What's that baby Hummer with a three-pointed star? That's Mercedes-Benz' new long wheelbase M-class, possibly to be christened MLV.
While you will have to wait for four more years to ogle at it on the roads, you'll keep seeing more of it in print. The MLV will be filling up a gap in Mercedes' 2005 line-up, and will perhaps take on the luxurious Cadillac Escalade in the US market.
The MLV will be dramatically different from the next generation M-class (which will incidentally have a monocoque structure instead of the current ladder frame chassis), with plenty of aggressive straight lines, square headlamps, turn indicators atop the bonnet, higher waistline and to repeat, a longer wheelbase, giving it a length of over seventeen feet. Which also means third row seating as standard.
And in keeping with current trends, there will be a plethora of high-tech gizmos and gadgets, including a multifunction steering, GPS navigation, improved automatic transmission, electronic differential locks and an electrohydraulic brake system called Sensor Brake Control.
Mercedes is expected to come out with a new range of petrol engines too. A 170 bhp 2700 CC V6 unit with four valves per cylinder, a 3600 CC V6 that offers 258 bhp will replace their 4300 CC V8 and 3200 CC V6 and the top-of-the-line 5000 CC V8 will boast nothing less than 326 bhp.
Of course, the guys from AMG are helping along with a normally aspirated 5500 CC V8 which will offer all of 388 Teutonic horses in the ML/MLV55.
