-Benz's forthcoming 2012 M-Class and ML63 AMG SUVs [confusingly, Merc uses the 'M-Class' title for the series and the 'ML' prefix for the model designation], both models were covered in heavy plastic cladding.

In these latest scoop pics of the flagship ML63 AMG, the plastic armor is gone and replaced by black tape, providing us with a more revealing look at the car's styling. The new M-Class features a 'boxier' shape and is evidently more heavily sculpted than the current model. It also gets the more angular grille up front, found on all the latest Mercedes cars.

Despite the rising importance of green issues in the auto industry, carmakers continue the development of full-size SUVs / 4x4s such as the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class. Our scoop photographers snagged some of the very first pictures of the next generation Mercedes SUV while undergoing testing in Germany.

Although details are scarce, we do know that the new GL will make use of a stretched version of the next ML's platform, which is also shared with the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the upcoming Dodge Durango. The same goes for the powertrains options that will mirror those of the new ML and include V6 and V8 engine options.

Mercedes-Benz's 510-horsepower-strong ML63 AMG SUV has received some rather minor upgrades for the 2011 model year. The subtle changes to the exterior include a newly styled bonnet with power domes, darkened bi-xenon headlamps with active light function and smoked tail lamps incorporating a clear-lens design and LED technology. And that about covers the updates to the 2011 ML63 AMG model.

Even though the standard 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class is still undergoing development, the company's AMG division has began testing the high-performance version of the series.

Expected to arrive shortly after the standard M-Class model, which itself, will go on sale in late 2011, the ML 63 AMG will feature the brand's newly developed 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 in place of the outgoing car's naturally aspirated 6.2-liter unit.

The countdown is on to the new Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV that will roll out of Stuttgart sometime in the second-half of 2011. Last time we brought you some early scoop photos of the new SUV on one of its first tests on road. Now, spies have video-snagged the next M-Class during winter testing.

Sharing a platform with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee and the upcoming 2012 Dodge Durango, the M-Class will get a revised engine lineup that will most likely include a next-generation hybrid powertrain with plug-in capability.

Now here's an incident that you don't get to see very often - let alone capture on film. But these spy photographers got lucky when, while they were tailing a camouflaged 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML SUV prototype on a snow covered road, the driver of the SUV led them straight to a CL-Class AMG facelift test car that was trapped in a ditch!

At first, the Mercedes-Benz team tried to pull out the CL-Class AMG coupe only with the all-wheel drive ML.

When that didn't work, they then employed the help of an S-Class AMG sedan equipped with snow chains. The combined pulling power of the two Mercs did the job. Enjoy the video after the break.

Looking to spice up your factory Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG? No problem, just as long as you're prepared to 'lighten' your bank account by €35,784 that comes to around US $53,200 at today's exchange rates. Because that's what VATH is asking for to turn the wick up on the ML 63 AMG. This will buy you the full range of upgrades that include engine and chassis modification as well as new alloy wheels and tires, and a couple of styling add-ons.

Mercedes-Benz will launch the new ML450 HYBRID onto the U.S. market on Monday, November 16 but with one catch: you won't be able to buy it. See, the German automaker is offering the hybrid SUV in the States as part of a special lease only option. Those interested can choose between a monthly lease price of $659 per month for 36 months or $549 per month for 60 months.

Two heavily camouflaged prototypes of the next generation Mercedes-Benz ML-Class (or M-Class, if you prefer) were caught testing in Germany by our man with the long lens. These spy pictures suggest that Merc's BMW X5 and Audi Q7 rival in the luxury SUV segment may be slightly smaller with shorter front and rear overhangs than the current model, though it appears that the wheelbase remains the same.