4 THE RIDE
Aggressive big daddy this is.
I’d probably say this is the most aggressive-looking car in its segment, next to the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8. Just from the drooping front grille with a mashed black cover and the square-slit bottom bumper, one immediately realises this ain’t your ordinary mama's ML. The headlights are big and clear, being complemented by the round foglights below. The running board on the sides gives it authority, kinda like those cars that secret agents use when protecting VIPs.
It scares me.
It’s meant to scare the opposition away. It’s also meant to help its buyers feel special and exclusive, make them see they’ve bought a car that stands out from the rest. Boy does it stand out! Those massive 21-inch tyres with the smokey rims almost fill up the wheel arches which are already quite fat themselves. At the rear two pieces of kit are dead giveaways; the four shiny oval tailpipes and the rear diffuser that separates them. The side mirrors fold when the "lock" button is pushed on the key.
Ok, the looks are definitely there. What about the go?
Well if you glance at the quick stats you’ll realise that they read like figures attained by a sports car, which the ML 63 AMG quite is. I reckon though, that with a better gearing of the 7-speeder the car would go quicker. Take-off tests were done using the M-Sport mode which allows the driver to change gears using the shift paddles behind the steering wheel. Even in this way the changes are just not quick enough. In fact you are probably better off leaving the car in full automatic mode (Comfort or Sport) rather than endure the wait for the next gear long after you’ve selected it.
Other than that?
Other than that you have a full blown performance vehicle with an engine sound fit to be part of a bass vocal group led by Vin Diesel. The steering wheel is flat-bottomed and not exactly round. Grip is sticky on it and it turns very well. The alloy paddles behind it are easy to use – the right-hand one is to shift up, left-hand to shift down. On the dashboard are gadgets like the screen to operate wizardry such as satellite navigation, radio/CD player and the SD card slot. Foot pedals are made of an alloy with rubber buttons for grasping any type of shoe sole. Electronically adjustable seats made of leather and Alcantara are fitted and sport AMG logos.
I don’t see much interior difference from the normal ML.
I’ve just explained to you the differences!
But what else is different?
Our test car came with the rear DVD screens which are not installed on the headrests as expected but stick out like they are aftermarket gadgets. Nevertheless the DVD system is state-of-the-art and quite interesting in that the wireless headphones only work in the zone where the screen is on. For example if you switch on the left rear screen, put the headphones on and shift into the rear middle area the headphones stop working. Likewise if you stick your head out the window or peep into the front area.
What happens around the bends?
Could be fun if you are careful, could be a dip on the grass/gravel/pedestrian if you are not. Understand the ML 63 AMG is too high to corner like a smaller sports car, so it won’t. It does however, almost corner like a big sports sedan when the suspension has been lowered (through a button on the centre console). The 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system also plays its part in keeping the car stuck on the road. Again, the letdown is the gearbox with its delayed manual changes.
Does it work?
For what it was intended yes - fast, powerful, brawny SUV. For excursions off the beaten track, no.
QUICK STATS
MERCEDES-BENZ ML 63 AMG
ENGINE: 6.2-litre V8 naturally aspirated
POWER: 375kW / 510hp at 6800rpm; 630Nm at 5200rpm
0 – 100KM/H: 6.5 seconds
GEARBOX: 7-speed G-Tronic
TOP SPEED: 250km/h
FUEL AVERAGE: 18.6 l/100km
CO2 e: 392 g/km
PRICE: R1 105 000
NATURAL RIVALS: BMW X5 M (in SA in 2010), Porsche Cayenne Turbo S
*PRICE RIVALS: PORSCHE 911 Targa 4 Coupe Tiptronic
BABE-MAGNETIC FACTOR: Very High
*A price rival falls within R20 000 or so of the subject’s price on either side of its price spectrum for cars over R350 000, R10 000 for cars of between R250 000 and R350 000 and R5 000 for cars below R250 000.
BREAKING NEWS: Fiat Auto SpA of Italy will be taking a 35% stake in Chrysler LLC of the United States. The deal has been announced in Milan. Details of the agreement are sketchy at the moment but it’s understood that the two companies will share vehicle platforms and technologies. Fiat did not pay for its stake but may help Chrysler tool up some of its factories in exchange for access to the US market as part of the deal. Money may change hands in due course.
Through this new deal Chrysler would be able to stay afloat in light of recent developments that have threatened to put it out of business. The company has been losing money by the billions. Two weeks ago it received – under strict conditions – a US$4 billion bailout cheque from the US government as part of a plan to rescue two of America’s biggest automakers, Chrysler and General Motors. More money is expected to the tune of at least US$5.4 billion within weeks.
Part of the conditions state that the US Federal government will own parts of the two companies. It’s not known what this means for Fiat and Chrysler, and their new alliance.
