Super SUVs have never been more expensive — or more capable — than they are right now. Yet hiding in plain sight on used-car listings is a machine that delivers genuine AMG drama for the price of a well-worn economy car: the Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG. Pick up a 2009 example with around 140,000 miles, and you could be looking at roughly $13,000 — less than the cheapest new car on sale in the US, the Hyundai Venue. That’s also half what you’d pay for a Toyota RAV4. For that money you get 510 hp, a naturally aspirated V8 hand-assembled by a single Master Engine Builder in Affalterbach, Germany, and a soundtrack that will make your neighbors question their life choices.
Here is all the low-down on the glorious Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG, and why it is one of the most iconic SUVs ever made — and why you really, really need a good one in your driveway.
The ML Thunder Rolls In
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2009 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG
Engine
6.2-liter V8
Power
510 hp
Torque
465 lb-ft
0-60 mph
4.9 seconds
Top speed
155 mph (limited)
The Mercedes-Benz ML55 AMG started the madness in 2000. It was powered by a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 producing 342 hp. It was charming, and sounded, well… okay. But the real thunder arrived in 2009, when Mercedes-Benz gave us the ML63 AMG. The naturally aspirated M156 engine produces 510 hp — 161 hp more than the ML55 — and it sounds absolutely magnificent.
The performance backs up that soundtrack. The plush SUV tips the scales at around 5,000 lbs, yet it dispatches the 0–60 mph sprint in less than five seconds, with a top speed electronically limited to 155 mph. Later models, powered by the brand’s legendary 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8, could be optioned with the AMG Performance Pack, which raised the top speed to around 180 mph. But the original ML63 AMG, with its free-revving, naturally aspirated V8, is considered by many enthusiasts to be the ML range’s defining party trick: the engine spins to just over 7,000 rpm and sounds like a million bucks as the rev counter needle swings around the dial. A seven-speed AMG Speedshift automatic gearbox channels the power permanently to Mercedes-Benz’s 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, ensuring grip is never in short supply.
The engine is hand-built by a Master Engine Builder at AMG’s Affalterbach headquarters in Germany and is a work of art, both visually and viscerally. But that amazing engine — along with the massive brakes and other performance hardware — is also where things get complicated. If you find a 2009 ML63 AMG with 40,000 miles on the clock, previously owned by someone who never once tempted fate against a neighbor’s BMW and who serviced it religiously every 5,000 miles, you have hit the jackpot. Buy it immediately.
But — and this is a big but — if you find a gnarly example with 200,000 miles under the belt, with the brakes cooked, and the fat tires running with metal shards sticking through the rubber, rather walk away, very briskly. This is the pitfall of these amazing SUVs. When they are new, in good condition, and well looked after, they are absolutely amazing. But when you end up with a lemon that’s been through the street racing wars, subjected to the 2am-doing-doughnuts-in-the-McDonald’s-Drive-Through ritual, and never seen a change of oil, get ready for some eye-watering repair bills. Because it is a bespoke AMG model, every part of this SUV costs an arm and a leg.
Some examples, if you will: a major 60,000-mile service can set you back around $7,000 at an approved dealership. A more regular service will cost around $4,000. Replacing an air-conditioning compressor? Another $4,000 or so. Blown engine? A replacement will run more than $10,000 before fitment costs. Brake pads? Around $1,000, including labor. In summary, not cheap to run. At all.
The high-revving M156 engine has some well-documented weak points to watch for, including loose head bolts, camshaft and lifter wear, and valve covers that may spring a leak. Struts, driveshafts, and ball joints are also commonly flagged as troublesome on higher-mileage examples.
Get You Some Turbochargers!
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2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Performance Pack
Engine
5.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V8
Power
518–557 hp
Torque
516–560 lb-ft
0-60 mph
4.6 seconds
Top speed
176 mph (limited)
In 2012, Mercedes-Benz refreshed the ML63 AMG in a significant way. The naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 was replaced by an even more powerful twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8. Gone was the 7,200 rpm redline; in came bucket loads of torque, peaking at 560 lb-ft from 1,750 to 5,000 rpm. The result was a stupendously quick SUV with a distinct roar, capable of covering large amounts of ground in a very short space of time.
But, alas, as stupendously fast as the 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged ML63 may have been, it lost some of the special magic that the naturally aspirated V8 had offered — that tachometer swinging past the 7,000 rpm mark, the quad exhausts providing spectacular sound effects for all and sundry. The 2009 ML63 may not ultimately be as fast as its 2012 cousin, but it sure made the driver smile a lot more.
Depending on condition, the twin-turbocharged ML63 also commands a premium over the 6.2-liter car on the used market. A pristine 2014 version with just over 70,000 miles, for instance, can retail for around $28,000 — still a solid bargain for the horsepower on offer, though prices vary widely with mileage and condition. Just like its naturally aspirated sibling, the twin-turbocharged ML63 will do its best to break your wallet when it comes to dealer servicing and replacement parts. But, as the saying goes: every sport has its injuries.
Oh Dear, What To Buy?
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2026 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance
Drivetrain
2.0-liter, turbocharged inline-4, plus electric motor
Power
671 hp
Torque
752 lb-ft
0-60 mph
3.5 seconds
Top speed
171 mph (limited)
Some good news after the GLE AMG S price shock. The slightly smaller GLC 63 AMG S E Performance is available at a lower entry point — and it is actually faster than its bigger sibling. The GLC is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine combined with a 200-hp electric motor driving the rear axle, delivering a combined total of 671 hp. That’s right, 671 hp. The smaller and more nimble SUV sprints from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds and is electronically limited to a top speed of 171 mph.
But here’s an even better plan. Instead of spending big on the GLE 63 AMG or the GLC 63 AMG, hunt down a 2009 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG in good condition and pay around $13,000 for it.
Try and find one that was driven by an elderly person who never raced anyone and who looked after the Benz as if it were a pot of gold. Then put some of the money you ‘saved’ by not buying one of the new Mercedes-AMGs into a savings account. That’s your kitty for new brake pads, a service, or a fresh set of high-performance tires. You can also use some of that money to add a MagnaFlow high-performance exhaust and give the V8 a light tune.
The driving experience in the ML63 AMG — the V8 engine chasing the 7,200 rpm redline with glorious sound effects — is real, analog, visceral, and quite magnificent. And you can get your whole family and the kitchen sink on board to share the experience. Come to think of it, it is actually the perfect car. Period.
Sources: Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, Bring A Trailer.
