The old Mercedes ML had one original design and one facelift during its seven-year life cycle, and this new one starts way ahead of where the old one left off in terms of physical and visceral excitement. The designers have made the front end much more aggressive, much bolder, and more interesting to look at, with ventilated grille bars, a power-dome hood design, a new approach to the bumper and lower grille element, and wild-looking new integrated headlamps.

The body shell is much more aerodynamic, with much larger and more prominent wheel arches front and rear, a new character line that rises as it goes rearward, and a heavily forward-slanting C-pillar that leads to a new trapezoidal rear side glass panel. The side window shapes go hand-in-hand with the grille, the body shell and roof angles to say to the onlooker Hi. I'm here to kick some butt."

Scratch-resistant paint, an interesting technology, will be standard on all models, and will be welcomed by those who really do take their M-Class vehicles off the road and into the shrubbery or those who have kids who brush up against the car. Also, a new power liftgate operated by the key fob will be optional, along with a cargo organizer for the load floor."

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