Fiat itself had not exactly been a sterling example of success in the auto industry over the past few years, but in the past two years the Italians have reshaped, refocused and are said to be well on their way to financial strength.
Of course it won’t be the first time that Chrysler has married a European partner. In 1998 the merger of Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler-Benz was finalised to create DaimlerChrysler. The two companies were together until 2007 when heavy losses at Chrysler could no longer be tolerated by Daimler’s stricter German executives. The merger itself was the brainchild of former Daimler chairman and CEO Jurgen Schrempf. At the time it was touted as a merger of equals but ended up benefiting Daimler much more than Chrysler.
Examples of this including Chryslers being fitted with previous-generation Mercedes-Benz parts and its high-performance vehicles not being able to beat or even match those offered by Merc. Remember the E55 AMG and its supercharged 5.4-litre V8 engine which produced 350kW? Well Chrysler “answered” with a 300C using a 6.1-litre V8 with only 317kW. Another example includes a car like the Crossfire which took a record 18 months to build from concept to finish. Only later during media evaluations did it become apparent that they were able to pull off this difficult feat by using old Mercedes-Benz parts like gearboxes, engines and interior bits.
Some media reports have suggested that Chrysler wants to position itself as the “Mercedes-Benz of America” effectively putting itself into competition against the Germans as well as GM’s Cadillac brand. Should these rumours be true then only time will tell how the alliance with Fiat works out as far as Fiat’s own luxury brands Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo are concerned.
We hope that Chrysler will be back on its feet again, secure and confident that its brands Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge will be supported by a happy public. Our road evaluation of the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 proves there’s plenty of life in the company and a lot of their products offer good value for money.
Thunder! Thor!
That’s it. Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8, the daddy of all Jeeps. The thing that grabs your attention is that front lip spoiler, the one that almost touches ground as you drive along. It features prominently as an accessory, very butch indeed, and it sets the tone for the rest of this SUV’s styling. Aggressive and punchy as it is, our lip is probably the single main factor that keeps this Jeep on the tar, and not anywhere near off-road tracks.
A jeep that can’t go off-road?
A first as far as I know. Off-road requires a high approach angle, which is attained by a tightly-angled front bumper, for when you approach a sudden steep and need to go up it. Bad approach angle, bad off-road car. Also, those thin wide 20-inch wheels are strictly tarmac-made, although these can be replaced for bundu bashing. Regardless, the SRT-8 still features Jeep’s Quadra-Drive four-wheel-drive system for absolute grip. I must say, it’s not the quickest-reacting 4x4 system out there; plant the accelerator to the floor and for a second get some wheel spin, and then you get going.
That’s because of power though isn’t it?
Yes, partly. The Grand Cherokee SRT-8 holds a 6.1-litre V8 engine of natural aspiration, mated to a 5-speed automatic gearbox. No turbos or superchargers. It produces 313kW, which is slightly more than a 4.0-litre BMW M3 and a 4.2-litre Audi RS4, but this car weighs a few hundred more kilos than these two. To this effect its 0 – 100km/h sprint time is said by Chrysler to be under 5 seconds, but in reality it is not. It is in fact, 6.7 seconds in Gauteng, which is very quick for an SUV, but still doesn’t warrant Jeep’s tagline “fastest SUV”. You don’t tackle the great outdoors with so much power and not expect to cause major environmental damage. Even on the road, that power comes at a price, and that price is 19 litres per 100km in petrol usage, giving just over 400km from one full tank. Thirsty bugger this is.
Thunder! Thor!
Oh yes, that sound. Deep, throaty, burble, thunder on the rocks. No other SUV on Mzansi roads sounds this brilliant; you hear it approaching a few hundred metres away and just smile. I worked at an office park where one of the tenants owned one, and each day he’d rev it hard as he went past security at the gates. You knew he was in then. It’s those two big pipes at the back, shiny steel centerfolds neatly tucked at the bottom half of the rear bumper. Wide side skirts make it look funkier.
And the interior?
Still Jeep plastic. Not exactly high-grade, but I guess it is a Jeep, and so it needs to be hard and functional, durable even, but doesn’t need to look like a softie, like those German SUVs’ interiors. Steering is a little light, thin-rimmed. I really like MyGIG, which is the Chrysler Group’s touch-screen infotainment system with a 20GB hard-drive for storing files like MP3s, pictures and video, all of which can be downloaded into MyGIG via USB memory stick or CD.
What’s the final verdict then?
Possibly the best value-for-money high performance SUV on the market. It may not have the type of power found in a Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG (378kW, R1 012 000) or a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S (368kW, R1 695 000) but at R600 000 it severely undercuts the two Germans by enough to buy more than one other car each.