Believe it or not, some people who buy SUVs have no intention of going off-road. They don’t even care if their ride looks like it can go off-road. They just want a tall driving position combined with sure-footed all-wheel drive for inclement weather. And they definitely do not want a minivan. Mercedes-Benz builds the ML350 and ML500 just for this kind of buyer. But there is another kind of buyer who wants – and does not want – those same attributes in a vehicle, combined with athleticism and driving dynamics uncommon within the sport-utility genre. For this more demanding buyer, Mercedes-Benz has developed the new 2007 ML63 AMG.

What makes the ML63 athletic is a full-body massage by AMG that transforms it from an upscale suburban SUV into a pavement-mauling sport-utility. A hand-built, 6.3-liter V8 whips up 503 horsepower and 465 lb.-ft. of torque, good for getting the muscular ML63 AMG from zero to 60 mph in just five seconds. Power flows to all four wheels through a specially-calibrated seven-speed automatic transmission that can be manually shifted using buttons on the steering wheel. The driver can even choose between three shift programs: sport (S), comfort (C), or manual (M). The 2007 Mercedes-Benz ML63’s modified 4Matic AWD system splits power 40/60 front-to-rear for a sporty feel from behind the wheel. Other hardware upgrades include stiffer shocks for the standard Airmatic suspension system, a sport-tuned version of the adaptive damping system (ADS), bigger brakes with vented and perforated rotors, and polished 20-inch wheels wearing 295/40 Z-rated performance tires.