There are important cars in the world and even if you search the internet for articles titled, 'Most Important Cars In The World', you'll come across names like the Ford Model T, Ford Mustang, the MINI and many more, but rarely would you see the mention of the Mercedes-Benz M-Class. It was an important car not just for the US but also for India. It's been close to 20 years since the car has been in production and its journey has been a long one.
Mercedes-Benz had planned to replace the G-Class, which at the time had been in production for 11 years. The company then entered into a joint agreement with Mitsubishi Motors to develop and produce a sports-utility vehicle. Plans were made to base it on the Montero/Pajero platform, with one of them being badged as a Mercedes-Benz and the other a Mitsubishi. While these plans were just about falling into place, they were abandoned for citing 'technical problems', which is when Mercedes-Benz decided to take it on itself to design, develop and launch what will go on to become to first modern luxury crossover. It was in 1997 that Mercedes-Benz finally launched the car and it was manufactured at the company's Alabama plant in the U.S.
The M-Class was manufactured at the company's Alabama plant in the U.S
It was a car ahead of its time and it was not as if there weren't other manufacturers in the run. There was Lexus with the RX300, Land Rover had the Discovery and even the Range Rover and of course there was the Toyota Land Cruiser, but all were either too expensive or weren't that great on build quality or features. The M-Class, then, rung in a whole new dimension to buyers who wanted more for less. The mid-sized body-on-frame SUV with seating for five, or seven with an optional third-row seat, made it a compact and functional car.
It was the first luxury SUV to feature electronic stability control and there were front- and side-impact airbags with advanced occupant detection for the front passenger seat. The M-Class or W163 was first sold with the 3.2-litre V6 petrol engine which is why it was called the ML320. This was followed by an entry-level ML230 which boasted of a 2.3-litre in -line four engine. The most powerful of the lot was the ML430 which came with a 4.3-litre V8, but clearly there was more firepower needed and this is when Mercedes decided to turn the heat up with an AMG version. It was in 1999 that a 5.4-litre V8 went into the ML55 AMG and this along with the modified body kit and performance enhancements made it a powerhouse of sorts.
The M-Class In the Jurassic Park Movie
But even before the M-Class was launched, it had become a movie star. It was just before the launch of the M-Class that the producers of The Lost World: Jurassic Park approached Mercedes-Benz for the car and the company happily allowed them to make use of modified pre-production version of the car. Yes, it's the same car that saved Vince Vaughn from being eaten by a dinosaur, so clearly, now you know what a super hero it is.
Fast forward 2012 and Mercedes-Benz India rolled out the first W166 M-Class to be built outside the USA. It was a lovely little car and in 2015, Mercedes-Benz changed its nomenclature and it was now to be called the GLE Class. The facelift of the W166 or now called the GLE made its debut at the 2015 New York Motor show and the coupe version of the car was first showcased at the North American International Auto Show. The looks have changed, the features too and now, it's all the more sophisticated and it was also the first time this car got a plug-in hybrid version in the form of the GLE 500e.
In 2012 Mercedes-Benz India rolled out the first W166 M-Class to be built outside the USA
A lot has changed then, but yet again Jurassic Park was to see more cars from Mercedes-Benz. The GLE 450 AMG Sport Coupe made its debut in the latest instalment of the Jurassic series, Jurassic World and yes it shared a good amount of screen space with the dinos. It is an evolution of sorts, we can say, and the M-Class, close to 20 years old now, is still standing tall with the biggest creatures on the face of this earth.
